Released in March 2017, Roe & Co blended Irish whiskey marks Diageo's return to the Irish whiskey category having sold Bushmills a couple of years earlier. Roe & Co is bottled at 45% abv without chill filtration and is a blend of single malt and grain whiskeys matured exclusively in bourbon casks (a high proportion of which are first-fill).
Creamy, delightfully fragrant and remarkably rounded with notes of soft spice and mellow spun sugar along with warm hints of woody vanilla.
The quality and perfect balance of the blend is immediately apparent on the palate through its velvety texture and sweet flavours including spiced pears and vanilla.
Lingering and gentle, ending with a light creaminess.
I really like Irish whiskeys, they are nearly always beautifully smooth, & silky, the older the smoother, this whiskey is up there , nut sweet, hint of bourbon, & strong, gorgeous on the rocks with a slice of lime.
I am a Speyside single malt devotee, so this would need to be something special - and (for a blended) it is. Honey butteriness on the tongue, vanilla and a wisp of oakiness. Warming and not harsh. Drunk with a single cube of ice, let melt to reduce the temperature and dilute. Good at any time of the year, it will hit a peak for Christmas, with its subtle flavours that create thoughts of pudding and mince pies (which my wife and I ate at the time of the second glass). My mother would bake our Christmas cake and prick it and rub whisky over it - this would have been divine. I like to offer guests a choice of whiskey so this would have a place on my table with other brands.
For the same price there are better Whiskeys. Poor entry by Diageo. I expect better from them in future. Slane is a better mixed blend in my opinion at this price point
As a peat and smoke fan I anticipated needing a bottle of coke. Was pleasantly surprised by how smooth this blend is, sweeter than most and warmly mellow. Difficult not to like if this is what you are looking for.
I was pleasantly surprised by this and ended up buying a second bottle!
