To date, there have been six vintages of Knappogue Irish Single Malt: 1990 through 1995. Since Knappogue is bottled on a vintage basis, each vintage is a limited edition. Once a vintage is sold out, it cannot be recreated. Hence, like a fine wine, the nose and style of Knappogue Castle will vary from vintage to vintage.
Most single malts combine whiskey from several years, seeking to produce a uniform flavour. One of the distinguishing features of Knappogue Castle is that all whiskey in a vintage bottling is distilled only in that year.
Knappogue is the perfect whisky for those entering the whiskey category and who appreciate an approachable, smooth and not too heavy whisky.
Whiskey Notes by Barry Walsh, Writer and Consultant Whiskey Blender and
Whisky Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award Winner 2005.
Pale golden colour, derived entirely from long maturation in bourbon oak casks.
Aroma: Very well balanced, clean fresh citrus and floral notes, complex mellow aromas of malt, perfumy oils, honey/vanilla with medium intensity. Touch of toasted wood also.
Taste: Really mellow and well rounded, very well balanced, medium intensity, sweetish complex taste incorporating the aromas abovemalt, citrus, vanilla, perfumy oils, definite toasted wood notes.
A very refreshing and mellow malt with excellent flavourcomplexity.
Background.
In the 1960s, an American couple, Mark Edwin and Lavone Andrews, purchased Knappogue Castle in Co. Clare, Ireland. The castle was built in 1467 and was a total ruin. Lavone. Andrews was an architect and she faithfully restored the castle to its 15th century glory. For her efforts, she was inducted into the Royal Institute of Architects. Knappogue Castle is now a national historic landmark.
Ireland has produced fine whiskey for hundreds of years. The oldest licensed distillery is located there. Until very recently, all of the Irish brands available in America were blends.
Mark Edwin now owner of Knappogue Castle, had strong ties to Ireland and began buying casks of fine pot-still whiskey from the top distilleries in Ireland. He aged them and named them after the castle, dated the year they were distilled. Knappogue Castle 1951 is the last vintage of his whiskey remaining available. It is now the oldest and rarest Irish whiskey in the world. The Knappogue Castle whiskies bear Mark Edwin Andrews signature on their label.
Knappogue Castle Single Malt is aged in oak casks until the right balance of flavours and mellow appeal is achieved. As with all single malts, the casks impart colour to the whiskey. The unusually moist and temperate Irish climate matures the casks in a unique way, thus completing the process that yields Irish single malt.
For each vintage of Knappogue Castle Whiskey, a number of casks are sampled by an expert noser. Only those casks that meet a certain flavour profile and are of superb quality are selected to comprise each Knappogue vintage.
Today the Andrews family carry on the Knappogue Castle tradition with vintage single malts. The whiskeys are the product of a single distillery and distilled in pot stills using only malted barley.
