MMA star Conor McGregor made his fortune beating the crap out of fighters in the ring, occasionally attacking fans, old men, and other fighters outside of the ring for free. He also cofounded in 2018, which became a best-selling here in the U.S., but sold a majority stake in 2021 to Proximo Spirits. The company completely severed ties with him last fall after he was found liable for sexual assault. And with McGregor in its rearview mirror, the brand has shown new promise, releasing this 13-year-old single malt which is far better than the core blended .
Proper No. Twelve is produced at , which is also owned by Proximo Spirits, but generally pales in comparison to anything else that comes out of this Northern Ireland distillery. The core expression is a blend of malt and grain whiskey (the grain component is produced at another distillery as only makes single malt) that is triple distilled and aged for four years in bourbon barrels… and, in this writer’s opinion, it’s just not very good. The new 13-year-old single malt, however, is an upgrade, although still perhaps not as good as one of ‘ own age-statement whiskeys. It’s made from a mashbill of 100 percent malted barley and aged in a combination of American oak first-fill bourbon barrels and European oak second-fill ruby port casks for 13 years.
“This 13-year-old single malt is a more refined expression that still holds true to our roots—bold, accessible, and built for those who appreciate character,” said Lander Otegui, executive VP of marketing for Proximo Spirits, in a statement. “It’s a celebration of the exciting future ahead as we continue to expand the brand’s Irish whiskey offerings and disruptor approach to the category.” We got an early taste, and it’s a decent pour—and most notably, as mentioned before, it’s an improvement on the original blend. Thirteen years in that combination of casks have given the whiskey familiar notes of vanilla, dried fruit, baking spice, tannic oak, stone fruit, and black pepper on the palate, and it’s bottled at 86 proof which gives it a bit of heat on the finish.
McGregor’s name and likeness will no longer appear in any marketing for Proper No. Twelve, according to the brand. The whiskey maker has moved on, and hopefully it will continue to upgrade its portfolio with more releases like this (and less apple-flavored whiskey). The 13-year-old single malt is available now in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, and Arizona (SRP $60), and you can find the other expressions at websites like .
Authors
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Jonah Flicker
Credit: robbreport.com
