New Release: Irish Single Malt Whisky 1988 25 Year The Whisky Agency Old Time Diving

A very strong tropical sensation, giving the impression of a large-trope Irish whisky. Irish Single Malt Whisky IRISH SINGLE MALT WHISKY 1988-2013 25yo THE WHISKY AGENCY 'Old Time Diving' 51.1% one of 212 bottles The aroma is an extremely strong tropical fruit, lychee, passion fruit, pineapple, oil, a grainy Irish-like sensation. Upon drinking, it expands from a soft mouthfeel into a viscous texture. The flavor is similarly strong tropical fruit, with a pronounced chemical nuance, a sticky sweetness, rich, oily, and tropical long finish. [Very Good] From The Whisky Agency's recently bottled Old Time Diving series, this is an Irish single malt whisky distilled in 1988 and aged for 25 years. As an Irish single malt, it is likely produced at Bushmills without using other grains like unmalted barley. To my knowledge, this is the first time The Agency has bottled an Irish whisky. From the start, it aggressively asserts strong tropical fruits like lychee, passion fruit, and pineapple. It also has an oily texture and a grainy sensation reminiscent of pure pot still whisky. Upon tasting, it feels oily and viscous, with the same strong tropical notes as the aroma, but also carries a medicinal chemical nuance. The rich, oily, and tropical characteristics remain throughout the finish. This bottle shares commonalities with strong tropical vintage Scotch whiskies like Benriach 1976, Tomatin 1976, Lochside 1981, and Littlemill from around 1990. Overall, Benriach seems closest. However, the oiliness is unexpectedly strong compared to these distilleries. Reiterating, this oily tropical character was previously thought to be unique to Irish pure pot still whiskies like Red Breast (a traditional Irish whisky distilled three times, including unmalted barley). However, tasting bottles like Teeley's single malt (100% malted barley) clearly showed this characteristic also appears in Bushmills single malts. A pot still triple-distilled single malt would seem to be the light, Roland-style whisky in terms of production process. However, the actual whisky we drink here is the opposite—an extremely oily and heavy style. Not all whiskies are this way, but I'm curious about why this method produces a flavor reminiscent of Irish pure pot still whisky. Regardless, there's no doubt this is an outstanding whisky with a bold fruity and oily profile. This bottle was kindly provided by Keith from Jikoda. Although I've known Master Tensho for some time, this was my first visit to the shop. It's a very cozy bar deeply rooted in the local community.