Knappogue Castle 12-year-old Finished in Marco De Bartoli Marsala Cask / 46% / 0.7l

Knappogue Castle is a brand of Irish whiskey from the portfolio of Castle Brands Inc. (since 2019, the company has been part of the Pernod Ricard group).

Its creator is Mark Andrews III, whose father, Mark Edwin Andrews, purchased Knappogue Castle in County Clare in the 1960s. He bought barrels of whiskey from producers and gave the bottled spirits away to neighbors and family. Knappogue Castle debuted on the American market in 1997. In 2018, Castle Brands began issuing the Knappogue Castle Cask Finish series, consisting of whiskeys finished in wine barrels. The one presented here, after 12 years of maturation in American oak barrels, was finished in Marsala barrels from the Marco de Bartoli winery. The edition consisted of 690 bottles.

Nose : sweet barley malt, raisins and sultanas, baked plantains, orange peel, milk fudge, vanilla, notes of cinnamon and toasted oak.

Palate: fruity, blood oranges, cantaloupe, nectarines, banana bread, vanilla, honeyed peanuts, cinnamon, cloves and toasted oak.

Finish: medium long, with notes of fruit candy, banana, vanilla, cappuccino, a touch of cinnamon and oak.