O' Kanagan Irish Whiskey Review

Country: Ireland

Brand: O’Kanagan

Type: Triple Distilled Blended Whiskey

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 19/08/2012

Colour: Pale Straw/White Wine (Chardonnay)

Nose: Very Light. It’s almost non-existing. You have to dig deep here to get Slightly Sharp Grain, Oak, Light Alcohol, Malt, Lemon Peel, Vanilla, Bread Dough. Very light Notes of Toast with Margarine and a little Honey.

Taste: Very light on the Palate. Malt and Oak. Hot, Spicy and slightly Bitter. Almost nothing is happening here.

Finish: Extremely Short. Bit of Sugar, Wood and Hot Spices. A hint of Licorice at the end.

I added a bit of water but it does not make a lot of difference. You can try it either way.

Rating: 71 

Nose: 19 – Taste: 17.5 – Finish: 17– Overall: 17.5

General Remarks: I can’t find any essential information on this Blend other than that it is composed of Irish Grain and Malt Whiskeys. It is distilled in Ireland, maybe by the Cooley Distillery. It is (probably) bottled and (certainly) distributed by Distillery Group Toorank BV, a Dutch based Distilling company with distilleries in the Netherlands and Poland that produce a.o. liquors and rum. I’ve read somewhere that Canada is one of the main markets for this Blend. It’s a cheap blend at around US$ 20,-

Drinking Experience Straight: Not Satisfying.

Conclusion: I had never heard of this Blend before and I can see why. While the Nose, although very faint, is not unpleasant, Palate and Finish have almost nothing to show for. I seldom have tested a whisky with so little Taste and such a short Finish. It’s probably usable as a mixing Alcohol for Fruit Cocktails but I can’t recommend this when you like to drink your dram neat.  

Jan van den Ende                                                                 August 2012