Connacht – Single Cask Cabernet Sauvignon Whiskey (70cl, 58.4%)

This is a single cask Irish single malt from the Connacht distillery in Ballina, County Mayo. It is triple distilled and bottled at 58.4% in a 70cl bottle. The malt matured in first-fill bourbon casks and was then bottled from a single Cabernet Sauvignon cask that had been left to dry for 36 months. Maturation ran from December 2017 to October 2020. The nose offers figs, blackcurrants and soft apples with dried pear, strawberry and raisin, plus crisp malt and gentle spice from mace, thyme and rosemary. On the palate, malt and malt sugar lead, with roasted Brazil nuts and almonds, then prunes and raisins. The finish is powerful and slightly oily, the nutty roast turning to dark cocoa powder.