Midleton Writer's Tears

The amount of malted and unmalted barley in this blend of pure pot still whiskey and single malt whisky is a well-kept secret. It is triple distilled, as is Irish custom, and matured on bourbon casks. The names is explained, I was told, by the fact that this was the favorite whiskey of many 18th Century Irish writers. Today it is produced at Midleton.

The nose is very light on citrus, vanilla, grain cookies, orange peel, cinnamon and a floral touch. Totally harmless and very Irish indeed. A hint of green banana and some violets. In that regard, it is quite similar to Auchentoshan (which should not surprise too much, that is triple distilled as well and has similar traits).

The arrival is soft with loads of vanilla, citrus (lime and blood oranges) and some nice spices that kick in Midpalate. Cinnamon and nutmeg. Very sweet, tough. A touch of liquorice gives it some extra depth. Banana Split with vanilla ice, sans the chocolate sauce.

The finish, that is as sweet as the palate, is rather short, on orange peel and cinnamon.

If I had tasted this blind, I might have easily confused it with my fav aperitif style Auchentoshan. Ha, and Irish Toshan! Maybe that is why I quite like this one. Between 25 and 30 EUR, which is quite a steal.

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