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Irish Whiskey Magazine - Tastings - Dunvilles 3 Crowns

Tastings – Issue 1 – Dunvilles 3 Crowns

After winning ‘best Irish single Malt (12 years and under)’ at the recent Irish Whiskey awards with their Dunvilles PX release let’s see how this follow-up
fares. Bottled at 43.5%.

John Moriarty Notes

ose:

A gentle solvent note, floral, sweet juicy fruit, the fruit note is like the grapes of 40 years ago when I was a child
and mum would bring fruit from town. Butterscotch is hanging delicately in the glass slow to present to the nose. Nutty Caramel lingers.
 

Palate:

Sweet pot still spirit notes, spice, nice gentle white pepper, sweet caramel. There is a lovely oak, tannin dryness on the roof of the mouth. Altogether a very
agreeable mouth feel. On the spirit side of the flavour feel. 

Finish:

Short very pleasing finish.

Overall:

If one was going on to enjoy other whiskeys in a night this one should be up front, giving a very fine challenge to the ones coming after. I am thinking that even though I find the pot still spirit notes on the first delicious sipping, at the end I find grain spirit notes and am reminded of some of the Teeling Grain expressions. This to me is great balance. I often place whiskeys at times
of the day for me this is a 4pm one, this probable
makes no sense to anyone but myself.

 

 

 

 

Stuart Irvine Notes

Nose:

Initially sweet with malt but this quickly gives way to fresh, crisp, grain spirit. Crisp green orchard fruits, lemon biscuit and light toffee. The sherry element
is light but evident, with a little dark fruit gently
wrapped around the fresher notes. A slight hint of old oak comes through and this brings a certain richness to the nose. You get the sense that the higher strength has benefited this whiskey. A little stewed orange and light
pepper, which feels like it has arrived courtesy of the casks. This displays a great balance and you nearly forget it’s a blend you are nosing. All the while the spirit retains a nice intensity and with time the sherry has little more of a say with a dash of dried fruit.
 

Palate:

Initially sweet with malt barley, and you get a little more of the older oak, before the crisp grains and gentle
spice take over. Light citrus orange, lemon and green apples. Pepper and clove are the main protagonists when it comes to the spice and these are backed up with a hint of dry wood spice. The sherry element is harder to
find, than on the nose, but appears towards the end in the merest of forms. The palate is all about the younger grain spirit, which is vibrant and challenging, in a good way. You need to take your time with this whiskey. Don’t
go rushing in to it as you would with a basic supermarket blend, allow it time to open and use a little water which will allow more of the
sweeter malt to shine through.
 

Finish:

Dry and spicy with further green apples.
 

Overall:

Overall this is another excellent addition to the Very Rare range. Thinking back to my previous experiences this 2016 release doesn’t seem to have just as much citrus, as what I may have experienced before, but this seems to have been replaced with a fresh orchard element. Whilst the sweetness is still easily found within this whiskey it feels like it has taken more of a back seat to allow the natural spirit to shine through. This is  applicable for both the pot still and grain elements with both combining well to hold the whiskey together. For me this is the quintessential Irish whiskey showcasing the perfect blend of spirits to achieve something that is much more than the sum of its parts. I certainly get the sense that Brian  Nation is making his mark on this  whiskey and it’s a taste journey that will develop brilliantly over the years.
Irish-Whiskey-Magazine-John Moriarty

John Moriarty

Bar Manager with 5* Park Hotel Kenmare, Co. Kerry for 34 years. Brings people to their ‘senses’ regularly conducts Whiskey Master Classes professionally within the hotel, the Dublin Bar Academy and throughout Ireland. Involved with the Whiskey school at Dingle Whiskey Distillery. Teaches but is a ‘Whiskey student for ever’ learning constantly from John C. McDougall, Rachel McNeill & Prof Paul Hughes. Has achieved a General Cert
in distillation with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.

Irish-Whiskey-Magazine-Stuart Irvine

Stuart Irvine

Stuart Irvine is a whiskey blogger based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Since first getting into whiskey around 5 years ago Stuart has amassed an incredible knowledge of all whiskeys and he has since started up his own highly  respected blog “Whisky Belfast”, is active on twitter as @Whisky_Belfast and contributes regularly on Facebook. Stuart regularly attends whiskey events
both in his native Belfast, and further afield.

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