I have already reviewed The Liberator Tawny Port Finish, so I am quite excited to be able to try a few more releases from Wayward Irish Spirits. Since I am indeed a new whisky blogger, I made an apparent mistake by actually diving into the sample before photographing it. The very first thing to notice about The Liberator Small Batch Double Port Finish is the beautiful colour. I will describe it as an amber colour with a beautiful pink tinge, as you typically see in port finishes.
Nose
Fresh, slightly tart red apples (the tartness is actually making me salivate), a pleasant and comforting oak note, vanilla sugar, toffee, a fruit note I think must be pears and a leather note that rather quickly fades away as the whiskey is left to breathe in the glass.
When nosing the empty glass, I am getting a lot of vanilla, with the almost metal-like tinge you might find in vanilla pods. Cooked apples. It is not spicy in any way, but I feel like there is a light dusting of cinnamon in the bottom of the glass – maybe because of the apples? Right at the end, I am getting a slightly waxy note, almost on the verge of being soapy, but in a good way.
Palate
Even though the ABV of this blend is quite low at 45 %, I feel like the alcohol is a bit rough around the edges. The red apples carry on over to the taste where they slowly turn into a mishmash of fresh and ripe red berries, I cannot really taste the oak, but there are tannins sticking to the sides of my tongue. I am getting vanilla, some gentle tobacco notes, and when a caramel note decides to voice its opinion it all turns into almost like an apple dessert, an apple crumble maybe.
Finish
The finish is quite gentle with some complexity. I’m left with the feeling of having bitten into that crisp apple I have already talked about, it might even be a toffee apple with a thin coating of delicious toffee. I am also getting something reminding me of Haribo Peaches in the end.
I am not sure what I was expecting from this whiskey, but I must say I am very pleasantly surprised. It is fresh, it is fruity, it is inviting and it is indeed light, as promised by the distillery. As I already said, I wish it had been a little more balanced, a little less rough around the edges, but it is truly a delicious blend. Now, please excuse me while I go on a hunt for a bottle of The Liberator Small Batch Double Port Finish.
Double Port Finish
ABV: 45 %
Country: Ireland
The Liberator Small Batch Double Port Finish is from Wayward Irish Spirits (based in Kerry), which will be distilling their own whiskey from 2024. This is a flavourful and delicious light blend whiskey. It has a high malt content (some 2006 Cooley single malt and 2015/2016 double and triple distilled GND single malt, initially in bourbon but finished in a range of fresh tawny and ruby port casks.) The grain is mostly 2015 GND, but with some 2012 Cooley, all in bourbon with some finished in ruby port.
A huge thanks to Wayward Irish Spirits for kindly sending me this sample.
Tasting notes and opinions about this release are strictly my own.
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