Clontarf Single Malt

This Clontarf Single Malt (with no age stated) is listed in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible under Bushmills, where it is being distilled since 2003 (before that, it was produced at Cooley's).

It's pale straw color has a light greenish sheen to it. That didn't bode well. But how mistaken I was.

The body is a bit oily, but not much.

The nose is very sweet with oak, a little spice and a load of orange. Surprising, to say the least!

On the palate, it all stays very sweet, rich with caramel and spices (but not overly so, making this dram very 'drinkable').

The finish is long and soft, a little spicy but again very mildly so. A deep breath after a sip warms the throat very intensely.

Much of the mellow character of this dram is probably due to the charcoal filtration, which is somewhat extraordinary for Irish whiskey, but common in bourbon (e.g. Jack Daniel's).

I had heard nothing positive about this whiskey, even though Jim Murray gave it 90,5 in his 2010 bible. While that may be slightly overrated in my opinion, it's not far off the mark (but obviously, Jim's the expert and I'm the novice, nuff said!). I think this dram has been treated unfairly in recent past and should be re-instated (unless of course, my sources were simply even 'novicer' than I am).

Clontarf Single Malt is very good and at a price of about $30 definitely worth a try!

Pleasant surprise!

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