Fáilte ar ais roimh chách. Shroicheamar an lá deiridh de Mhárta, an lá deiridh de mhí fuisce na hÉireann. Welcome back everyone. We have arrived at the last day of this Irish Whiskey Month!☘️🇮🇪 It is crazy how quickly time just passes us by. The apex predator of our world is time, not us... don't be fooled. There is no outrunning, nor fooling time. Time is what governs us. Today we are taking a look at a very affordable whiskey from a distillery I have reviewed many bottles from. Non other, than the Hinch distillery. We are taking a look at their entry whiskey the Small Batch Bourbon Cask. It is around 25-35 euros, which is a great deal.

March the 17th is Saint Patrick's Day (Lá Fhéile Pádraig) in Ireland. This day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and by extension, celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Many reviewers like me pays homage to Ireland and its people by reviewing Irish Whiskeys this month.

Before we go any further, please check out my previous Irish Whiskey reviews of this Irish Whiskey Month!☘️🇮🇪

I would like reflect for a bit on these category of whisk(e)y. I really think that Irish Whiskeys are extremely underrated. For some reason Scotch is the only whisky that interests a lot. They seem to overlook Irish or for that matter any whiskies from countries like Australia, New-Zealand, Germany etc. Why? There are very nice whiskies out there in the wild. 

I came to the conclusion that cheap Irish Whiskey is way better than cheap scotch. The Tullamore D.E.W. or the Bushmills Original, they cost 20-25 euros and they are absolutely fine, they are tasty and smooth. What scotch can you get for this price? J.W. Red Label? Famous Grouse? VAT 69? Yes. These are in the ballpark if not even more expensive. Now let me tell you. All of these blends are industrial garbage. Undrinkable trash compared to any cheap Irish bottles. 

Now to the middle-expensive side of things. Sadly average Scotches start from around 40 euros nowadays. Like the Aberlour 12 or Glenfarclas 12, you know what I mean. For that price you can find quite a few interesting cask finished Irish Whiskeys such as the Hinch Imperial Stout Finish. On the expensive side, as always there are a million choices in either category, and you really can't go wrong...

So to put a point to my conclusion: I am very happy that the Irish Whiskey scene is living its reneissance. Lots of great whiskeys are being released for reasonable prices. I hope this continues and that their prices will stay reasonable!

I would also like to introduce you to my new scoring system. Yes. I reworked my socring system. I thought it was time to get away from the infalted scoring system of Whiskybase.com. I really don't like that anymore. I implemented the 1-10 scale, because it's simple and easily understandable for non-Whiskybase readers too. 5 is average. However there's nothing wrong with an average, well-priced whisky.

⏺10: Dram of a lifetime. Outstanding.

▶️ 9: A very well made, exceptional whisky.

▶️ 8: Something great, something special.

▶️ 7: Very good. Solid.

▶️ 6: Good stuff, above average.

▶️ 5: The average, and no...not in a bad way.

▶️ 4: It's ok. Below average, but it has promise.

▶️ 3: Disappointing. Bad.

▶️ 2: Avoid.

▶️ 1: I wouldn't pay for it nor should it exist.

I will also add my score of the whisky at the beggining of the article. Why? If someone wants to only see the score to get a quick input whether they should buy the bottle or not can do it now without scrolling. I also do not want to force anyone to read the distillery history etc. I am happy if you do, however now the scores will be available at the start of the article. The tasting notes will be where they alaways were. I hope you like the changes! But now, let's get into todays review.

About Hinch Distillery

Hinch Distillery, founded by Dr. Terry Cross, a businessman from Belfast. Cross sold his Delta Print and Packaging firm for around £50 million but rather than retiring, he decided to invest some of his wealth into a new whiskey distillery. Named after the nearby town of Ballynahinch, south of Belfast, the distillery is situated in the grounds of the Killaney Estate.

Construction began in 2019 with an initial launch date planned for April 2020. Of course, many such plans were interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and the project ground to a halt whilst the country went on lockdown. Work was able to resume in July but any possibility of a public opening remained on hold. Since then, the distillery commenced production and their shop was able to open for a few weeks in the run up to Christmas, giving locals a first peak at a visitor centre that will include a coffee shop, restaurant, pub and events space. For the occasion, a special 18 year old whiskey was released, sourced from another Irish distillery, that had been finished in wine casks from Dr. Cross' other passion project – the Chateau de la Ligne vineyard in Bordeaux.

They released a 3 yo peated single malt in 2024 as their first release. It can only be bought on-site at the distillery. However most of their other stuff is still sourced from other distilleries.

The most affordable of the current age stated offerings is the 5 year old "Double Wood" which is a combination of both malt and grain whiskies, matured initially in bourbon barrels before a 12 month finishing period in virgin oak casks. Bottled at 43% it retails for just 40 euros a bottle.

The core range

Their core range currently consist of 9 bottlings.

1. Small Batch Bourbon Cask - 43%
2. Peated Small Batch - 43 %
3. Peated Single Malt - 43%
4. 5 Year Old - Double Wood - 43%
5. 10 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish - 43%
6. 15 Year Old - Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish - Batch 1 - 46%
7. Connoisseur Collection - 5 Year Old - Madeira Wine Cask Finish - 46%
8. Craft & Casks Imperial Stout Cask Finish - 46.4%
9. 19 Year Old Single Malt Château De La Ligne Finish - 48%

A pretty nice selection of whiskeys. For more check out their site.

Their core range - images taken from hinchdistillery.com

Hinch Small Batch Bourbon Cask - Natural Color(?), Non-chill filtered(?), 43%

"Our Small Batch Bourbon Cask is a premium blend of Single Malt and Single Grain Whiskeys. Paired together in small batches to give a classic smooth Irish whiskey.

Matured for 3 - 4 years in the finest first fill bourbon casks for hints of fruit, vanilla and caramel Hinch Small Batch is light hazel in appearance. Aromas are sweet wood and toffee whilst on the palate dry fruit combines with citrus and a lingering caramel undertone."

Nose: It starts off with a very heavy vanilla influence from the Bourbon casks. Followed my some malty and grainy notes. French toast and butter. A very nice buscuit-y smell. There are citrus fruits such as lemon and tangerine. Green apples and poached pears. A very slight hint of oak and spices such as cinnamon.

Taste: Very creamy and oily mouthfeel. The 43% definitely works well. Here the first notes I taste are orchard fruits. Green apples, pears and apricots. Followed by orange, lemon and citrus peel. Again there is a nice amount of vanilla and toffee sweetness followed by a light oak influence and cinnamon.

Finish: The finish is medium length. Leaves with cinnamon and pepper, quite spicy. Espresso and oak. Again vanilla and toffee. Honeyed oranges and peaches. Spicy, sweet and sour. Great.

Overall I think this is a great choice for beginners and for seasoned drinkers alike. It is very smooth and tasty. Showcases a true Irish experience with all the orchard fruit and vanilla toffee notes. This is truly how an Irish Whiskey should taste. I liked it a bit more than their 5 yo Double Wood. I think that this is above the average, hence I give this a 6.5/10 rating. Buy it, try it. Drink responsibly.

Some pictures in this article are not owned by me, I tagged their owner and I attached a link of their site. All other pictures that have my logo on them are TAKEN AND OWNED BY ME.

Check out the points on all the whiskies I've rated and ranked head-to-head.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. To many more. Sláinte.

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