Irish 16 Year Old 2002 Éirinn go Brách Brachadair

The Belgian bottler Brachadair, run by the soft-spoken Patrick Vanderlinden, has two new bottlings out. A Caol Ila and an Irish. The last one drew my attention with its lovely name ‘Éirinn go Brách’, which means ‘Ireland forever’. The whiskey was distilled in December 2002 and bottled in January of this year. The cask yielded 192 bottles at cask strength. Looking forward to trying this!

The nose is very fruity one the one hand – as you would expect from Irish whiskey- but also has an interesting herbal side. Allow me to sum up: ferns, buttercups, banana, apricot, papaya and a hint of dried peach. Add a handful of almonds. Strike that, make it marzipan. The party has already started.

The arrival is powerful and immediately a bit piquant. The fruit returns immediately, but you may leave the skin on the banana and papaya. The herbal side is even stronger than on the nose and keeps it from becoming a veritable tropical fruit bomb.

The finish is medium long, wonderfully fruity with a seriously herbal twist.

Admittedly, this Irish is a bit of a one-trick-pony, but when he performs that sole trick – being delicious – this well, I could care less. Around 140 EUR. Recommended. Thanks for the sample, Patrick.