Showing posts with label Irish Whiskey Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Irish Whiskey Reviews. Show all posts

Greenore 8 Years Single Grain Review



Country: Ireland
Brand: Greenore
Type: Irish Single Grain Whiskey
Age: 8 Years
Alcohol: 40%
Date: 19/07/2012

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Light, Medium Sweet Nose with Young Grain, Alcohol, Acetone, Sharp Green Oak, Vanilla, Artificial Banana Flavor and a touch of Honey. A Hint of Leather and Coco Nut Sun Tan-Oil in the back of the glass. For a moment I thought I was back on the beach in Spain in 1970. Great feeling! This whiskey reminds me a bit of Bourbon which is not surprising given the high corn content.

Taste: Slightly watery delivery with Sweet Caramel, Unripe Peach, Toffee and Wood. Traces of Oat Porridge with Butter and Honey.

Finish: Light and Short with some Caramel, (Slightly Bitter) Wood and Honey.

I added a bit of water and that diminished the acetone on the Nose. I get more Vanilla, Butter and Banana. The Nose certainly fares well with a bit of water. However, Palate and Finish water down completely although some spicy bite pops up right at the end. Preferably drink it neat!

Rating:  77 
Nose: 20 – Taste: 19.5 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 19.5


General Remarks: Most Grain Whiskies are used for Blends.  Greenore is the only Irish Single Grain Whiskey. It is distilled in Column Stills using Water from the Cooley mountains and it contains 93% French Corn, Yeast and 7% Malted Barley. It matures in First Fill used Bourbon Casks.

Drinking Experience Straight: Okay

Conclusion: This is certainly not a cheap whiskey at around US$ 50,- and you don’t come across it too often. It’s not unlike a Bourbon but the difference, next to the price of course, is that the 8 years really enhance the wood flavor to a point where it becomes a bit too dominant. It’s also not as smooth and sweet. The Greenore is certainly an interesting whiskey but not one I would drink on a regular basis.

Jan van den Ende                                                                       July 2012

The Cooley Distillery