The Irishman 17 year old single malt, single sherry butt

On Wednesday I mentioned the rough road Walsh Whiskey has travelled in less than a decade. The Walsh family continue to manage the brand and (maybe?) select casks, but Amber Beverage Group, the Latvian owners, hold the purse strings. Somehow the Walshes wound up sourcing a bunch of 17 year old single casks, several of which took the form of sherry butts. I'm not certain which of those Oloroso casks I'm trying today but I think it's the one in the picture.

pic source

Distillery: ???

Brand: The Irishman

Owner: Amber Beverage Group

Country: Ireland (with Latvian owners)
Style: Single Malt

Distillations: ?
Age: 17 years (2005? - 2022?)

Maturation: first-fill European oak Oloroso Butt

Alcohol by Volume: 56%

(thank you Doctors Springbank!)

NEAT

Nose - A lot of cask here. Vanilla extract, toasted coconut, and hint of fresh cut lumber. Brown sugar, cinnamon, and a whiff of lychee.

Palate - Fresh peaches, dried apricots, and grapefruit juice. Shortbread and a little bit of toffee. Not too sweet. Good tartness.

Finish - Dried apricots, tart limes, and some peppery tannins around the edges.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey

Nose - Fruity and farmy, with a leathery moment.

Palate - Not much different than the neat palate, maybe sweeter?

Finish - Sweet and floral, very pleasant.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I tried all four of this week's Irish whiskies side-by-side and this one easily won out. Though the nose carries plenty of butt, the palate is much more balanced and moreish. If not for the possibility of considerable cask variation, I dare say I'd consider buying a bottle of an Irishman 17yo sherry cask if/when cash is flush. The nice fruity touches whisper, "Bushmills", but with a palate like this I'm not that concerned about the distiller really. Had the nose matched the palate, this would've been a big winner.

Availability - ???
Pricing - $150-$200
Rating - 85