Writer’s Tears is an Irish blended whiskey (single malt + pot still) produced at Midleton distillery. Check my (old) review of Writer’s Tears Cask Strength for instance. On top of their regular releases they like to experiment with uncommon cask types, like cognac, mizunara, seaweed IPA, ice wine…
The version we’re having today is a single cask release. It was aged in a Marsala cask from the well-known producer Florio. The bottling strength is 45% ABV, which is 5% stronger than the Writers’ Tears is usually bottled.
A whole series of individual sister casks were released, so depending on where you bought it, you can find different cask numbers.
Writer’s Tears Marsala Cask Finish (45%, OB 2020, Marsala hogshead #3150, 336 btl.)
Nose: starts on faint metallic notes, followed by a dusty woody note and plenty of (candied) nuts. Red grapes and honey sweetness. Hints of green appls. Then fragrant sandalwood and juniper.
Mouth: thinner than expected, with a nice balance of sweetness and dry flavours. Walnuts and pecans, with light toffee. Grapes and apples again. Then hints of baking spice (nutmeg, pepper). Flashes of (lightly bitter) citrus in the end.
Finish: medium, getting drier, with citrus zest and tangy oak spice.
Not a bad whiskey, even though I have difficulty identifying the typical Marsala notes. I expected more sweetness, but the nutty character is certainly noticeable. Overall a little lightweight, but interesting whiskey. Still available from Whiskysite.nl for instance.