Review #124: Greenore 10yr 2000/2011, OB, 52.9% abv, cask #87

shamrock not thistle

To Ireland today with a single-cask grain whiskey from the Cooley distillery. I think this is the first grain whiskey in the TastingDome, but I haven't really been paying attention.

So what is this stuff? Made from corn (plus a little malt, has to be), distilled in a column still, and aged in bourbon barrels (probably from Beam). I just read that Irish grain can be distilled up to 94.8% off the still -- that's more vodka than bourbon. I don't know about this one, though.

Nose: there's a wall of naked spirit in front, but behind that there's some nice fruit and crème caramel and biscuity notes. It's a fruit cocktail, with pears and peaches and pineapple and maybe a tangerine. Water doesn't do much, but time helps it open up.

Palate: very very creamy -- the alcohol bites for a second, and a there's a little orange pith, but then there's just waves and waves of sweet vanilla, with a little caramel and shortbread. With water, oddly, it becomes more bourbony.

Finish: a little vegetal, and then more of the same. It feels a bit hot, but the flavors are all there.


I'm impressed by this. I'd credit the barrel for all the flavors, but I didn't think that Beam had barrels this nice. It competes well with single pot still, certainly, if you like those flavors. Indeed, it's probably a purer expression of the fruit cocktail + vanilla candy formula, if that's what you're looking for.

score: 82