Whisky Review – Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey

By G-LO on April 12, 2019 • ( 1 Comment )

The goal was to have this review of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey up by St. Paddy’s Day (aka March 17th, 2019), but as is usually the case, real life conspired against us and we were a bit delayed. Better late than never is all we can say!

Before we get to our review of this whiskey, here’s how Proper No. Twelve came to be per an excerpt from their September 17, 2018 press release:

Eire Born Spirits today announces the launch of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Champion and one of the world’s most iconic athletes, Conor McGregor, is the founder, chairman and majority owner of the company. McGregor is proud to introduce this exciting Irish whiskey to the world, launching in Ireland and the United States, with further expansion in 2019 and onward. Inspired by his pride for Ireland and his love of Irish whiskey, McGregor wanted to create his own whiskey that would match his high standards and make his country proud.

For years, McGregor developed the brand under the project name “Notorious” through which came the foundation of what was to eventually become Proper No. Twelve. It became a longer and more complicated project than originally expected, so McGregor turned to the world’s oldest whiskey distillery, located in Ireland, with a proven history of quality whiskey making. He met David Elder, esteemed master distiller, previously of Guinness, and together they took painstaking measures to bring the whiskey to fruition. “We created close to one hundred blends and ultimately selected what we knew was the one and only proper whiskey blend. We took the time to develop an incredible whiskey and I’m excited to share it with the world,” said McGregor.

Proper No. Twelve’s global launch expression is a blend of the finest golden grain and single malt. It is produced in an area known for its rich soil and pure spring water. Proper No. Twelve is complex and sophisticated yet smooth and approachable with hints of vanilla, honey and toasted wood.

While there is no doubt that Conor McGregor has kicked plenty of ass in the UFC Octagan, does that mean he knows anything about creating a delicious blended Irish Whiskey? We certainly had our doubts going in to this tasting and couldn’t help asking ourselves if Mr. McGregor really had a hand in the making of this spirit, or if he was just licensing his name to make some money.

To find out the answers to these questions, and to hear all that we had to say about this Irish Whiskey, click the play button to watch the latest episode of A Tasting at The Murder Table…