The popular Irish proverb at the title conveys how passionate the Irish are towards their whiskey. In fact the passion towards respective native distillates extends to other major whiskey producing nations, so much so, that we have different ways to spell it too! While the Americans share the spelling with the Irish, the Scots and most of the remaining world call it Whisky minus the "e". 

Welcome back Everyone! We are back with a few Irish whiskeys again. This time it's not just single malts, we have two blended whiskeys too. Let's dive right into it.

Writers' Tears Copper Pot - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered (?), 40% 

Writers' Tears is a whiskey produced by Walsh Whiskey. 19th and early 20th century Ireland was a golden era both for Irish whiskey and for great Irish novelists, poets and playwrights. Ireland was then the leading whiskey producing nation in the world and the birthplace of literary giants, including writers such as George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and Bram Stoker, to name but a few. Many of these great writers, on occasion, would take refuge in their local public house, where they could draw inspiration from their observations of daily life while enjoying the comfort of their favourite dram of whiskey.

"Away from the writers' enjoyment of a dram, the Irish whiskey barons were rebelling against the emergence of what they saw as inferior grain from Coffey Stills. The barons were protective of the traditions that had made their success possible and at that time, one whiskey style was held high above all others. Known as the 'champagne of Irish whiskey' it was a master blend of pot still and malt whiskeys, both distilled in copper pots. It was enjoyed by many of the great Irish writers of the day… of course less for its inspirational qualities than its full-bodied, flavoursome taste and creamy texture! It was said that they enjoyed it so much, that when they cried, their tears were of whiskey."

Writers' Tears is a unique marriage of Aged Single Pot Still and Single Malt Irish whiskey. Distilled entirely from barley, both malted and unmalted, this is a truly special Irish Whiskey. Writers' Tears is triple distilled, non-peated and matured in Flame Charred American Oak bourbon casks. An award-winning whiskey that has also been included in Ian Buxton's publication "101 Whiskeys to try before you die". 

Nose: Single pot still spiciness, lemongrass, wood shaves, star fruits, apple, vanilla, floral scents, toffee, baking spices - a very pleasant nose.

Taste: Very round, mellow, nice mouthfeel. Not thick, but still mouth coating. Honey and zesty, peach, nectarine. Baking spices, ginger, apple, pear, vanilla, honey, some dark fruits in the very back. There's some milk chocolate. Coffee, orange juice. Quite refreshing.

Finish: Long and very pleasant finish despite the low ABV. Espresso and spices. 

Overall this is a very interesting and pleasant whiskey. I am not saying that I would buy another bottle but it's definitely worth the asking price if you haven't had this one yet. It has a great complexity and deepness despite the 40% ABV. 82 / 100

Writers' Tears Double Oak - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered, 46%

"Writers' Tears Double Oak is an exclusive Irish whiskey created using two woods and two styles of premium Irish whiskey. A blend of Single Pot Still and Single Malt Irish whiskey, aged in two types of wood – American Oak Bourbon Barrels from Kentucky and French Oak Cognac Casks from the Cognac Region in France. It is triple-distilled, non-chill filtered and bottled at 46% ABV. This expression is made possible by a close collaboration between the Walsh family in Ireland's County Carlow and the Legaret family in Cognac, France."

Nose: The nose begins with light vanilla and a blend of toffee and caramel. There's also Christmas baking spices. So far so good! Sandalwood and orange followed by cinnamon, plum and grapes. A mix of floral scents and damp wood notes adds a little complexity, deepness. Fanta. Very nice!

Taste: Sweet, juicy and fresh, citrus, dark chocolate and ginger. The mouthfeel is right between round and dry. There's juicy peach, and strawberry drom grandmas' garden. Delightful! A small sweet and sour symphony at the back, it would do very well without the sourness.

Finish: Long and drying. Roasted nuts in the aftertaste, right amount of bitterness. The ABV is just right.

Overall this whiskey has great and not so great qualities. I still think this is better than the Copper Pot. I'll rate this 83 / 100.

West Cork Single Malt Glengariff Series Bog Oak Charred Cask - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered (?), 43%

This is quite a long name I'm not gonna lie. This bottle is the part of West Cork's Glengariff Series, Glengarriff Forest is an area of woodland near Glengarriff, West Cork, Ireland. It consists of the Peat Charred Cask Finish and the Bog Oak Charred Cask Finish. These triple distilled single malt Irish whiskeys are matured in sherry casks before being treated to a finishing period in peat charred casks and bog oak charred casks.

"This triple distilled single malt Irish whiskey which is initially matured in Sherry casks before being finished in casks that have been heavily charred using bog oak harvested from the local boglands of Glengarriff Forest in West Cork. The 'Bog Oak Charred Cask' release is one of two exclusive expressions in the Limited 'Glengarriff Series' by West Cork Distillers. West Cork Distillers are very unique in their own approach to Irish whiskey and this unique expression is no letdown. It is bottled at 43% ABV." 

Nose: Apples, pears, some sour cherry, grass, charred oak, malt, lemon zest, dark fruits from the sherry cask and some lingering honey - extremely complex nose for a sub 30€ bottle.

Taste: A mix of spices, honey, green apples, some berries, pepper, incredibly smooth and silky - great on the palate but expected more after that complex nose.

Finish: Medium length, spicy, peppery and some sweetness - overall pleasant.

I think this is a bottle to try for sure. It has an interesting style and it's creation is very interesting aswell. Great drink for the price. 85 / 100

Fercullen Single Malt Amarone Cask Influence The Estate Series No.3 The Gates limited edition - Natural Color, Non-chill filtered, 46%

Well, this name is even longer then the one previously. Oh my oh. What can I say? They like these long names it would seem.

Powerscourt Distillery, the home of Fercullen whiskey. The Powerscourt Distillery, set in the garden of Ireland in Enniskerry Co. Wicklow was designed and constructed by a Scottish engineering group called Forsyths, one of the world leaders in the supply of distillation equipment.

It is a classic 3 pot still distillery, allowing Powerscourt to distil, malt and potstill whiskey using both classic and traditional triple and double distillation methods. At full capacity the distillery has the potential to distil over 3 million of bottles of whiskey per year, or lay down the equivalent of 40 barrels of spirit per day.

For the frist time in over 100 years, single malt Irish whiskey is being distilled and produced right here in the heart of Wicklow and the team at Powerscourt are dedicated to creating and crafting some of the finest Irish whiskeys for future generations to enjoy.

"A limited Edition Single Malt Fercullen Irish Whiskey Amarone cask influence. "The Gates" heralds a new era for our distillery, Fercullen Single Malt is a marriage of Bourbon and Amarone matured whiskeys, some of the first whiskey distilled in Wicklow in over 100 years, symbolising our commitment to honouring our home and showcasing our craftsmanship."

This bottle is 100% distilled at the site and aged for at least 3 years.

Nose: Very fruity with apricots, strawberries, raspberries and red currants along some maltiness. Spice is present but it's not too much. Creamy Greek yoghurt, almonds, grated hazelnuts. A hint of dry oak and chocolate in the background.

Taste: Just as the nose suggested: fruity, sweet, pleasant. Strawberry puree, overripe raspberries, grapes, grandma's cherry jam. A few spices such as cardamom, cinnamon and pepper. Szamos Hungarian marzipan, toffee, hazelnuts and toasted oak. It's crazy how much complexity this young whiskey has. Outstanding.

Finish: It's medium and it's pleasant. Fruity and chocolate-y. Sweet and oaky. It's beautiful and lovely.

Overall this is an outstanding young whiskey. The cask they used must have been also top-notch. I really appreciate this distillery and hoping to try more stuff from their own distillate. 90 / 100

The Sexton Irish Single Malt Whiskey - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered (?), 40%

"The Sexton Single Malt Irish whiskey is made from 100% Irish malted barley, triple distilled for smoothness in copper pot stills. Aged in oloroso sherry butts to achieve a depth of flavour from the wine-imbued barrel that surpasses its years. But don't take our word for it, let our Master Blender, Alex Thomas, take you on the journey..."

What do we know about this whiskey? It's a single malt, it's aged in Sherry casks and it comes from an undisclosed distllery. But come on. They mention Alex Thomas....the master blender of The Old Bushmills Distillery...so this is Single Malt from Bushmills. Aged for 5 years in sherry butts. Must be nice.

The hexagonal shape of the bottle is a reference to the stones of the Giant's Causeway and the birth place of The Sexton. 

Nose: Quite fresh with sour green apple, pear, wine notes, malty at the beginning, then orange, dried apricots, raisins, milk chocolate, honey, a bit of caramel and toffee, a slight bitterness of old wood.

Taste: Malty with notes of sherry, green fruits such as apples and pears with dried plums and apricots, a slight citrus tang, old wood, spices such as cinnamon and cardamom. Great complexity for the 40% ABV.

Finish: Sweet and sour. Notes of sherry, hazelnut and almonds with dried herbs. Great.

Overall you just can't go wrong with this bottle. It's cheap, it's tasty and it's nice. I recommend you keep one on your shelves. 85 / 100

Check out my points page if you haven't done so already to see the rankings of the whiskies I have reviewed on the site so far.

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