Jack Ryan 12 Year Old Irish Single Malt 750ml

In Jack Ryan Whiskey are Whiskey finishers as opposed to distillers. It’s a noble tradition going back a long way to when Dublin was the Whiskey capital of the world, in the mid 1800’s. Some vintners began to toy with sourcing good aged malt, and maturing and finishing it further in their own casks, procured from various importers including wine merchants.

This is the tradition that Thomas Ryan of Toomevara Tipperary, son and grandson of distillery managers and barley farmers, became part of in 1913, when he set up his whiskey finishing hall on Haddington Road, Dublin in 1913, his Ryans Malt a city favourite. The eponymous Jack Ryan was his son, and with him, the Ryans Finishers Touch was well established. Irish Whiskey went through hard times towards the end of the 20th century, but is now coming back into its own. Jacks son and scion Eunan Ryan revived the family Whiskey finishing with Jack Ryan 12YO, to award-winning effect Irish Whiskey Awards and San Francisco World Spirits Gold.

Other releases followed JRW The Bourdega 15YO (Oloroso Sherry San Francisco World Spirits Silver ), JRW The Centenary 15YO CS (Bourbon), JRW The Barracks 15YO CS.

At this point, Jack Ryan Whiskey had assembled an extensive and eclectic collection of casks, including some from small, quality European spirits producers. Then came The Generation Trilogy, celebrating 6 generations of Ryans in the Irish Whiskey pantheon; Toomevara 10YO (Chteau du Breuil Calvados San Francisco World Spirits Double Gold), followed by Haddington 11YO (Old Guyanan Rum), and Finishers Touch 12YO (Justinos Madeira).

All of the releases up to then were of the order of 3,000 to 20,000 bottles. Small-volume, high quality, Ryan-finished Single Malt remains the Jack Ryan Whiskey vision. The Ryan Cask Elite Finish series began with Finca Museum 12YO. This is a Single Cask 58% abv release.

Bright gold in colour. Intense tropical fruit aromas of passionfruit, pineapple, lemon and orange peel with a touch on cinnamon and ginger. Smooth and oily textured. Even at the full 46% it is soft and easy to drink. Flavours of fresh pineapple, lemon, oranges, marmalade and ginger snap with some honey and oak. Becomes more malty and biscuity with the oak flavours also shining through.