Unless you’ve been living under a bridge in the middle of nowhere for the last 5 years you know who Connor McGregor is; this is his whiskey. I don’t mean I stole this sample of Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey from him, though that would be a cool story, I mean that he worked with the Bushmills folks to create this standard blended Irish Whiskey that in no way represents the flash and power of Connor himself.
If you’re wondering why I think this whiskey comes from Bushmills it’s pretty simple: I read the press release. In the release it says Connor “turned to the world’s oldest whiskey distillery, located in Ireland…” which is Bushmills claim to fame. It also says he worked with “David Elder, esteemed master distiller, previously of Guinness” but whose most recent position, per his LinkedIn, was Distilling Manager at Bushmills. They go through great lengths to not say what’s right in front of you.
Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey Review: Details and Tasting Notes
In Eire Borne Spirit’s Words: Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey
“Proper No. Twelve’s Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey is an ultra-smooth blend of fine grain and single malt with hints of vanilla, honey and toasted wood.”
Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey price, ABV, age and other details
Region: Ireland
Distiller: Bushmills
Bottler: Eire Born Spirits
Mash Bill: A blend of Irish single malts and Irish grain whiskey
Cask: Various
Age: NAS (At least 3 years)
ABV: 40%
Price: $25*
Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey Tasting Notes
EYE
Orangish copper
NOSE
Pears, honey, vanilla, some spice and a bit of grain and oak.
PALATE
Applesauce, honey, vanilla, spice and a touch of caramel and oak.
FINISH
Medium -> Vanilla, dried pears, applesauce and acetone.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Ok balance, medium body and a smooth light feel.
Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey Review: OVERALL
The overall profile of the Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey is light honied fruit… just like every other young blended Irish whiskey out there. The aroma, the palate and even the finish are pretty standard for the likes of Bushmills White or any of the other dozens of entry-level low proof Irish blends out there. Though what isn’t standard is the color.
Irish blends, like those mentioned, aren’t this dark so I’m suspecting some e150a might have been employed because it doesn’t smell or taste old enough to be this dark and I don’t get a whiff of sherry. On the whole it is a fairly standard Irish blend that is neither daring or flashy, nor does it pack a punch; it’s the antithesis of its creator.
I respect Connor as a fighter, I enjoy watching his fights, and knowing his flash, style and knock out power I expected his whiskey to reflect that. Instead, we have nothing more than another young, low-proof, grain heavy Irish blend on a shelf already overburdened by the same. Proper Twelve is really no better or worse than something like Bushmills White or Kilbeggan Blended Irish Whiskey and doesn’t deserve any more heat or derision than you would those or dozens of whiskeys like them.
Seriously, if any of a dozen faceless NDPs out there had released this the whiskey community would have shrugged its collective shoulders and said “meh, just more of the same” and moved on. But because there’s a celebrity involved everyone wants to talk shit because humans enjoy dragging celebrities through the mud even more than we love to “worship” them, which is a gross reflection on us as a society.
Getting back to the whiskey, my only other take-away from the Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey is that one of two things have to be true for someone like Connor to release something like this. Either he has the same narrow perception of Irish Whiskey as the majority of drinkers, or he really likes simple basic whiskey. Or marketing folks got to him… so make that one of three things. Cheers.
SCORE: 76/100 (C)
*Disclosure: This Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey sample was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey Review 25
Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey Review Summary
Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey is on par with Bushmills White, which makes sense since that’s essentially what it seems to be.
Overall
- Nose - 76
- Palate - 76
- Finish - 76
- Balance, Body & Feel - 76
User Review
( votes)( reviews)
Proper 12
So here is what I think after I have sampled it several times. I am about 1/2 way though my first Bottle.
Great packaging: I love the bottle
Price: Low
Super Smooth: Very easy drinking straight
Not to Strong: Your not going to easily go over board
Mixes Well: Water or ginger rail works great
Cool Factor: By far the hottest brand out there and fun to support Connor.
Final Verdict: This will be my go to from here on out.
Smooth taste
This is very smooth. I will most definitely be be buying again. Its not to harsh. And dont burn.
Glad you like it!
I had the Proper 12 at a local brewery restaurant a few weeks back and decided to commit to a bottle for home (more for guests to try when they stop by…kind of a talking point). It’s a very light whiskey that doesn’t knock your socks off. The flavor profile is a bit weak and doesn’t leave you really wanting the next drink. It will be an easy sipping whiskey through the week or maybe mixed with a ginger ale to bring out some flavor. I look forward to McGregor taking the time to re evaluate his product and put out a whiskey that compares to his personality. For the price point there are better Irish blends out there like Jameson, but this one has a place on the shelf.
Love this breakdown, thanks for sharing Keenan!
Proper Twelve Is An Alright Whiskey.
I recently bought a bottle at my local store. It took a while for it to arrive in my town here in the USA.
When I saw it I had to get it. I have to say the truth here. It is not as bad as some people make it out to be. It’s not the best and not the worst whiskey. I would say it’s OK. Alright whiskey. It’s little rough when it first goes in, smooth and nice in the middle hitting the back of the tongue, but still ends alil rough going down the throat.
All in all. It’s alright…what matters is if you wanna get drunk. You’ll get drunk. And that’s what drinking is about..right? ;) It’s worth buying for parties I’d say.
Definitely worth it for a party. Thanks for sharing that, Cheers Ricky!
Perfectly fine for it's price point
Horses for courses. I love some whiskeys others just don’t. It’s perfectly fine, look at the price point, it’s perfectly fine for it’s price point. It’s never going to be the $50 a bottle fine whiskey lots of people rubbishing it think it should be.. It’s cheap, cheerful, and suits the palate of a lot of people who like cheap and cheerful whiskey. And you know what? It’s bloody great at being mixed in with mixers. Let’s be honest, this is what it’s going to be used for by a lot of the people who buy it – mixing with soft drink.
I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years time McGregor releases another Whiskey he’s actually been working on. One that’s been crafted and aged like he wants. What’s in the bottle currently is stuff that’s been selected, and it’s what is what’s available within the price point. I reckon he’s done OK all things considered.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Joe, cheers!
Good
Not the best, but far from the worst in its class. Just picked up my second bottle and there will be more.
Tastes like me arse
The first sip was familiar. It tasted like me arse on a summer day in Dublin. Salty, sweet, with hints on vanilla and honey. It was nothing special, but tasty just like me arse. 5 out of 10
I by no means am a whiskey expert. I know what i like and what i don’t. For example I like Buffalo Trace, Woodford’s Reserve, Jameson. I bought this because of Connor and was actually surprised. I liked it and found it very smooth. Enjoyable to drink. I believe a good price point as well.
Knowing what you do and don’t like is all you really need to know. Cheers JJ!
It’s as fine a whiskey as I’ve ever tasted.
It takes water well. I use quite less than with other malt beverages. (We are quite spoiled, as our water is filtered from 400 feet below through many veins of quartz.) I detect a very pleasant “after nose” of grapefruit.
Very relaxing.
Thanks for sharing Joseph. Cheers!
When I saw Proper Twelve at a local liquor store in South Florida, saw the price point at $25, I figured it was a pedestrian whiskey. Thanks for quashing whatever curiosity I had left, and saving me money in the process…
Happy to help :) Cheers!