Caramel | Malt | Pecan | Lemon | Orange

Caramel cream candy | Baking spices | Tootsie Roll candy | Cream soda

Black pepper | Baking chocolate | Roasted nuts | Malt | Hints of stout beer | Earthy aftertaste | Hot at times

Keeper’s Heart Whiskey was created by cousins Patrick and Michael O’Shaughnessy, along with Michael’s father Gerry. The three founders created O’Shaughnessy Distillery, which was built in an old potato factory in their hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and features three copper pot stills. They also acquired aged Irish whiskey stocks and brought master distiller Brian Nation in, who spent the last seven years distilling Irish whiskey for Jameson, Redbreast, Midleton Very Rare, Spot, and Powers Irish Whiskey.

Exactly like their standard Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon, O’Shaughnessy Distilling Co. is attempting the impossible: getting bourbon drinkers interested in Irish whiskey and vice versa. It’s a tall task, as the two worlds rarely mingle. As unusual as the concept is of blending Irish whiskey and bourbon together, the company’s standard Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon piqued our interest not solely because of this concept, but more so because of its taste and value it offered.

Increasing its proof to 118 for their cask strength release will likely appeal to bourbon drinkers more than Irish whiskey drinkers. Across the board, the cask strength edition offers a lot more intensity of flavor and with it, a better sipping experience. While the nose is largely the same as their standard release, its palate and finish are greatly enhanced by the increase of proof. The palate’s caramel cream candy, baking spices, Tootsie Roll candy, and cream soda flavor profile is hard to dislike if that collection of flavors sounds appealing to you. The finish is more transformative, as black pepper is put front and center, followed by baking chocolate, and roasted nuts. It’s the addition of a stout beer note at the tail end of the finish that is most noticeable and is enhanced by the whiskey’s earthy undertone. The whiskey does drink hot at 118 proof, further pulling out its black pepper and roasted notes which may be too much for some.

Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon Cask Strength might not be the smoking gun when it comes to marrying Irish whiskey and bourbon, but it's another worthy effort. It takes what the company offered in its lower proof release (which likely appealed more to Irish whiskey drinkers), and ramps up the intensity across the board. While that is typically expected with an increase in proof, given the unproven ground that O’Shaughnessy Distilling Co. is treading here, nothing is a given. Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon Cask Strength is a valiant effort at its price point that I feel is spot on for what is offered.

The bottle in review comes from batch# CS-23-001.