The Irishman Single Malt

Hot Irishman, a company in Carlow (Ireland), lead by Bernard Walsh, has a portfolio that contains the Irishman Single Malt, the Irishman 70 Superior Irish Whiskey, but also a cream liqueur, a mulled wine and a Hot Irish Coffee mix. My first thoughts: this must be bottom shelf stuff. But hey, it is Saint Patrick’s Day, so this is the ideal moment to taste something Irish. Let us try the regular Single Malt, made from 100% Irish malt whiskey and matured on both bourbon and sherry casks.

The nose is very soft, as was to be expected from an Irish whiskey. Loads of toffee, but also some dried fruit like apricots and peach, albeit somewhat light. Hints of roasted nuts. Mild spices. Aniseed and some ginger. Caramel and some vanilla.

Arrrrgh, the attack is so watery, what a shame. Mild spices precede a lot of vanilla sweetness with hints of gingerbread. But no body whatsoever. Some ginger, vanilla and cinnamon. The fruit is hiding.

The finish is medium long, but shows little to nothing.

The nose started off well, but that is saying it all. This is a little whiskey. Did you know that Hot Irishman currently holds the world record for the largest Irish Coffee (70 liter!) ever made? They did this at Vinexpo, a French wine expo in Bordeaux, in June 2012.