The Irishman Founders Reserve46% ABV.

Caribbean cask finish

Tasted as party of the @TweetTasting for @WalshWhiskey on twitter on 10/3/2021.

Appearance

Initially there isn’t much to see, then slowly the swirl line starts to thicken up and become very syrupy. Eventually very thick syrupy legs start to fall, the whiskey is medium gold in colour.

Nose

Black cherries, dark chocolate, cola bottles, black jack sweets, tobacco and dunnage kick this off the palate, it does start on darker notes. Icing sugar follows briefly then pastry and a tea aroma arrive. Seared pineapple, guava and a meaty vibe develop with an accompanying dustiness, a light note of menthol sees the nose finish.

Appearance

My first thought is “lovely mouthfeel”, and it’s nice and spicy. Flat cola, aniseed, ginger, liquorice, an oiliness, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger cake make a super mix. Jamaican ginger cake, a hint of banana, vanilla and black treacle become mixed with white pepper, cranberries, blood oranges, coffee beans, and squashed fly biscuits. Oak, high cocoa content dark chocolate and liquorice wrap up the palate.

Finish

Long side of medium in length, it’s a beautiful sweet and spicy mix, very nicely balanced, and similar to the palate, which is very nice indeed. The dark chocolate and oak start to get stronger, cigar leaves and dunnage join in the party before it all slowly fades.

My thoughts

The spiciness, warmth and darkness of this whiskey wasn’t what i expected, it kind of caught me by surprise to be honest. I have tried a few whisk(e)ys that claim to be Rum casked, many fail in my experience. This bottling doesn’t, and that is what caught me by surprise. It has the spiciness, warmth and darkness that i would expect from a Rum cask whiskey, and plenty of it, I’ve really enjoyed it.

It's one of the best I've tasted tbh.#WalshWhiskey

— Dram it Mick! (@StillSurreal) March 10, 2021

Would i buy a bottle?

For me personally? yes I’d happily buy one. In my humble opinion it has what some others lack, and it’s certainly no shrinking violet that’s for sure.

Thanks to – @WalshWhiskey, @TheWhiskyWire and @TweetTastings (all Twitter).

Image credit – @TheWhiskyWire (Twitter).