Single cask, 1992/2007 cask K92/34 4184, 50.3% - Connemara

[Malt-Teaser]

Connemara, Single Cask (OB), Cask K92/34 4184, 1992-2007, Bottle No. 52, 50.5%

Nose: Gentle peat, true Irish smoothness, summer berries, a tiny hint of almond and some malt. I expected more peat in the nose, but this is much more sweet, fruity and complex than I imagined possible from a Connemara. But the smoothness of the nose still gives away its true origins.

Palate: Rich, smooth and really quite surprising. The peat is there, but so is that hard to define fruit. This one grows in stature over the first 35 seconds on the palate, then fades gradually with a lovely long finish of gentle peat and that fruit again. A second sip produces the same wonderful result with the finish appearing even longer. With 4 drops of water in about 1cl: The nose is less sweet and a little more sharp. The taste is less intense, perhaps 2 drops would have sufficed here, but the finish is still long and not too much is lost.

Overall Impression: This is much more than I expected. More complex, more flavours, smoother and extremely round. This is most definitely Irish peated whisky at its very best. I really do like this dram. That finish is gloriously complex and long, even repeating again and again.