Keepers Heart Irish and Bourbon

Keepers Heart Irish and Bourbon

Bringing together the finest traditions of Irish and American craft whiskey production. Here pot still spices and sweet bourbon are woven together to create a truly unique whiskey. Caramel on the nose leads to a palate of vanilla and chocolate. All rounded off with a long honeyed finish.

Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon is one of a series of bottles from the Minneapolis Keeper’s Heart Distillery. They are reinventing the relationship between Irish and US whiskey with a number of releases that blend Irish and American spirits.

This bottle is a blend of Irish grain whiskey, Irish pot still whiskey and bourbon. Led by master distiller Brian Nation, formally of the Co Cork-based Midleton Distillery, the company is producing whiskey with a characteristic sweet taste.

Using refill American bourbon barrels and virgin oak barrels to mature each component for over four years. They then marry the three elements of bourbon, single Irish pot still whiskey and Irish grain into one release.

It’s rare to find bourbon intertwined with Irish whiskey but the result is delicious.

Tasting notes

Aroma

On the nose of you can expect herbal notes alongside freshly baked pecan pie and earthy spices.

Taste

The palate is rich and inviting with a delicate butterscotch sweetness and lots of freshly charred virgin oak notes. The triple distilled pot still whiskey element makes its presence felt here with lots of vanilla malt shake cocoa alongside the sweet taste of bourbon.

Finish

American fans refer to the malt shake cocoa tootsie roll personality of this blended whiskey.

It’s rare to see single Irish pot still whiskey, Irish grain whiskey and bourbon intertwined but, in this special core release, it works. The notes of freshly charred wood help marry the Irish whiskeys with the bourbon to create something special. Allowing the grain whiskey to deliver an herbal undertow to the release was especially well thought out.