Review: Proper No. Twelve Single Malt Irish Whiskey 13 Years Old

Irish whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve has been busy of late. At the end of 2024, owner Proximo Spirits dropped founding celebrity Conor McGregor, the UFC champion whose past misdeeds are apparently too toxic for a whiskey affiliation but not toxic enough to keep him from the Oval Office.

The times we’re living in, folks.

Anyway, the brand is moving on from Mystic Mac with a move upmarket and their very first age-stated expression. While standard Proper No. Twelve is aged at least four years, this new offering is, somewhat confusingly, 13 years old. So that’s Proper No. Twelve 13 Years Old. Got it? And that’s not all that is different. The flagship is a rather traditional, entry level blend of malt and grain aged in ex-bourbon barrels, but this latest offering is a single malt distilled from 100% malted barley and aged in a mix of first-fill American oak bourbon casks and second fill European oak ruby Port casks. Let’s dig in.

Proper No. Twelve Irish Single Malt Whiskey 13 Years Old Review

The aroma is expectedly malty but with generous layers of fruit. Top notes of warm grain and bright, sugary stone fruit recall wheat toast slathered in apricot jam. As it opens more, the grain becomes a bit overcooked but a blooming, higher tone sweetness keeps things inviting with notes of golden raisin and nectarine.

The palate is warm and exceedingly approachable with an early rush of apple pie and peach tart that turns more to cooked dark berries and rum raisin on the midpalate. The finish is warm and gently peppered with a silky, sweet flourish of cherry pie and tinned peaches. A serious step up from the flagship and well-priced for an older Irish single malt.

86 proof.

A- / $60

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