Irish Single Malt whiskey 2002 / 15yo / Hogshead 56.9% / 209 bottled / 70cl

This little troublemaker very nearly never saw the light of day. When the cask
landed from Ireland, HMRC took a look and briefly considered pouring the
whole lot straight down the drain. Apparently ageing Irish whiskey within
Scotland is very much not the done thing. Thankfully common sense prevailed
and the whisky survived its brush with bureaucratic extinction. The ever-
talented Three Dogs handled the artwork this time around, delivering
something suitably mischievous for this “Cooool-ly” bottled whisky.

Nose: Big apples that would make NYC jealous. Pear tarte tatin dumped
under enough icing sugar to cancel school for the day. Honeycomb,
malt biscuits and a gentle waxy note drifting about like a beekeeper
who’s wandered into a bakery and started negotiating with the
croissants.

Palate: Thick, chewy malt doing cannonballs into a pool of floral honey.
Baked apples and poached pears immediately follow, causing big
enough splash that would give any Irishman immediate Kiwi citizenship.

Finish: Long, warm and gently peppery. Honeyed malt and lemon zest
hanging around like the last people in the bar asking for another drink
when the chairs are on the table... (don’t be that person).