Whisky Emporium

Greenore

My thanks to Michael Parry for permission to copy and use the Greenore photo (via Wikimedia Commons)

Greenore (Cooley) distillery

Region: Ireland

Location: Carlingford Lough, County Louth (Greenore has the only privately owned port in Ireland (see picture left)

Status: Operational (owned by Cooley)

General whisky characteristics: Floral, smooth, delicate & complex Irish grain whiskey

Greenore, single grain, 8y, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Spiegelau

Nose: Soft, gentle, slightly malty peaches. Wonderfully creamy nose.

Palate: Very smooth, very gentle. A lovely creamy nuttiness on the palate, but slightly watery and it fades quite quickly. Only to come back again in the back of the throat with a flavour of hazelnuts and malt. I find it quite amazing that the nose has a distinct fruitiness which I identify mainly as peaches, but the palate has no trace of this at all. The flavour is more one of nuts and marzipan, with a slight hint of cognac in a very smooth gentle way.

Overall impression: A very good, distinctly gentle Irish whiskey. I really like this!

Greenore, single grain, 10y, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Spiegelau

Nose: Malty peaches but perhaps a little more intense here in the 10y. There's also a hint of earthiness here which was not in the 8y. Very perfumed and floral after some minutes.

Palate: Rounded, full-bodied, creamy and complete. The grain is there, the nuttiness is not so prevalent, but the finish is still akin to a good, smooth cognac with a slight wine flavour in the aftertaste, but this is very pleasant and really quite long.

Finish: Long with initial traces of red wine, but after 2-3 minutes turning back to grain.

Overall Impression: Very good.

Summary of the Greenore Head to Head;

I like the 8y, I love the 10y. The 10y is much more full-bodied and rounded. It is a more complete drink with a richer flavour and much longer finish. I immediately identify the 8y as an Irish dram, whereas the 10y could be from any one of various countries. It even slightly reminds me of the Milford from New Zealand, as well as quite a few Scottish drams. As I write these notes I have just poured the remainder of the 10y into my glass and as it rests and acclimatises, I find it opening into a more perfumed-style of whisky. Some floral elements are beginning to appear and even the nose is acquiring a slight, light Speyside style. Not spicy, but florally complex and in some ways like my older MiltonDuff Glenlivet.

Wendy, many thanks for the opportunity to try this otherwise unavailable dram. I did like the 8y, but this 10y has a complexity and depths that the 8y completely falls short of. Now I really wantr to get my hands on any even older versions of Greenore to see what further ageing gives to this spirit.