I’ve had a chance to review Michael Collins Irish Whiskey Blend, but now it’s time to hit the single malt and see how she handles the palate. The single malt has a beautiful coloring, one could call it amber; I’m seduced by its rich dark gold coloring. I’m going to sip it both neat and with ice to see if I can find all the subtle differences in taste and scent.
First, in a glass at room temperature I’m finding it has immediate vanilla scents with a light sweet oak. There is no smokiness to this Irish Whiskey, it’s all about the vanilla mingled with a bit of caramel and nuts. On ice, I get more creamy vanilla bean ice cream profiles with ripples of chocolate with much less oak. Both are sexy in their own ways but will ice drown its truth and flavors when sipped?
Sipping it neat gives me a silky front-end vanilla attack with a strong wood mid-palate transition that reminds me of a cardboard scent or perhaps that of damp wood. There are some nutty aspects but the mid-palate is very dynamic and interesting leaving me wishing I could talk it out with some other whiskey drinkers to see what they’re tasting.
In some ways, it’s too complex for a single palate to pull all the flavors and a group of folks could sit down and call out flavors their receiving and help everyone experience its full depths. The finish is a great creamy oak flavor with a long drawn out aftertaste that brings hints of vanilla for what could be ten minutes after the sip. I get a slight tingling on the tip of the tongue along with the edges of the palate as the spirit fades from my mouth.
Sipping Michael Collins Single Malt on ice is a different experience. Both neat and on ice will give you a dry-style finish, which is a bit unique and both have a black pepper spice to them but the silky textures of the iced whiskey is non-existent so, if you want the mouth-feel of a mature Irish whiskey, you’ll want to drink this Michael Collins Single Malt neat. The ice also dulls any up-front flavors and leave us with a damp wood mid-palate transition with a few nutty notes.
Overall, I think Michael Collins Single Malt is best served straight without ice. You lose too much of its complexity when chilling the liquids and all that we’re left with are the most obvious vanilla and oak flavorings. It seems almost insulting to chill it, but some folks love it best on ice so what can we do? You can find Michael Collins Single Malt ranging between the price of USD $40 to USD $50.
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