Review: Knappogue Castle 1994 Master Distiller’s Private Selection
Review: Knappogue Castle 1994 Master Distiller’s Private Selection
We were lucky enough to land one of just 1,100 bottles of Knappogue Castle’s 1994 Master Distiller’s Private Selection Irish whiskey, a single malt Irish — hand numbered and signed by the son of the distillery’s founder, Mark Andrews III.
Aged 14 years, it’s hard to imagine this whiskey spent that much time in cask. Very light in body, it’s a pale straw color with just a minimal hint of wood on the nose. Shockingly, the biggest flavor component here is apple — fresh apples, with a touch of banana and bubble gum, both traditional notes for Irish whiskeys.
The finish is light and moderately sweet, with a cane sugar character. Altogether it’s a classic Irish in keeping with Knappogue’s house style, and one that’s well worth seeking out if you can find it.
80 proof.
A- / $99 / knappoguewhiskey.com
Knappogue Castle 1994 Master Distiller's Private Selection
$99
A bit of a nit-pick, but this was distilled in 1994 and bottled in 2008, making it roughly a 14yo whiskey, not 16yo. And the distillery owner is Mark Andrews not Anders. Cheers!
Thanks for both corrections — 11 years after publication of the review! (I think the age error came because we reviewed it in 2010, assuming it was bottled that year.)