Made in a castle in a village that bears the whiskies name. Made with a unique process of ageing. Made with too many words talking about itself we have this – Slane Whiskey. A truly unique Irish Whiskey, in that it tastes not like a typical Irish whiskey but is also not really great.
This reminds one more of a rough and tumble bourbon. That comparison though isn’t fair because while they are often unique and distinct spirit – style =/= quality. The quality here is what’s lacking as there are so many key faults in this whiskey that frankly is rather sad.
What they Say: “Inspired by the idyllic Boyne Valley a whiskey enhanced by our signature triple casked method using virgin, seasoned and sherry barrels. This innovative recipe of unique maturation creates an exceptional Irish whiskey with a smooth and robust flavor.
Nestled deep within the idyllic Boyne Valley on the legendary grounds of Slane Castle, Slane Distillery brings you a whiskey that bears our village’s iconic name. Slane Whiskey is aged using our signature ‘Tripled Casked’ method. This involves resting our Grain and Malt whiskies between three different cask types; Virgin Oak, Seasoned Oak and Oloroso Sherry. These casks are then blended to create an exceptionally complex, smooth Irish whiskey. This whiskey is our testament to the character of the people of Slane and to all those who take pride in building their own legacy.
Colour – a warm, golden topaz with hues of rich toffee
Nose – Complex fruit with drizzles of caramel, butterscotch and vanilla; brown spice and toasted oak
Taste – Spicy at first but quickly sweetened with rich caramel, vanilla and butterscotch atop a deep layer of dried fruit
Finish – Lingering hints of dry fruit and caramelised wood sugar”
Taste: 4.0 – Like a regular bourbon, and not even light like a typical Irish. Bleh.
Aftertaste: 6.0 – That is ‘smoky’ like seriously if this was a bourbon you’d pay it no mind, but the Irish? the Irish? Problem is it’s not super great even as a bourbon.
Burn/Smooth: 3.0 – That burn comes in stages, and the warmth is paltry. You’d think this might be mellow, but you’d be wrong.
Aroma: 5.5 – You can say this much, it certainly smells like it’s been in multiple casks. It’s much smokier and mellow than you typically expect of an Irish spirit.
Honesty: 6.0 – Not a huge fan of the tasting notes, or all the other stuff in the little pamphlet, but the bottle, name, and heritage are good enough.
Mixability: 5.5
W/ Rocks: 5.0 – It’s better. It’s a fine whiskey on rocks. Just not, you know – something good.
Whiskey and Ginger Ale: 6.0 – It’s a fairly decent mix here.
Value: 5.0 – It’s not a terrible price, especially since even worse Irish’s hang around this price point. Not a good deal mind you, but not a bad one.
Google Shop Average: $29
Website: https://www.slaneirishwhiskey.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 5.0
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Metric Score: 35/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.0 |+| Reviewer Average: 5.0
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Final Thoughts: It’s rare to have a metric and opinion match so closely. However, in this case, it fits. There’s bad here, and good, and overall despite appearances it levels out into something worse – something that’s unique, but still average. It’s a charactered whiskey, but at the same time, that character doesn’t equate to greatness.
