What could be more fresh & pure than a double distilled direct flame fired Irish Poitín?
Killowen Poitin c/othewhiskeynut
Especially one made at the boutique Killowen Distillery set in the foothills of the mighty Mourne Mountains, Co. Down.
The Distiller, the turf & the smokehouse. c/othewhiskeynut
Using a mixed mash bill of malted & unmalted barley, oats and wheat – as well as some local turf dried grains in a home made smokehouse – Killowen Poitín is a joy on the palate.
Back for more? c/othewhiskeynut
Aromas of gentle turf smoke mingle with the new make spirit.
It’s creamy, luscious & wholesome in the mouth.
Slowly drying out as the turf makes it’s presence felt in a gorgeous warm glow on the long finish.
I had the privilege of attending The Brand Ambassador’s Tasting at the fabulous Celtic Whiskey Bar & Larder in Killarney recently.
Fine whiskey, great company & mighty craic ensued.
I came away with a nugget of Irish Whiskey sales information however.
The biggest selling whisky in Ireland from the eclectic & well represented Beam-Suntory brand portfolio is by a long shot – Teacher’s Highland Cream.
A naggin of Teacher’s c/othewhiskeynut
So I bought a bottle.
It’s yer standard Scotch Blend product.
It’s chill filtered & has added caramel. It’s non age statmented and gives no list of the 30 or so distilleries that have contributed their malt and grain whisky to construct this historic blend – yet it sells bucket loads.
It’s a straight forward no nonsense attractively peated whisky that outsells all others on the Beam-Suntory portfolio.
The light of Scotland is added caramel. c/othewhiskeynut
The colour is ‘The Light Of Scotland’ – according to the label.
A decent hit of peat on the nose is mellowed by a sweet honeyed palate. A slightly drying peaty bite leaves toffee notes to finish on.
Plain, simple peated whisky.
Clearly what the market wants.
Inishowen, peated Irish Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut
Yet ever since the demise of the gorgeous Inishowen – Irish Whiskey has no peated blend currently for sale.
The diversification of Irish Whiskey continues with this delightful smoked salmon pâté from unionhallsmokedfish.com.
Delightful! c/othewhiskeynut
Infused with West Cork Irish Whiskey – a venture founded by former fishermen itself – this is not an entirely unexpected food pairing.
I found it a light salmon pâté – yet bursting with flavour.
Can I have some more? c/othewhiskeynut
The fresh citrusy salmon was accentuated by a gentle soft smokiness which gave depth & complexity to the mix. Quite what the Irish Whiskey brought to the palate was hard to judge – but I found it irresistible.
The back label info c/othewhiskeynut
I’d have easily polished off the whole lot if it wasn’t for the other half reminding me to leave some for the guests – who also enjoyed what was left!
Mindful of my own advice to not store whiskey too long before consumption, I looked into one of my storage cupboards – dark & at constant temperature – to find a shocking amount of bottles.
The Ballechin was one that attracted me.
It had a few things going for it.
Class! c/othewhiskeynut
To begin with – it was a small bottle that wouldn’t be around for long after opening. More pertinently it bore 3 phrases pleasing to my palate; unchill filtered, natural colour & heavily peated.
Class!
The nose was a mixture of peat smoke infused with dark stone fruits.
Rather than a dry ashy peatiness – a luscious smooth & engaging fruitiness eased me into a warming peat fire which wrapped me in it’s cosy embrace.
A gorgeously engaging whiskey to savor.
Info on the box c/othewhiskeynut
Emanating from Edradour Distilley in the Highlands – the Ballechin is a run of peated malt they do.
Interestingly, for the first 160 years of it’s existence from 1825, there were no single malt bottlings. All product was used for fillings in the highly successful blended scotch market. Only in 1986 did Edradour start releasing their own single malts when that category began to rise in popularity.
Whiskypedia c/othewhiskeynut
All this information was gleaned from Charles MaClean’s Whiskipedia book.
Which is a mine of information on Scottish Whisky Distilleries.
It is finally coming out of the doldrums first entered in the late 1800’s.
It’s true potential is demonstrated with exciting new Irish Whiskey expressions being released on an almost weekly basis by a growing band of blenders, bottlers, bonders & distilleries.
One market Irish Whiskey has re-entered with a bang is the ultra premium category.
It was done with aplomb, style and a certain amount of swagger.
Louise McGuane launches The Chosen c/oindependent.ie
Now I can’t say I’ve ever tasted the whiskey, but having sampled a few of the casks maturing at J.J. Corry’s bonded warehouse in Co Clare, I can appreciate the high quality of spirits being nurtured there.
Presented in a stunning handmade cut crystal decanter – along with an ultra deluxe hand carved ash cabinet too – The Chosen set the whiskey internet buzzing.
The Chosen c/o@ChapelGate
It puts Irish Whiskey centre stage – where it belongs.
After my initial findings with a washed out bottle of Islay Storm from last year – available here – I chanced upon a miniature bottle sporting a shiny new label & thought I’d check it out.
A fresh Storm c/othewhiskeynut
I still had the old bottle – so did a comparison.
First off – the older bottle is slightly darker.
Dark Storm v Light Storm? c/othewhiskeynut
More added caramel?
Longer in the cask?
A completely different source of single malt?
All of the above?
Who knows?
Being an independent bottling for C.S. James & Sons Ltd of Glasgow there is no guarantee what was in the old bottle is the same as the new. It’s the same for all bottlings – they change & evolve -and I have no problem with that.
On the nose the miniature was cleaner, fresher & more lively.
A lovely bright & full on smoky peat hit enveloped my palate from the start. Briny & a tad sweet at the end – but very enjoyable.
Dull Storm c/othewhiskeynut
The old bottle was dull & flat in comparison. Only on the finish did the ashy peat rise up to give some life to the washed out contents.
If you enjoy a smoky number – Islay Storm clearly delivers.
Just drink your bottle in timely fashion to get the full effect!
I don’t know if Lidl are ahead of the posse predicting a Rum revival – but they have another miniature selection I couldn’t resist.
Cuban Rums Ahoy! c/othewhiskeynut
Comprising of 4 x 40ml servings under the Ron Rumbero label – courtesy of Bimmerle KG, a German spirits producer & importer – with Cuban Rum being the source.
Spiced c/othewhiskeynut
Ron Rumbero, Spiced Spirit, 37.5%
An attractively well balanced spiced rum offering. A bit too sweet for my liking – but a dark chocolate start contrasts with a gentle chilli led spicy finish.
Cream Liqueur c/othewhiskeynut
Ron Rumbero, Cream Liqueur with Rum, 15%
An easy going creamy liqueur that provides an entertaining alternative to the whiskey derived offerings. Sweet, thick & creamy with a decent hit of rum on the finish too!
3 Anos c/othewhiskeynut
Ron Rumbero, 3 Años, 38%
Now this one surprised me! A definite vegetal funk on the nose. Slightly sweet yet smooth palate with a lovely flourish of spice on the finish. A great combination.
7 Anos c/othewhiskeynut
Ron Rumbero, 7 Años, 38%
Rich, warm & inviting. Slightly oaky. Smooth delivery. The dry oaky tannins are reminiscent of a good whiskey. Not bad.
Thoughts
A lovely little quartet of rums to whet your appetite.
The back label c/othewhiskeynut
When choosing my favourite I had a little surprise. Normally I’d go for the aged version – but with these – the wonderful balance of the funky start & gorgeously spicy finish of the 3 Años won out in this instance.
If only I could get a full size bottle for the shelf!
Partly by innovation, collaboration & the exploration of new tastes & styles.
This latest barrel aged beer does all three.
It uses rye – a relatively unexplored grain for Irish Beer – as well as Irish Whiskey.
Collaboration c/othewhiskeynut
It’s also a collaboration by 12 Acres of Co Laois and DOT Brew in Dublin, who give this grain a further twist – by ageing it in Irish Whiskey barrels – as well as other finishes.
I got a pleasantly sweet orange note on the nose – which complemented the beer’s attractive colour.
Lovely! c/othewhiskeynut
The carbonation was relatively light – & suited me fine.
Rather than the dry signature spice I expect from rye whiskey – a wonderfully rich combination of earthy rye, biscuity malt & a fresh fruity element greeted me on tasting.
