Review: Clontarf Classic Blend Irish Whiskey (2009)
January 17, 2009//
Review: Clontarf Classic Blend Irish Whiskey (2009)
Named after a famous battle in Ireland (the one in which King Boru, another bit of history that’s become a liquor brand, died), Clontarf produces two Irish whiskeys, a blend and a single malt.
Here’s the blend, which is a perfectly acceptable Irish, a light honey and butterscotch spirit that goes down with minimal fuss. The finish is short, with a toffee-like dessert quality, but not overwhelmingly sweet.
No complaints here, but there’s not a whole lot of surprise in the glass. Maybe that’s a good thing for folks who like their whiskey easygoing and super-consistent. At 24 bucks a bottle, it’s hard to complain, but other solid Irish bottlings cost even less.
80 proof. Also known as Clontarf Black Label.
B+ / $24 [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]
Clontarf Classic Blend Irish Whiskey (2009)
$24
8.5
Meaning no disrespect, I must disagree with your assessment of Clontarf.
I was struck by the harsh, hot nature of the alcohol itself, as though a particularly unscrupulous moonshiner had boosted his output with way too much sugar and a handful of oat bran to add some “flavor”.
Charcoal filtering and bourbon barrels may be what the company claims, but I am reasonably certain that I could produce the same flavor profile with diet coke syrup and liquid smoke in a measure of Mohawk vodka. Toffee? No. Maybe burnt Twizzlers.
I found the smokiness odd and inappropriate in an Irish whiskey and felt that it ruined a nice cup of coffee when I tried to find use for this stuff.
Frankly, this is one to be avoided. Even if your taste runs to whiskey sours, whiskey and coke or sticking a rag in a bottle, lighting it, and hurling it at the barricades.
You can do better.