Jack Ryan — Malthound

Jack Ryan Beggars Bush Whiskey 12 Year Old

The last Twitter Tasting before Christmas (for me at least) gave us Drammy Tweeters the chance to sample the Jack Ryan Beggars Bush 12 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey.

Steve from The Whisky Wire guided us through the proceedings and if you want to catch up on what all the tasters had to say you can view the tweets by searching for the hash tag #JackRyanWhiskey on Twitter.

It’s been over 100 years since the Ryan family started their association with Whiskey. It was back in 1913 that the ‘Beggars Bush’ Pub was purchased on Haddington Road, Dublin by Thomas Ryan, Jack Ryans Father.

Thomas would buy Whiskey and finish it in Bourbon, Sherry and sometimes Port casks. His techniques were perfected overtime and further refined by his son Jack, buying malts from the Dublin Whiskey Distillery. This continued until the demise of Ireland’s independant distilleries, mainly through loss of sales due to prohibition in the USA.

To celebrate 100 years, their 12 Year Old has been reproduced using their traditional family methods and this dedication was rewarded when their 12 Year Old won the Irish Whiskey Awards 2014 Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey in the 12 years and younger category.

In addition to a limited edition Cask Strength 12 Year Old variant (bottled at 56.5%) @JackRyansIrish has just released Jack Ryan Centenary 15 Year Old, released by the family to mark the centenary of the birth of Jack Ryan.

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Jack Ryan Beggars Bush Whiskey 12 Year Old (46%)

Matured in ex-Bourbon barrels hand picked by the family themselves with no chill filtration.

Nose: Nice and oaky with some sweet vanilla. Fruity, green apples et al. There’s some tasty spice in there as well – very inviting!

Palate: Lush tropical fruits including pineapple and melon, slightly syrupy with a hint of vanilla! Hint of grapefruit and citrus giving it some bite.

Finish: A touch of aniseed mixed with the pineapple, spicy, peppery, lemon to finish. Quite punchy with a morish dryness that balances the sweetness off nicely!

Overall: Lovely dram and at a good strength too – a Xmas sipper for sure!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for a great dram evening and the team at Jack Ryan Whiskey (@JackRyansIrish) for sending the samples and without whom!