Another immaculately presented bottle with a very distinctive design.
Another strong tasting Baijiu from the Luzhou Laojiau company.
On a back to back with the clay pot Zisha Quo I couldn’t discern much of a taste difference.
Maybe it’s just down to the fancy packaging?
Sláinte
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Picked up this older looking Jameson on my travels.
Honeyed, mild & mellow.
Inoffesivity defines the experience.
Sláinte
I never got hold of Preciou1 Cargo – but popping down to the Dead Centre Brewery to collect my tasty takeaway pizza – Preciou2 was on display.
So I bought it.
Combining 2 of my favourite styles of beer – barrel aged – sherry this time – and Belgian Tripel – the results were a delight.
Despite the 9.2% ABV this is seductively easy to drink.
Starting off with a beguiling lightness on the palate, heavier rich notes of maltiness & treacly undertones develop.
A touch of nuttiness on the finish only adds to the experience.
Preciou2 Cargo was brewed to celebrate Dead Centre’s 2nd Birthday.
With beer this good – let there be many more!
Sláinte
Mezcal – the artisanal spirit from Mexico that’s attracting attention right now.
Already a convert – mainly due to the smokey element – I eagerly signed up for the Celtic Whiskey Bar & Larder Zoom Tasting with Del Maguey Mezcal.
The 1st offering – Vida Mezcal, 42% – immediately satisfied. A seductive smokiness combined with those rich earthy agave notes reeled me in!
Gorgeous!
Chichicapa Mezcal, 46%, dialed down the smoke a touch & ramped up the pungent agave along with a prickly dryness on the finish from the higher ABV.
Unlike the whiskey world – which for some is all about the wood to bring about complexity & flavour – Mezcal is all about the raw ingredients & production methods used to deliver a fully flavoured spirit with depth & complexity straight from the still.
Tobala Mezcal, 45%, shone in this department. Using a roast time of 30 days accentuated the rich smokiness. A long fermentation of up to a week brought out some cheesy funky notes & using the A. potatorum agave species added pungent earthy overtones.
Certainly the Mezcal that enamoured me the most!
Pichuga Mezcal, 49%, rounded the evening off.
Compared to the others there was less smoke evident – but those engaging earthy agave aromas entertained me no end.
The Del Maguey website is packed full of information on these single village mezcals.
If you haven’t ventured into Mezcal yet – you won’t go far wrong enjoying any of the above.
A quintessential Mezcal quartet!
Sláinte
Bottle images courtesy Celtic Whiskey Shop
Despite my own personal preferences, sherry finished whiskey remains the category of choice for sales & any new brand – like Barr an Uicse from Wicklow – usually have an offering in this style.
An opportune sample at my local O’Briens displayed a fresh & vibrant grainy nose overlaid with deeper, darker notes of sweet plums from the sherry influence.
An attractively easy little sipper.
Sláinte
Cognisant of the rise in non-alcoholic drinks – when this American Malt appeared in my local SuperValu I was intrigued enough to purchase one.
Promising a taste experience similar to bourbon – other offerings are available – could it deliver?
It certainly looks like a bourbon – although the legs are watery & limpid.
It even nosed like an entry level bourbon – caramels, vanilla & hints of toasty oak – despite no 51% corn or virgin oak barrel ageing.
On the palate it fell apart – watery & weak mouthfeel – but recovered on the finish leaving a warm spiciness that lasted a long time.
I’m not exactly the target audience – but the branding is good, the presentation is fine & despite the watery experience – it possesses some bourbony qualities.
Non-alcoholic drinks are clearly a growing market & Lyre’s appear to be leading trend setters.
I wish them well – but think I’ll stick to the real thing myself.
Sláinte
All images courtesy Whiskey Nut
Blind tasting some whiskey on St Patrick’s Day in the midst of a pandemic?
Sure – what else would you be doing?
I had my usual Tuath whiskey glasses, water, pen & paper – and set to it.
In order of appearance are my rather distilled notes – given in italics before the reveal.
A Tullibardine 500, 43%
Grand
B Glendalough Pot Still, 43%
OK
C Auchentoshan Three Wood, 43%
Lacklustre
It became apparent doing the tasting that all struck a similar chord – sherry finished, mild & mellow, easy going & sweet. Attractive for some – but lacking a certain flair on my palate.
Things changed a little with the next pair.
D Writer’s Tears Copper Pot, Japanese Cask, 55%
Bit of a welcome bite & entertainment.
E WD O’Connell 12 Sherry Series, 59.2%
Almost, but not quite.
The use of Japanese Mizunara & longer maturation times added to the depth, complexity & variety of flavours found in these whiskeys.
I had to re-sample to pick a winner – E WD O’Connell 12 – if only for those tannic woody spices.
The tasting further confirmed a few themes with my palate;
Sherry finished whiskey isn’t my forte – but even within that category there can still be a diversity of flavours.
Added caramel dulls the intensity – lacklustre kind of sums that up.
Ageing & higher ABV generally adds to the experience – but not always.
As for the not quite comment – well it wasn’t Bill Phil!
I’d encourage all to sample far & wide. It will hone down your palate preferences, enable you to pick out what works – or doesn’t – & is great fun too!
I’m always open to sample swaps – get in touch.
Sláinte
Nearing the end of my lockdown miniature selection are these 2 rums.
The Legendary Alnwick Rum immediately brought back memories of my days at sea aboard the MV Alnwick Castle bulk carrier whose parent company hailed from the same area this Dark Rum emanates from.
Deep reddish brown in colour, heavy molasses on the nose. Good solid mouth feel – oily & viscous – with a lovely flourish of spice on the rear.
A very decent dark rum.
The Duppy Share also took me back to my days in London where the vibrant & colourful Carribean culture enlivened the otherwise grey streetscape.
Light straw in colour, a clean & clear funk on the nose. More fruity on the palate, a mellow funk fusing with a sprinkling of spice & sweet caramels to round up this very easy & approachable golden rum.
‘Duppy’ has a number of meanings – one being a playful spirit – & this rum toys with that association.
A lovely little duo to appreciate the diversity of styles & influences within the growing rum category.
Sláinte
Whiskey is a distilled alcoholic spirit found all over the world.
I enjoy drinking whiskey.
Whether spelled with or without the ‘e’.
I enjoy drinking whiskey.
Different countries have a diversity & variety of rules as to what constitutes whiskey.
I enjoy drinking whiskey.
The exploration of flavours brought about by the use of raw ingredients – barley, oats, rye & maize – even molasses, rice & sorghum in some places.
I enjoy drinking whiskey.
Single malt, single grain, single pot still, blended, single, double, triple distilled or more.
I enjoy drinking whiskey.
A whiskey produced in one country may not be legally sold as such in another.
I enjoy drinking whiskey.
The original whiskey was unaged, poitín, aqua-vitae, moonshine, uisce beatha & white dog.
I enjoy drinking whiskey.
A whiskey bought in the local Spar in Lagos – which I can afford – excites me as much as one accompanied with a Fabergé egg in Ireland – which I cannot.
I enjoy drinking whiskey.
What kind of whiskey do you enjoy?
Sláinte
Pressing on the highlighted links will guide you to my reviews of the whiskeys.
Well the whole presentation is a bit of a performance!
Red cloth wrapped around a clay pot!
At 52% – this baijiu is a bit of a performance too.
‘Strong Aroma’ it says on the box – & it does exactly as stated – in a very pleasing way.
An enticing savoury, meaty umami type of thing going on.
The high ABV pack a punch – but doesn’t over power.
The EU/China trade agreement has opened the door for Irish Whiskey exports to China – as well as Baijiu imports to Ireland.
I’m certainly enjoying exploring the fruits of that deal!
Ganbei
I purchased my Baijiu from Asia Market, Dublin.
Another UK rum blog
Dram by dram, tasting the dream
This is a listing of the whiskys that I have collected over the years
Thinking, Drinking & Enjoying
tokyo bar & cocktail guide
Deep insights into spirits and cocktails
A race to the bottom of the bottle
Aye, Whisky!
Over whisky, sigaren en meer. Door Fred Blans
#GuardianOfRum
A window into the lifestyle that the bartending profession has opened up for me.
Adventures of an enthusiastic amateur in the world of Whis(e)y
An independent whisky blog reviewing whisky, whiskey, bourbon and spirits from all over.
My Irish Whiskey Journey
One Irishman's battle to bring his love for whiskey to the world.
