Another day, another Tweet Tasting… what a hard life it is ?
I registered to take part in the W.D. O’Connell Whiskey Merchants Tweet Tasting and was one of the lucky few that got selected to take part. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 and some issues with Royal Mail, my drams didn’t arrive in time for the actual night – but after a bit of running around, I was able to get my hands on them.
W.D. O’Connell are an independent whiskey company who procure new make spirit and some aged whiskies from various distilleries before maturing and finishing in their own way. They have a keen focus on wood management and source all their own casks. With all bottlings being small batch releases of 1-10 casks at a time meaning that no two whiskey releases are ever the same.
The Drams
PX 17
The first of the two drams, is a 17 year old Single Malt distilled in Cooley Distillery, matured in 1st fill bourbon casks for 17 years before being finished in Pedro Ximénez casks.
Non chill filtered and bottled at 46% ABV this release is limited to just 370 bottles.
My Thoughts
Nose: I picked up lots of dried fruit on this, sultanas and raisins were a big one for me. There was also a touch of strawberry jam and a big wave of dry icing sugar.
Palate: A spicy arrival as the initial feel, followed by a creamy and smooth finish lots of yummy fruit. Upon adding a touch of water, a lot of oakiness was unlocked.
Summary
This is a lovely example of a 17 Year Old Irish Single Malt. I really enjoyed this whiskey, I liked it’s soft yet flavoursome character.
You can get yourself a bottle, for a very reasonable £139.95 here on the W.D. O’Connell Web Shop
Bill Phil
Second up is Bill Phil – Batch 01. A small-batch, triple distilled, peated single malt matured that has been matured in 1st fill bourbon barrels which were sourced from John Teelings Great Northern Distillery, Dundalk.
This expression is bottled at a slightly higher ABV of 47.5% with the same non chill filtration and a small batch, limited to 600 bottles.
My Thoughts
Nose: First impressions on the nose with this dram is new make. I got tonnes of new make spirit. A strong apple infused aroma with a touch of burnt wood in the background.
Palate: On the palate, I got lots of cereal which was in line with the big new make from the nose. This was followed by a gentle peat, a lovely sweetness and some tropical fruits.
Summary
Bill Phil was much livelier for me, despite being only a little higher in ABV it packed a lot more punch and that really drew me in. If I was to buy a bottle of either, my money would be spent on Bill. I love peated and lively drams so at £59.95 I’d be clicking here to buy a bottle on the W.D. O’Connell Web Store.
These are just my tasting notes and opinions, if you want to check out what the Tweet Tasters thought and discovered on the night, you can checkout the hashtag #OConnellWhiskey
