Booze Review

From the stools, booths and chairs of Santa Monica, Bobby Bodell and Michael Roach review the best catalysts for inebriation that this town has to offer. This week their selection was...

Feckin Irish Whiskey

Feckin Irish Whiskey is a strong drink with a unique background. Distilled and aged in County Louth, Ireland, this whiskey has a variety of characteristics that set it apart from more traditional Irish whiskies.

It does follow suit in the sense that it is very light in flavor, color and texture. However, the process by which Feckin is matured gives it a flavor of its own that truly takes from the best of several worlds.

The nose and flavor are both misleading, giving off a slight peat scent, however according to the distillers at Feckin, they do not peat their whiskey one bit. Additionally, the casks in which Feckin is aged are recovered bourbon casks from Kentucky, used originally by American distillers to age their own whiskies as they saw fit.

Although it is only aged for seven years, the use of these casks not only give Feckin a more matured taste than one would suspect, but it may also be the reason for an ever present peaty flavor.

Feckin certainly is seeking a younger market of whiskey enthusiasts, in fact this idea is explicit in their mission statement. It is not disingenuous to state that as a company, Feckin in pioneering a completely new style, with an edgy bottle design, the almost taboo name and a slogan that would appeal to rebellious ideals in young people "An Irish Whiskey for the Rogue in all of Us." In addition to the marketing aspect of the blend, the smooth but appreciable flavor makes it easy for a younger, less experienced crowd to enjoy the flavor while getting turned on to what real whiskey is all about.

This is not to say that connoisseurs would turn their noses up at the drink do to the company's younger focus group, in fact, this whiskey is more recognizable as yet another step in the evolution of the drink.

Feckin is so absolutely light, and easy to drink it falls into a rare category of whiskey and would be enjoyable either neat or on the rocks along with a meal. This is a direct result of the smooth characteristics of Feckin that lend themselves to the ability to complement a meal, and not overpower it.

After exploring a full bottle of Feckin, and getting to know it intimately, we find it worthy of four out of five bottles, for being easy to drink, while still having the complexity to be a respectable whiskey regardless of its hybrid-heritage.