Irish Single Malt 24 yo 1991 / 2016 Formosa Whisky Society #12019 48.2% vs Irish Single Malt 28 yo 1989 / 2018 The Perfect Dram 49.9%

Irish Single Malt 24 yo 1991 / 2016 Formosa Whisky Society #12019 48.2%

Not explosively fruity though enough fruit, in the shape of blackcurrants, kyoho grape and mango on oily frangipane, does shine through. But this one is really more about thin seed oils, grass oil, clay pots and some industrial lubricant scents. Milky fig leaf, Chlorets mints and graphite provide for a very interesting malt, is there a whisper of peat? Dry ropes and the slightest dirt. The whisky version of a twenty something who hasn’t found herself, perhaps therein lies the charm. 88 pts

Irish Single Malt 28 yo 1989 / 2018 The Perfect Dram 49.9%

87 bottles only! Much more familiar territories now, with verdant grass and fruit! Ripe fruit, green fruit, acidic and sweet, lush and varied, meeting the high bar expected of these wondrous years in Ireland’s distilleries. Also mint tea, limes, pine needles, touches of juniper and honey lemon pastilles. Bulls-eye. 90 pts