Writer’s Tears Copper Pot Blended Irish Whiskey Tasting Notes

	Writer’s Tears Copper Pot Blended Irish Whiskey
	Walsh Whiskey Company
	Sourced Blend of Single Malt & Single Pot Still
	40% ABV

 

Tasting note compiled by Mark McLaughlin (@mark_rye)

 

Introduction

The flagship whiskey within the Writer’s Tears whiskey range and the original release from the folks at Walsh Whiskey. It joined the Irishman whiskey range in 2009 as a new extension to the Walsh Whiskey portfolio and was originally anecdotally referred to as the exact opposite to the Irishman Founders Reserve blend (originally known as ‘Irishman 70’ and now known as ‘The Harvest’), meaning that the Irishman contained 70% malt whiskey and 30% pot still whiskey, whereas Writer’s Tears contained 70% pot still whiskey and 30% malt whiskey.

Nowadays it’s stated that Writer’s Tears contains 40% pot still whiskey and 60% malt whiskey, both matured in ex-bourbon casks. The contracts for their liquid are with Irish Distillers (Midleton) but given that both components are triple distilled we can deduce that the pot still component is from Midleton and the malt component from Bushmills. This is a non-age statement whiskey, although I’d assume there are components of varying ages from 3yr-10yr old. (Don’t quote me on that!) 

It can be considered a bit of an outlier as it is one of the only blended whiskey ranges that do not contain any grain whiskey components, which gives a nod to the potential quality here.

 

Color

Amber.

 

Nose (Aromas)

Sweet, sweet, sweet butterscotch, toffee and sugar-coated candied apples just burst from the glass, to be honest as amazing as it sounds it’s a bit much for me. After the initial sweet shock, I get distinct barley influence, a touch of floral notes, green grassier tones with green fruits like apples and pears. There’s a tiny touch of wood essence but little spice worth noting. 

 

Palate & Finish 

The palate has luxurious feel to it, it’s superbly balanced, almost too balanced if there ever was a thing. It’s like vanilla ice-cream with crushed Crunchie bars over the top (if you’re ever in Ireland you need to try a Crunchie). The green fruits come through nicely with lots of apple and pear skins and a clearer spice tone which could be the ever indescribable pot still spice but who knows. 

 

Verdict

This is just a really satisfying drop to enjoy. I can’t decide whether it’s an outstanding whiskey or just really, really nice to drink. Either way it’s well worth a bottle on your shelf.

 

 

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