Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey Review

There is a lot of third-party Irish Whiskey on the market, it’s a huge area for NDPs like this Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey to play in and it’s been that way for a while. It used to be you could be fairly sure it came from Cooley, but those days have passed and it’s getting harder and harder to figure out where the whiskey actually comes from.

Though if I had to hazard a guess on this one, it would be West Cork. They seem to be picking the reigns of Cooley and have been the source (named or assumed) for several other brands. Though obviously without confirmation, this is just a guess based on the taste and the one clue of it being from an “unnamed west Ireland distillery”.

Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Region: Ireland

Distiller: Undisclosed (guessing West Cork)
Bottler: Fighting 69th
Mash Bill: Undisclosed (they make it sound like single pot still, but don’t label it as such. Likely a blend)
Cask: ex-Bourbon, Single-Char, Double-Char, ex-Sherry, ex-Rum, ex-Port
Age: 3+ Years
ABV: 40%

Price: $38

White background tasting shot with the Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.

“Distilled & imported from Ireland, it possesses a unique mash bill combining superior quality barley and malted barley with pure Irish water, resulting in an extraordinary Irish Whiskey.” – Fighting 69th

Tasting Notes

EYE
Honey

NOSE
Honied fruit, apple pie spice, copper, brown sugar and a touch of gummy bears. Soft and subtle, it has a sweet and round aroma that isn’t very expressive; having trouble getting much out of it.

PALATE
Honied fruit, malt, banana, copper, spice and some biscuity notes. Soft, basic and unassuming, Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey is coming through like a pretty standard Irish Whiskey.

FINISH
Short -> Banana, spice and copper quickly dissipate.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Ok balance, light body and a watery feel

Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey – Overall Thoughts and Score

I’m feeling a tad disappointed here. For being called the Fighting 69th, and named after a storied combat group, this is a light, forgettable whisky. At the very, very, least they should have done 50% ABV and NCF. Give this whiskey some real body, some heft, some bite. Have it feel like it deserves the name it has. As it stands, it feels like they found some average Irish Whiskey, slapped the name on and hoped the brand would carry it. Which is a familiar story and is totally possible to work.

Setting aside the disparity between name and delivery, it’s not a bad whiskey. There isn’t much there, it’s super light, but what’s there is pretty standard for a blended Irish whiskey. So if you like that standard, light, Irishstyle you won’t be disappointed – but it’s nothing to get excited about, unfortunately.

SCORE: 2.5/5

*Disclosure: The bottle for this Irish Whiskey review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.