Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
80 Proof
Price Point: $35 – $45 for 750 ML
Background
Two weeks ago I reviewed Clontarf 1014, an Irish whiskey that was sent to me by Castle Brands to review. This week, I’m stepping it up and trying their single malt Irish, Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old.
Review
The nose on Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old is full of thick, hearty sourdough bread. It’s also fruity (sherried), but something is a bit off. There’s a bitterness that’s slightly uninviting.
This whiskey is very much sherried in the mouth, and reminiscent of Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old. This is another Irish whiskey with lots of interesting malty characteristics mixed with sherry cask aging.
There’s a decent length on the finish with more rich sherry to round things out.
Rating & Recommendations
Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old impressed me enough to earn a rating of 83 out of 100.
Although I certainly prefer single malt Irish whiskeys over their grainy, mass-produced countrymen, I wonder if Irish whiskeys lose a bit of their identity and heritage in this style. I suppose that can be addressed in a blog post at another time.
-Ryan