Spade & Bushel 14 years old, Irish Single Malt Whiskey Finished in Sweet Marsala Wine Barrels /45%/ – Spade & Bushel whiskey was launched in 2020 by Connacht Distillery Company. Connacht Distillery, founded in 2014, is located in Belleek, Ballina, County Mayo. It is equipped with three stills designed by one of the founders, Robert Cassell and made in Victoria, Canada. Connacht’s first distillation took place in April 2016 and originally it was double distilled spirit; triple distillation followed in 2017. So far, the distillery has been relying on sourced whiskey for their releases. Spade & Bushel presented here is a single malt whisky sourced from undisclosed Irish distillery, aged in white American oak barrels for 12 years, then transferred into marsala casks for additional two years. The whiskey was released in 2020 with an outrun of 2100 bottles.
Nose: oranges and tangerines, pears, ripe grapes, butterscotch, marzipan, vanilla, nutmeg, hints of sweet cereals and potpourri, and toasted oak.
Palate: blood oranges, raspberries, cherries, red apples, pralines, vanilla, nougat, nutmeg, white pepper, and oak.
Finish: medium long, with notes of red berries, orange peel, vanilla, white pepper, and delicate oaky bitterness.