Writer’s Tears
Irish Whiskey presented as an independent Bottling
In many ways, Irish Whiskey was my first love when it came to spirits (well maybe the Holy ghost since I was raised Catholic? I’m not sure about any of that anyway). I was born into what I would suppose we would identify as an Irish home despite not having a majority of Irish blood in my veins. However it did not dull the love of the Irish culture and way of looking at the world (in my interpretation). We ate potatoes and meat, we went to Church and we drank Guinness and there was always a bottle of Irish Whiskey in the house, most of the times (the vast majority) this would be Jamesons, of which I have a little pocket sized room in my heart for.
The Irish may claim that they created this stuff, the Scots may disagree, ultimately it matters not. What is clear is that there is a marked difference between the styles and process that the Irish use that most do not use, and if they do use it they are making Whiskey in the Irish style. The mixture of malted and un-malted grain, the x3 distillation all create a smooth, characterful Dram that often has rather floral and green notes to it but also a nice little bit of spice. I would not say it is any better or worse then any other World Whisk(e)y provider… it is it’s own thing and it is what it is.
Drinking Whiskey since I was of legal age it was Irish Whiskey that really was the kicker for me. Like a lot of 19 year old college kids, drinking was about getting wasted and seeing what you could get away with when you could barely remember your name. Drinking Crown Royal with ginger ale or rum and Coca Cola was the norm (and a lot of Beer). While I don’t regret those days (maybe a few mornings) It did not take my very long to realize there had to be more to Whiskey then ‘shots!’ or drowning it with Ice and or Soda. Irish Whiskey became my launching point to learning a little bit about the character that was possible, the depth of flavor and complexity that was in this little golden liquid.
When time went on and I got more and more experienced with the stuff I moved on to different styles of Whiskey, mostly to find Whiskey that wasn’t made and bottled within the time it takes to get an associates degree. I never left my Irish roots behind, I strengthened them through a deeper understanding of the bigger pitcher.
On a trip a few years ago to visit my closest friend in Toronto I asked he meet me at the Summerhill LCBO and show me around. We went and looked at the Wine, the Beer and Rums and eventually to the Whiskey. I said I was going to take 3 bottles back to Nova Scotia with me, one I had already picked out before I arrived, one I wanted him to pick out (since he is fairly well versed in his own right) and I would make the decision on the 3rd based on budget because I honestly thought he was going to hit me with some expensive shit. Nope, he told me to buy this $45 bottle of Irish Whiskey I’d never heard of before. It was somewhat for poetic reasons. You see, he is a Writer… while I’m not a writer of words (outside rather poorly proofread blog posts) I am a composer and I get the romantic notion of sitting at a piano with a bottle of Whiskey trying to pound out a new piece of Music. He said that his ritual was that after he finished a script or a draft he would have a glass of Writer’s Tears and contemplate his future. I don’t know if he holds to this any longer, I certainly never adopted it.
Anyway, I did leave the the bottle and returned to my home eager to give this a spin. When I did I was so happy, it was familiar yet it was so much more then what I seemed to recall.
Writer’s Tears is as far as I can really tell an independent bottling of an Irish Whiskey more then likely I’m going to say it’s from Jamesons. Jamesons aged for somewhere between 8 and 10 years in some good casks. Most everything that comes out of the standard fare for Jamesons is just a quick 3 year maturation and then sent off to the pubs. There used to be a 12 year old Jamesons of which I had a great fondness for, truthfully it was one of my favorite little guilty pleasures which of course as for the status-quo with this stuff… once someone throws something out there that is just right, they discontinue it. 
Not to say that Writer’s Tears is perfect. But when you think about a chill-filtered, colored, %40 product, this one I would gladly take over most any branded Scotch or Bourbons (it should be noted in some markets you can get a cask strength Writer’s Tears). At a fairly decent price as well. I was so happy when I opened the news paper a year ago and saw in the adds that the NSLC was carrying this and they continue to. I have since tried to share it with anyone who will listen to my ramblings.
One of the best characteristics of Irish Whiskey over (for example) Scotch is that it is a little more subtle, a little less in your face. It has no peat, which is something novices tend to frown at, it has a lighter body then a Scotch or a Bourbon and it offers someone who is new to Whisk(e)y something that is just the right depth of character and substance without clobbering them over the head.
On the nose there is a rich barley and tart green apple note, banana. Oaky, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, fresh cut grass. Pepper, Mint, ginger, more green notes moss, hay, pine needles and brewed tea.
Tasting the Whiskey you have a medium minus body, honey, vanilla, apples (lots of apple notes), pears, soft lemon notes. Cereal notes, summer fruits, mint and lime. A peppery note in the development comes through with a hint of sage. The finish is sweet going dry, caramel, cereal notes and a nice little bitter oak nip right at the end to close the door.
I would highly recommend you pick a bottle of this up for just $47.99 at the NSLC. What you might consider a fun experiment would be to taste and nose this side by side with a standard Irish Whiskey like Jamesons just so that you can really get a comparison between the two products that I (without real proof besides it says on the bottle that it was distilled for Writer’s Tears, not by and they say it’s PotStill Whiskey, only one place in Ireland does Potstill and well, do the math there right?) think start from the same source!
Canuck Whisky Lover 