YOAW
It's Whisker Widzdee fellows and it's time to give the fresh off the press Proper No. 12 a shot. Before I get into the details, I've gotta give a shoutout to a work colleague of mine who was kind enough to give me this as a Christmas gift. Thanks man, I greatly appreciate it!
Onto where this bad boy is from. Proper No. Twelve is an Irish whiskey that's put out by none other than the king of trash talk himself, Conor McGregor. The juice is aged 3 years in used bourbon barrels with no mash bill statement that I can find on the site. A tough guy's whiskey for tough guys, and I'll get to what I mean by that here in just a moment, but first; the tasting notes - let me preface here by saying I have VERY little experience with Irish whiskeys... I've only ever had Jameson, a few of their Cask Mates expressions, and Red Breast 12.
Nose - an obviously Irish accent off the bat, buttery, biscuits with hints of apple, honey and charred oak. Once you get past initial wave of alcohol fumes, it opens up nice and bright to a crisp but smooth nose, which for me, takes me back to my early drinking days.
Palette - Again, quite classic in presentation, there's the honey and vanilla sweetness that turns a little red in feeling, but not as spicy as say, a bourbon with a high rye. Those flavors are buried for me by an abrupt takeover of pure alcohol and tannin, with a bare grain taste.
Finish - The finish trickles away and putters out, despite the label's king of the jungle prowess, this is where McGregor's No.12 is at it's weakest, almost like a dog moping away... A tragic end to what could be an intriguing profile.
With the bummer of a finish for an amateur palette like mine, you may be taking that note as a warning, but I'd say the opposite. I would absolutely recommend the Proper Twelve as a whiskey for shooting with friends on the weekend. It goes down smooth, has an enjoyable taste that comes up and slaps you, but doesn't overstay it's welcome. Like a sassy late night hookup, the Proper 12 is fun, impressive, and doesn't last long....
Working at a Boxing franchise, I would not be complete without rephrasing my last statement: "Like Conor himself, the Proper 12 is fun, vulgar, and won't last long... In the ring." Ooof. The man is a rockstar in the Octagon though, and I'd love to see him fight again.