Knappogue Castle 1996 25y (La Maison Du Whisky - Ex Libris)

Knappogue Castle 1996 25y is a single malt whisky.

The word 'single' causes some confusion for many. A single malt is nothing more and nothing less than a product from a single distillery. So it has nothing to do with a single cask or even casks of the same age.

Single malt whisky is made from malted barley and distilled in the famous copper pot stills, the distinctive copper stills.

No, Knappogue Castle 1996 25y is not a no age statement (NAS) whisky. The label explicitly states an age and that age represents the youngest whisky found in the bottle (or in the blend).

Yes, Knappogue Castle 1996 25y is a single cask whisky. That makes this spirit unique of its kind, because because it only came from one cask and was not blended with other casks, only the other bottles from the same cask are exactly the same.

Yes, Knappogue Castle 1996 25y is a whisky cask strength. A cask strength whisky is not diluted with water before bottling, but goes straight from the cask into the bottle and therefore retains the alcohol percentage during/after cask maturation.

One of the advantages of a cask-strength whisky is that, as a drinker, you can decide how strong you like your whisky by diluting or not diluting it with a little water yourself according to your preference, instead of the producer having already done this for you.

Although this Knappogue Castle 1996 25y is not or does not have explicit gift packaging, it can certainly make an excellent gift. Gift packs are usually taken as a safe choice of gift because brands often combine the most accessible or their most popular whisky combine with a fun accessory in a nice gift pack. But if you are looking for a gift for an experienced whisky-drinker they may not be waiting for yet another glass and then this one Knappogue Castle 1996 25y might even be a better choice than such a gift pack.

Knappogue Castle 1996 25y is a whisky of Ex Libris that was referred to by us as a Collector'swhisky. That is, we believe they have the most potential to increase in value over time.

Whether that will actually happen we obviously cannot predict. We therefore always advise never to invest or speculate in whisky that you would never want to drink yourself out of.

This Knappogue Castle 1996 25y can be a whisky one that suits you if you like a whisky with a floral character. Indeed, this florality is quite emphatic in the flavour profile.

However, we recommend that you also look at the rest of the flavour profile, as this florality is of course only one part of the overall character of this whisky.

No, there is no peat in the flavour profile in this Knappogue Castle 1996 25y whisky . The absence of any smokiness therefore makes it suitable for those who do not like a peat flavour.

On its own, yes, but this Knappogue Castle 1996 25y is one whisky with only a slightly spicy flavour profile: the spiciness of this whisky is not emphatic in the flavour profile, but it is there.

The spiciness of a spirit can come about in different ways.

• In whisky, the spicy notes mainly arise during the maturation process in wooden casks. The type of wood used (e.g. American oak, European oak) and whether the casks have been used before (e.g. sherry casks) have a big influence on the spiciness of the whisky that comes out of them.
• With rum, the spicy notes can also come from the barrels used, but in addition there is also a separate class of "Spiced rum" where extra spices are added.
• Gin has a much shorter production cycle and therefore does not usually get its spiciness from wood. Spicy notes in a gin are usually the direct result of the botanicals used to "colour" the gin and give it its own identity.

Yes, Knappogue Castle 1996 25y is a whisky with a moderately fruity flavour profile: the fruitiness of this whisky will be discernible right from the first sip from your glass.

• Whiskies with a fruity character can range from light and fresh apple notes to deep, ripe stone fruit and exotic aromas. This fruitiness can come from the grains, yeast and fermentation used, the shape of the pot stills and the cask type.
• Rum made from sugar cane or molasses lends itself ideally to fruity notes. From the fresh citrus aromas of a white rum to the deep pineapple and banana notes of an aged variety - fruitiness is an essential characteristic in many rums. Again, the same factors affect fruitiness as with whisky.

Whether you drink this Knappogue Castle 1996 25y whisky best with or without ice is a personal choice. We have always chosen not to take a stance on adding water or ice to whisky. There are certainly good reasons to add a little water to your whisky, but whether it adds value to you or detracts from your enjoyment is something you should mainly discover for yourself.

Whisky of more than 52% is rather rare. Often, such a high alcohol content is due to the fact that it is a cask strength whisky (a whisky cask strength): the whisky in that case is not diluted before bottling so it goes into the bottle at a higher alcohol content. Whisky with a high alcohol content often benefits from a few drops of water to release the aromas and make the alcohol less predominant in the glass, and in itself is also fine for use in stronger cocktails.

Knappogue Castle 1996 25y is a whisky of the Ex Libris brand bottled by the independent bottler La Maison du Whisky. That makes this bottle an independent bottling.

To make an Irish Coffee by the book, you need an Irish whiskey. Since you will be mixing it with coffee and whipped cream, we recommend using a good but not overpriced whiskey.

This Knappogue Castle 1996 25y might be a bit on the expensive side to include in a coffee, and is therefore better enjoyed pure. You can find cheaper Irish whiskey on our webshop that will go at least as well in a tasty Irish Coffee.

Did you know that the first Irish Coffee was invented in 1942 by bartender Joe Sheridan? He was working at the airport in Foynes, in the west of Ireland. The barman saw some tired passengers and figured they needed coffee with something special. To perk them up, he poured them coffee with a dash of whiskey mixed in and some coffee on top. When asked if it was Brazilian coffee, Sheridon replied, "No, my friend, this is Irish Coffee." And so it was.

According to the data currently available to us, we cannot state with certainty that this product is vegan and this claim is not explicitly made by the brand.

Based on the information available to us, we can conclude that this Knappogue Castle 1996 25y whisky from Ex Libris is not an organic product.

At one time, Irish whiskey dominated the world. In the late 19th century, more than 70% of all whiskey came from Ireland. But wars, trade conflicts and prohibition in the US caused a dramatic decline. By 1980, barely two distilleries remained. Today, that picture has been completely reversed. Ireland once again has dozens of distilleries and the range of offerings ranges from simple entry-level bottles to rare collector's items costing thousands of euros.

But as always, more expensive does not automatically mean better. What do you actually get for your money? And from what point do you mainly pay for prestige? You can read more about it in our blog post Irish whiskey explained: from pub classics to million-dollar bottles.

There are several places in Belgium and the Netherlands where you can whisky can order, but there are some specific reasons why Drankenshop Broekmans is the best place to order these Knappogue Castle 1996 25y and numerous other Ex Libris whisky order:

• Fair and correct prices
• Up and coming Belgian family business, led by Jan Broekmans and based in Zolder, Limburg, since the beginning
• More than 35 years of experience in our physical shop in Zolder
• More than 8500 references in stock and immediately available: ordered before 10 am, shipped the same day!
• Breakage-free shipping thanks to our own developed packaging
• No rubbish or plastic on delivery: all our packaging and padding can simply be put in the paper bin
• Free shipping from 150 euro
• Customer service readily available via e-mail to help with and answer all your questions, concerns and possible problems you might encounter
• Save loyalty tokens automatically with every purchase and exchange them later for access to exclusive bottlings
• Customers reward us with a 9.6 out of 10 based on more than 680 reviews on Kiyoh, and with a 4.9 out of 5 based on more than 450 reviews on Trustpilot
• Drankenshop Broekmans has carried the official Becom Trustmark for years and has won several e-commerce awards in recent years for their logistics and payment processing, among other things