Keeper's Heart Irish & Bourbon

Another offering from the O'Shaughnessy Distilling Company in Minneapolis: Keeper's Heart Irish & Bourbon Whiskey.  Unlike the Keeper's Heart release, which was a blend of four-year-old Irish pot still grain and American rye whiskies, the new expression is composed of Irish blended whiskey with American high-rye Bourbon, bottled at 46% abv (3% abv higher than the Keeper's Heart Irish & American).

Colour: Amontillado Sherry

Nose: Light and sweet notes dominate the nose with sweet buttery notes, vanilla, oak and a touch of caramel chocolate.

Palate: I get more peppery spice initially, fading away to more of those sweet, buttery, vanilla-biscuit notes with a hot chocolate backend.

Finish: Medium/Long, with a pleasant sweetness slowly fading away with a hint of vanilla-oak right at the end.

This is an expression which bourbon drinkers will appreciate and gravitate towards, but that's not to say the Irish whiskey drinkers won't recognize the light grain pot-still influence.  This is a marriage that seems to work well.  Spice and floral each contribute equally to the finished product.  Glad to say that I certainly appreciate the higher abv, which offers more of an interesting mouthfeel.