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That Boutique-y Whisky Company Irish single malt #1 whiskey – 48.4% ABV

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Available from:

Master of Malt (£58.95)
Amazon (£58.95)

That Boutique-y Whisky Company is an independent bottler founded in 2012, and is immediately recognisable thanks to its labels, which feature caricatures, jokes and puns. Don’t let the line drawings distract you, though – the company is committed to sourcing great whiskies that you might not be able to find elsewhere, such as ones from overlooked or now-closed distilleries.

This particular edition is their Irish single malt #1, and comes from a mystery distillery. However, we do know that it's been aged fourteen years.

To the eye, it’s a fairly pale straw colour. On the nose, there’s lots of fruit – bananas, some apricot and even a smooth melon note. There's also vanilla and a floral note as well, with a drying, spicy wood twinge at the end.

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On the palate, it has a full body, and is smooth. The melon element is there again, resting on a light brown sugar-and-malt sweetness. The wood and spice also return in a longish finish, where they play against the melon, some unripe plum and coconut.

This is certainly strong enough to stand a little water, and a small splash opens it up pleasingly. There's more space for the wood and spice to unfurl without drying out the whiskey too much or removing the fruit from the mix.

With this bottling, That Boutique-y Whisky Company have unearthed something a little different. The smoothness and balance you'd hope for from a mature whiskey are all there, but it veers from the standard flavour profiles you might expect while still balancing the drying oak notes picked up during the maturing process.

The perfect pour

Simply sip with a little water to taste, to open up the range of flavours.

Read our full buyer's guide to Irish whiskey

Available from:

Master of Malt (£58.95)
Amazon (£58.95)

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This review was last updated in March 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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