Irish

Whiskey Review: Keeper's Heart Irish + American Whiskey

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Whiskey Review: Keeper’s Heart Irish + American Whiskey

Keeper's Heart Irish + American Whisky is a combination of three types of whiskey: Irish Single Pot Still, Irish Grain and American Rye (95% rye mash) - all together in one bottle to help celebrate the special relations between The Republic of Ireland and The United States of America.

by Phil Dwyer
April 21, 2025

Phil Dwyer is a whisky enthusiast, YouTuber, and manager of The Whisky Shop Manchester, UK.

Tasting Notes:

About:

Keeper’s Heart Irish + American Whisky is a combination of three types of whiskey: Irish Single Pot Still, Irish Grain and American Rye (95% rye mash) – all together in one bottle to help celebrate the special relations between The Republic of Ireland and The United States of America. This whiskey was put together by the former mastermind behind Midleton and their wonderful selection of whiskeys, Brian Nation. With quality and experience like that behind any whiskey, it will always have the ability to reach out further.

Appearance:

Light Sherry

Nose:

A good mix of rye and malt on the nose with this. It opens with honey, cinnamon, barley grist and barley sugars. The rye part of the aroma offers up quite a lot of mintiness, which is quite welcome in the heavy hit of honey that the Irish elements of the whiskey offer up.

Alongside this we have green apples, heather honey, waxy lemon rind, elderflower, vanilla and some light toffee notes.

Palate:

Sweet and gentle on the palate, the flavour gets swept in with that constant welcoming note of honey. The clashing of this minty rye, the vanilla driven nature of the Irish grain and then that peppery note of single pot still style whiskey makes this all quite an enjoyable, flavourful, albeit young flavour.

It has freshness, bite, sweetness and depth, which is quite a breath of fresh air in a world of pushed out the door young releases that aren’t prepared for the tongue and bite of the spirits drinking world. This one stands quite tall in the crowd.

Finish:

Loads of grain and biscuit notes, topped off by this really nice note of fresh mint. For something bottled at 43% this has quite the long and constant finish to it.

Comments:

I can see this being drank with ease with a few friends or at a big family event. It has the warmth of rye and the comfort of Irish whiskey to it, not something that a lot of other brands have managed to merge well.

This melding of Irish and American whiskies has become quite popular over the years. For a large amount of the products it can come across as a bit of a bastardisation of both styles for the sake of something that’s new but without any substance. A whiskey that has been blended but without a set audience or flavour profile in mind.

Luckily, Keeper’s Heart is not one of those whiskeys. It’s genuinely tasty and could be such a crowd pleaser in the hands of the right bartender or person at a party who pours it for you.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer's passion for whisky is undeniable. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil manages The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curates an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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