Lough Ree – Bart’s
A sourced Irish whiskey which is a continuous release from Lough Ree Distillery. Bart’s is a complex blend of grain, pot still and peated malt with malt whiskeys finished in Rye and Oloroso casks. Non-chill filtered and natural colour, it has been bottled at 46% ABV. Available at RRP €46.
Omar Fitzell Notes
Sweet and fruity. Toffee and coffee come to mind immediately. Orchard fruits, poached pear and some mango.
Palate
Silky mouthfeel that starts with a malty biscuit note. Toast…..natural butter covered toast. Weird, I know. Green apples again along with that pear note.
Finish
Medium to long. Cinnamon and black pepper spice becomes pronounced towards the end.
Overall
First impression wasn’t great so I left it for ten minutes and returned. It’s absolutely a whiskey that gets better when you give it some time in the glass. Few small sips to get things going. The blend, while you’d expect it to be confused, works well.
Al Higgins notes
Nose
An enticing mix of custard tarts, fresh pastries, toasted almonds, baked apples, poached pears and some faint peat smoke.
Palate
Youthful but satisfyingly complex. Lots of orchard fruits, stewed apples, vanilla, custard slices, agave syrup, honey, lightly toasted oak and some faint peat smoke.
Finish
Crispy smoked bacon, agave, baked apples and vanilla custard.
Overall
Forget the word ‘blend’, this has way more complexity and depth than many single malts. Also, don’t be scared off by the smoke references. The background touches just add a very welcome edge of warmth and luxury. Well-crafted and lots of fun.
Omar Fitzell
Omar has been lurking in the background of the Irish Whiskey Industry since 2010 when he started his journey through tasting, enjoying and collecting whiskey. In January 2018 he launched the online blog “That’s Dram Good” which, in those few short months, has become one of the most popular whiskey blogs in Ireland.
You can find him on:
• Twitter – @thatsdramgood
• Facebook – ThatsDramGood
Al Higgins
Over 20 years of experience in drinks retail and a member of the team at the Celtic Whiskey Shop since 2003. Alastair is chief tester and taster at the shop and is also coordinator for the Irish Whiskey Awards. When he is not working he is either training for ultra-marathons, parenting or drumming with his band Le Galaxie.
You can find him on:
• Twitter – @mostlydrinking