Irish Nectar of the Daily Drams ex rum casks: Ireland 24yo 1989/2014 #16262 42.2% vs Ireland 22 yo 1991/2014 #10657 46.6%
Why couldn’t I just do this last week when it would have gone perfectly for St Patricks I wonder.
Anyway, up this week – 2 Irish Single Malts of certain but undisclosed origin. Clue: How many distilleries made Single Malt in 1989 and then 1991? Bottled by the Nectar of the Daily Drams for La Maison back in 2014 when there were many of these casks floating around the independent bottlers, and before people really realized how good they were.
Ireland 24 yo 1989/2014 Nectar of the Daily Drams for La Maison, Rum cask #16262, 42.2%
Nose: Pretty stunningly fruity. With all the warm, bright tropical fruit you expect from an Irish Single Malt from these wondrous years. A zestier pith-ier kind of fruit I think, in fact has quite a sting. But this one rounds it our vanilla pods and sweet wood, in fact hints of sandalwood. Also clean buttered malt.
Palate: Arrives with the full force of the fruit yes, but also a very sappy vegetal sting. Just imagination or is that the rum speaking? in fact now tends to be more aggressive than fruity-smooth. On top of the acid bite of citrus add hints of salty-pungent grassy-vegetal notes, and slightly medicinal-herb overtones that seem more Jamican than Irish. Very interesting. Well put together. Bravo La Maison.
Finish: Long, sweet and sour, grass and hints of malt.
Ireland 22 yo 1991/2014 Nectar of the Daily Drams for La Maison, Rum cask #10657, 46.6%
Nose: !! Getting very interesting, this one is less hugely fruity but the rum cask must have imparted these very forest-y aspects, of broken branches and scraped bark, pungent along the fresh woody-green lines of rosemary and sage, and fresh compost. All that resting on a bed of soft warm fruit which shines through eventually, along with the creamy sweet wood. Blazingly good.
Palate: Again, the herby aspects present themselves first with a sappy green pungency, and also some salted.. wood? or something that seems salty and woody. The big fruit is a blend of warm sweet and sour juice plus a tablespoon of aniseed and black pepper. It’s actually quite sharp as well, and citric towards the finish.
Finish: Long, sour and sharp citrus, sweet wood again. Hint of green here and there.
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