”No More Tears”
Whisky Review # 970
Country: Ireland 🇮🇪
Brand: Writer's Tears Copper Pot Deau XO Cognac Cask Finish
Bottled/Distilled/Matured for: Walsh Whiskey Ltd, Carlow
Distilled at: Undisclosed. Probably 50/50 Middleton and Bushmills
Type: Blend of Single Malt and Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey - Single Cask -# NA
Distilled at: Undisclosed. Probably 50/50 Middleton and Bushmills
Type: Blend of Single Malt and Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey - Single Cask -# NA
Edition: Limited Edition - Discontinued
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46% (Triple-Distilled)
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon casks with Finish in French Oak Cognac casks
Chill Filtration: No
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon casks with Finish in French Oak Cognac casks
Chill Filtration: No
Sample provided by Jan from The Netherlands. Many Thanks!
Average Price: US$ 45-75 (November 2022)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Okay at around US$ 45
Buying Advice: 👎 Go for the Redbreast 12 Years instead
Colour: Light Amber with shades of Orange (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Young and Light but not unpleasant. A mix of Sweet and Sour, Fruity & Floral notes accompanied by chunks of Toffee and Vanilla. The Alcohol is noticeable. The Cognac influence is limited.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Toffee, Green Apple, Pear, Orange and Lemon Peel, Floral Perfume, Cinnamon and Cloves.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Caramel, Honey, Demerara Sugar, Banana, Nectarine, White Apricot, Nuts, Slightly Sour Grapes, Berries and Cherries, Nuts, Ginger and Dusty Oak.
Palate:
Young, Thin and Edgy. The Alcohol is clearly noticeable. Mixed Sweet & Sour Fruity and Floral notes. There's a New Make Spirit feel to this Copper Pot.
Main Flavours:
Sweet Barley, Caramel, Vanilla, Toffee, Green Apple, Pear, Sour Grapes and Berries like Gooseberry, Bitter English Marmalade, Floral Perfume, Pepper, Cinnamon, Dusty Oak and Marzipan.
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Okay at around US$ 45
Buying Advice: 👎 Go for the Redbreast 12 Years instead
Colour: Light Amber with shades of Orange (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Young and Light but not unpleasant. A mix of Sweet and Sour, Fruity & Floral notes accompanied by chunks of Toffee and Vanilla. The Alcohol is noticeable. The Cognac influence is limited.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Toffee, Green Apple, Pear, Orange and Lemon Peel, Floral Perfume, Cinnamon and Cloves.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Caramel, Honey, Demerara Sugar, Banana, Nectarine, White Apricot, Nuts, Slightly Sour Grapes, Berries and Cherries, Nuts, Ginger and Dusty Oak.
Young, Thin and Edgy. The Alcohol is clearly noticeable. Mixed Sweet & Sour Fruity and Floral notes. There's a New Make Spirit feel to this Copper Pot.
Main Flavours:
Sweet Barley, Caramel, Vanilla, Toffee, Green Apple, Pear, Sour Grapes and Berries like Gooseberry, Bitter English Marmalade, Floral Perfume, Pepper, Cinnamon, Dusty Oak and Marzipan.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Butterscotch, Banana, Lemon, Nuts, Cocoa Powder, Sultanas, Cloves, Ginger and Licorice. A hint of Espresso.
Finish:
Short/Middle-Long, Young & slightly Edgy with a light Alcohol Burn. It doesn't really invite me to have another sip. I find Toasted Grain, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Vanilla, Honey, Banana, Lemon, Bitter Orange Marmalade, Sour Berries & Cherries, Nuts, Cocoa Powder, Floral Perfume, Sultanas, Varnish, Dusty Track, Green Apples, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon, Licorice and Espresso.
Drinking Advice:
Due to the size of the sample I only tasted this Writer's Tears neat
Conclusion:
The Walsh Whiskey company was founded as Hot Irishman Ltd in 1999 by Bernard & Rosemary Walsh. In 2006 the company signed a long-term supply agreement with a distillery for the distilling and maturation of Irish Whiskey to their specifications. The Irishman blend was launched in 2007 followed by Writer's Tears in 2009. The latter is a vatting of Single Malt & Single Pot Still Whiskeys. In 2014 the construction of Royal Oak distillery (Carlow) was started in a partnership with Lllva Saronno, the Italian drinks giant. The distillery started production in 2016. Unfortunately the partnership with Lllva Saronno as well as the involvement with the Royal Oak distillery ended a few years ago as the partners differed with respect to the development of the distillery in the future. I would not be surprised if the dispute was about the concept of Craft Distillery Vs. Global Whiskey Producer. Most likely, the Whiskey for the Walsh Brand is currently being distilled by Middleton and/or Bushmills.
The Copper Pot Deau XO Cognac Finish was released in early 2019 and is a premium edition of the regular Copper Pot. It is a Blend of aged Single Malt and Single Pot Still Whiskey that was finished for 9 months in 12 French Limousin Oak casks from the Allary cooperage that were seasoned for 10-15 Years with Deau XO Cognac from the Legaret family.
Honey, Butterscotch, Banana, Lemon, Nuts, Cocoa Powder, Sultanas, Cloves, Ginger and Licorice. A hint of Espresso.
Short/Middle-Long, Young & slightly Edgy with a light Alcohol Burn. It doesn't really invite me to have another sip. I find Toasted Grain, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Vanilla, Honey, Banana, Lemon, Bitter Orange Marmalade, Sour Berries & Cherries, Nuts, Cocoa Powder, Floral Perfume, Sultanas, Varnish, Dusty Track, Green Apples, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon, Licorice and Espresso.
Drinking Advice:
Due to the size of the sample I only tasted this Writer's Tears neat
Rating: 80.5 - Stars on a 1-10 scale: 6.5 (******1/2)
Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
A few of my loyal readers have pointed out that every once in a while my final Rating note does not seem to be totally in line with the written text. I recognize that. When I started this Whisky Blog back in 2011, I was not at all experienced in tasting and scoring Single Malts & Blends. Looking back I realize that during the early years I probably scored the good Whiskies too low and the not so good Whiskies too high. Ever since the beginning I try to remain consequent in my rating, always comparing the outcome to the rating of comparable whiskies in terms of quality and taste and adjusting the final rating if necessary. This might lead to the discrepancy I mentioned before. It would have been much easier if I would have chosen a simple 1-10 rating since the beginning but after having reviewed 950 whiskies it would not be wise to change the system now. I will however from now on add stars on the 1-10 scale so you will have a better idea of what I thought of the whisky reviewed. And I'm planning to only use the 1-10 scale as of January 1, 2023. Please feel free to comment!
Drinking Experience Neat: Okay
Conclusion:
The Walsh Whiskey company was founded as Hot Irishman Ltd in 1999 by Bernard & Rosemary Walsh. In 2006 the company signed a long-term supply agreement with a distillery for the distilling and maturation of Irish Whiskey to their specifications. The Irishman blend was launched in 2007 followed by Writer's Tears in 2009. The latter is a vatting of Single Malt & Single Pot Still Whiskeys. In 2014 the construction of Royal Oak distillery (Carlow) was started in a partnership with Lllva Saronno, the Italian drinks giant. The distillery started production in 2016. Unfortunately the partnership with Lllva Saronno as well as the involvement with the Royal Oak distillery ended a few years ago as the partners differed with respect to the development of the distillery in the future. I would not be surprised if the dispute was about the concept of Craft Distillery Vs. Global Whiskey Producer. Most likely, the Whiskey for the Walsh Brand is currently being distilled by Middleton and/or Bushmills.
The Copper Pot Deau XO Cognac Finish was released in early 2019 and is a premium edition of the regular Copper Pot. It is a Blend of aged Single Malt and Single Pot Still Whiskey that was finished for 9 months in 12 French Limousin Oak casks from the Allary cooperage that were seasoned for 10-15 Years with Deau XO Cognac from the Legaret family.
Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of Irish Whiskey and/or other Triple-distilled spirits. This Writer's Pot Deau XO does nothing to change my opinion. It's Young, rather Thin and Edgy and the Alcohol is never far away. The Cognac influence is very limited. The Nose is okay but Palate and Finish do not really challenge me to have another sip. Give my portion but to Fikkie as the Dutch would say!
Cheers! 🥃
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