Showing posts with label Irish Malt Whiskey Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Irish Malt Whiskey Review. Show all posts

Dunville's 10 Years Review



“Weird Scenes inside the Gold Mine”

Whisky Review # 826

Country: Ireland
Brand: Dunville's
Distilled: Unknown. Probably Bushmills or Cooley.
Finished and Bottled By: Echlinville Distillery Ltd, Northern Ireland
Type: Irish Single Malt Pot Still Whiskey (Very Rare Old Irish Whiskey)
Age: 10 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Refill Ex Bourbon casks with Pedro Ximenez Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 50-60  (August 2019)
Buying Advice: 😕Very Weird Whiskey. P/Q ratio:👎 

Colour:

Golden Straw (Natural Colour)

Nose:

A Varnish/Paint Thinner note strikes first but diminishes with time. Be sure to give this Dunville's enough time in the glass. It remains a bit weird on the Nose though. Perfumed Soap comes to mind. Luckily there's some Fruit behind it too. I don't think I ever had a Whisk(e)y that smelled like this before. The Nose is Light, Medium-Sweet and Grassy. I wonder if some Virgin Oak was used for maturation as well. The Alcohol is noticeable.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Grass, Candies with Artificial Banana Flavour, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Apricot, Nuts, Tart Apple, Green Leaves, Dusty Oak, Cinnamon and Menthol.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Honey, Pineapple, Citrus, Pear, Dark Berries, Wet Newspaper, Pepper, Dried Herbs, Leather and Tobacco.

Bushmills Distillery
Palate:

Young and a little Nervous. The Alcohol is not really integrated. Bitter, Sweet & Sour notes fight for your attention.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Tart Apples and Pears, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Figs, Mixed Nuts, Varnish, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cinnamon. Menthol and Cocoa Powder. 

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Caramel, Honey, Dark Berries, Pineapple, Leather, Tobacco & Black Espresso.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long, Spicy, slightly Edgy & Bitter-Sweet. The Bitterness increases towards the Dry end. The Alcohol stings a little and the relative youth of this Whiskey is more noticeable at this point. I find Barley, Grass and Straw, Vanilla, Biscuits, Tart Apple, Dark Berries, Nuts, Pineapple, Honey, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Menthol, Varnish, Dusty Oak and Cocoa Powder.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water does not improve this Whiskey.

Rating: 78

Nose: 19.5 - Taste: 19,5 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 19.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Strange/Okay

Conclusion:

The Echlinville Distillery received its license in May 2013 so we will have to wait a bit for their own Whiskey. In the meantime they sell Gin and release Whiskey that was distilled elsewhere under the Dunville's Brand. Next to the 10 Years I'm reviewing today, a NAS expression has also been released.

I didn't like this Dunville's very much. The Spirit seems unbalanced and a little Dirty. The Dusty and Musty Oak suggests that a longer maturation would have turned the Spirit in Wood Juice. The strong Varnish note suggests Virgin Oak although I didn't find any evidence of that. It smells and tastes a little Weird in my opinion. Some might call it funky but it didn't convince me. And it's quite expensive for what it offers as well. I think I will wait for the first proper home-made Echlinville!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                  August 13, 2019

Cooley Distillery