Orange jelly candy | Lemon | Mixed berry whipped cream | Earthy malt | Light oak | Sweet & inviting

Mixed berries | White grape | Pear | Malt | A very controlled level of sweetness

Chocolate malt balls | Sweet white grape | Light leather | Oak | Medium length

Talnua Olde Saint’s Keep is the company’s annual limited edition release to coincide with St. Patrick's Day. Using a mashbill of 50% unmalted barley and 50% malted barley, Talnua then ages it in both used bourbon and port casks. From there, the whiskey is blended together and finished for an additional 10 months in used Pineau des Charentes (a regional aperitif made from either fresh, unfermented grape juice or a blend of lightly fermented grape must, w Cognac The end result is a whiskey packed with layers of flavor, yet also manages to be well balanced.

The nose is dominated by sweet orange and mixed berry whipped cream with layers of lemon intermixed. Light oak and earthy malt accompany these other scents and the aroma is well constructed overall. The palate highlights its bourbon and port barrels well, gently integrating its bourbon influence of oak and vanilla as its base, and its port’s sweet grape as its strong middle ground. Transitioning to the finish, chocolate malt balls swing first, adding nice contrast to the palate. Its Pineau des Charentes cask influence is most noticeable thereafter, fueling its sweet and grape aftertaste.  

With fewer than 1,000 bottles earmarked for this year’s release, it will likely be hard to come by at this point. Although it’s an annual release timed around St. Patrick’s Day and with Talnua Distillery’s relatively new in the marketplace, you should have some luck finding a bottle of their 2023 release.