Factories, farms, garden sheds or industrial units in which whiskey is manufactured.
They come in all shapes & sizes.
And they are as attractive to whiskey fans as bees are to honey.
To see them, feel them, touch them & smell them.
To experience the characters & the stories that lie behind them.
And to engage with them in their natural environment whether it be surrounded by fields of barley swaying in the wind, salt laden breezes on the wild Atlantic coast or gently rolling green countryside. The environment that ultimately shapes & molds the whiskey into the wonderful array of tastes & smells of the spirit in your favourite glass.
To this end I thought it would be a worthwhile exercise to try and put together a trip encapsulating all the new, planned & existing whiskey distilleries in Ireland in one big tour.
Logistically & timescale wise this proved to be a bit of a whiskey marathon spaced out over a week – so a game of 2 halves was suggested.
Hit The North is the inaugural first half covering the Irish distilleries north of an arbitrary line from Dublin to Galway.
Look out for my future posts covering how the trip went!
Flying in from a town whose tallest building is the 12 story Sheraton Hotel – staying in a 9th floor hotel room held a certain appeal.
Sadly the views I expected were obscured by even larger skyscrapers that we couldn’t see the tops of despite craning our necks through the permanently closed bedroom window.
Welcome to New York!
Empire State c/othewhiskeynut
I still harboured high hopes for the hotel’s 14th floor roof top bar – Vu Bar – quietly enjoying a few drinks with a panoramic view of downtown NY below.
A cold blustery windswept veranda overlooked by even taller buildings was the reality. Well – it was March – and the building that dominated all – including our bedroom window vista – was in fact the Empire State Building!
The bar had a lovely collection of whiskey to sample however & a friendly bartender in Emilio.
I started with Maker’s Mark 46. It’s a mainly corn based bourbon with some wheat & barley in the mash bill which imparts a relatively soft, smooth & sweet overall experience to the taste despite it’s 47% strength. It goes down very easily – but didn’t really do anything for me & my penchant for bolder flavours. It definitely is a better dram than the standard Maker’s Mark which I tasted earlier on in the day though.
The darker colouring & slight dry spice on the nose indicated a high rye content in this 50% bourbon which was much more agreeable to my tastes.
Emilio mentioned a sister bar on the opposite side of the street – so the next evening after a busy day sightseeing & an enjoyable tasty meal washed down by the amusingly named Kloud lager – which had a lovely malty flavour – in a local Korean restaurant – we headed up to the 17th floor Cloud Social bar.
Korean Kloud Lager c/othewhiskeynut
The views were far more impressive from up here. It would certainly make for a cool place to hang out on a warm summers day – but with temperatures below zero & a light dusting of snow it was back into the bar area for some warming whiskeys after a few snaps.
Again I was pleasantly surprised by the array of whiskeys before me. One that took my eye was Lot 40.
Lot 40 c/othewhiskeynut
Now I’d heard great things about this Canadian Rye so on spotting a bottle I just had to try it.
Oh dear.
Soft ,sweet, hardly any spice. A very smooth easy drinking bourbon style of whiskey.
Not what I was expecting at all from this 43% rye. What I experienced bore no resemblance to the reviews I read before or after – so I just don’t know.
To counteract my disappointment I went for a Knob Creek Rye.
POW c/opinterest
The full on rich dry peppery spice bowled me over after my previous drink. In fact it was almost overwhelming after the soft sweetness of Lot 40 as my palate struggled to come to terms with that lovely rye punch I crave in this full on 50% whiskey.
If anything – I think the Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon – with it’s initial rich vanilla & caramel notes flowing through to a lovely balanced rye spice – came out tops for the 4 whiskeys I tried out up in the clouds of New York’s rooftop bars!
I went looking for the much publicised Ben Bracken trio of single malts recently released by Lidl – but inadvertently walked into Aldi instead!
What confronted me were not only 3 single malts – Islay, Highland & Speyside – but also a 12 Year Old Speyside as well as 2 double casks – one sherry finish & the other bourbon – all below £20.
Aldi own brand whisky c/othewhiskynut
As I’m a fan of bolder flavours I went straight for the Islay Single Malt to sample.
For the price – I wasn’t disappointed.
The nose was a pleasing mixture of Islay peat & muted caramelised vanilla notes.
For this category & price point, my assumed position is that caramel is added. You only need to look at some of the promotional photos of the different malts showing identical shades of golden brown for confirmation.
The taste was a bit of a non event. Soft, sweet, slightly watery & muted no doubt by that caramel – but after swirling it around in the mouth for a while, a rich peaty smoke surfaced into a pleasingly warming burn on swallowing which proceeded to develop a lovely long afterglow.
A very inoffensive easy sipping entry level malt whisky at an affordable price with just enough character to make it interesting.
I’m not sure which markets it will surface in the pan-european Aldi store area – but it will certainly fly off the shelves. It makes a decent everyday single malt for the drinks cabinet.
For good measure I compared it to another store brand offering. This time from the Co-operative Group.
Co-op Pure Malt c/othewhiskeynut
The 8 Year Old Pure Malt is a blend of,
‘carefully selected choice malt whiskies from the Highlands Islands and Lowlands of Scotland.’
so says the label.
The same label doesn’t say caramel is added – but it has that same cloying mouthfeel which dulls any freshness or sharpness in the flavours on tasting. There was a little smoke – but not enough to rise above the morass of caramel & vanilla smoothness.
A rather muted dram in comparison to the smoky punch of Islay peat.
I happened to be in Scotland over the Bank Holiday weekend & used the opportunity to visit a whisky distillery.
Kingsbarns Distillery is the dream of local lad Douglas Clement who was frequently asked during his golfing caddie days if there was a local whisky distillery to visit.
At the time Fife – despite being the spiritual home of golf as represented by the St Andrew’s Links Course – as well as the spiritual home of Scotch whisky – well, at least the earliest written record as represented by the ‘8 bolls of malt‘ ordered in 1494 from nearby Lindores Abbey – had no whisky distilleries.
Well at least no sexy & sleek single malt distilleries.
Cameronbridge Distillery c/othewhiskeynut
Because in Cameronbridge Distillery – which happens to be the largest in Europe – I would argue Fife has the spiritual home of blended whisky.
Originally founded in 1824 as the Haig Distillery, it used the newfangled invention called the continuous still – as designed by Stein & later improved upon by Irishman Coffey – to produce gazillions of gallons of grain whisky. This heralded in the rise of blended whisky which underpins & fuels the wealth of the whisky industry today.
Cameronbridge still produces gazillions of gallons of grain whisky to this day, but like most giant grain distilleries with their industrial style of production, it is out of bounds for whisky tourists.
Kingsbarns Distillery is definitely not out of bounds.
It’s whole premise in fact could be interpreted as a visitors attraction that happens to produce whisky.
It’s early days for that whisky yet however.
The 1st cask c/othewhiskeynut
Only opened in November 2014 with the first barrel of new make being filled & registered in March 2015 – it can only legally be called whisky in March 2018.
In the meantime there is a lovely delightful Spirit Drink to sample as part of the very informative & enjoyable tour.
B-raw spirit indeed! c/othewhiskeynut
Bottled at 63.5% this fresh, bright & clear raw whisky certainly exploded in my mouth with the high alcohol content. Yet it retained some subtle soft sweet barley notes which hinted at good things to come. Adding a drop of water only diluted the overall experience and I preferred the raw energy of the full strength offering.
All the barley used is grown locally with the water being sourced in an aquifer deep underground below the sandstone rock underneath the distillery itself.
Wemyss Malts – a long established & respected family of independent whisky bottlers & blenders also hailing from Fife – or should that be fae Fife? – are also behind the distillery. An eclectic array of their blended malts and single cask expressions are on display in the visitors entrance area.
Talking about Fay Fife – here she is singing her classic hit Top Of The Pops!
As part of the tour I sampled the Kiln Embers blended malt at 46%. A pretty little sweet smoke of a whisky.
Kiln Embers c/othewhiskeynut
I also bought a couple of age statement Peat Chimney miniatures – airport restriction friendly – for later enjoyment back in Ireland.
A pair of peat c/othewhiskeynut
The Kingsbarns Single Malt however – when it is fully matured – will be a softer, fruity & floral bourbon cask aged single malt. Fife after all has no peat banks but is awash with lush fields of barley & fecund banks of wild flowers & shrubs which attract a rich bio-diversity of wildlife.
Used Bourbon Cask waiting filling c/othewhiskeynut
Even while sitting outside the well presented cafe – enjoying some locally sourced & produced fare – I was gently serenaded by Skylarks singing high in the sky above me accompanied by Pheasants rooting around in the hedgerows below.
As a visitors attraction Kingsbarns excels.
The long drive into the historic & carefully restored building from the main A917 road well serviced by the St Andrews to Leven 95 bus route. Views of the verdant countryside with the blue sea glimmering closeby. Friendly attentive uniformed staff both in the well appointed cafe & distillery. A highly informative tour that encompassed the history, geology, sights, sounds & smells of both Fife – as well as the process of whisky making itself.
Aromatic display c/othewhiskeynut
I even surprised myself by correctly identifying a few of the interactive ‘aromatic world’ samples!
Along with some beautiful whisky.
What’s not to like?
Fife is also fast becoming a whisky tourist destination in it’s own right with up to 6 whisky distilleries either currently up and running as in Cameronbridge, Kingsbarns, Daftmill & Eden Mill – or yet to be completed as in Lindores Distillery & Inchdairnie.
If this whisky was branded with an own label supermarket store logo at an attractive price I’d have been happy.
The nose was suitably soft – a slight hint of smoke being the only noticeable element.
The taste had that cloying caramel feel – common among entry level expressions – but was relatively inoffensive & pleasant.
Whilst the finish gave a soft warming kick that lasted a decent amount of time.
Overall – no real surprises here – a perfectly ordinary everyday whisky.
But this is no own label.
Shacklton Whisky backstory c/othewhiskeynut
It’s attractively packaged & presented with the wonderfully adventurous back story of Shackleton & his Antarctic exploits. The tale of how his bunch of hardy men brought Mackinlay’s Old Highland Malt with them to fortify their spirits against the freezing temperatures & biting gales. About how some of the bottles were left behind in the abandoned hut for over 100 years in the permafrost only to be rediscovered, re-engineered & recreated by the brand owners Whyte & Mackay today in this current bottling.
All fabulous stuff.
It’s just a pity the actual whisky inside the bottle doesn’t quite match up to the heroic struggles those early explorers faced on the ice-fields.
An earlier recreation of those bottles certainly had character & robustness that made you feel by drinking it you were somehow part of Shackleton’s crew. Bottled at 47.5% the 2nd edition was presented in an elaborate package including maps & photographs of the 1907 expedition and even a retro designed bottle to match the original. Now that was a whisky to sink your teeth into.
It’s no better – or worse – than an own label brand & I was expecting something – well – more.
My only consolation is that a donation from every bottle sold goes towards the Antarctic Heritage Trust to preserve Shackleton’s Hut & encourage further exploration and adventure.
For those that would like to know more about Irish born Ernest Shackleton & his adventures, I’d recommend the Athy Heritage Centre – Museum. Located only a few miles from Shackleton’s birthplace in Kilkea House, Kildare, the museum houses the only permanent exhibition to Shackleton & shows many original artefacts, photos, cine & even an empty bottle of the recreated whisky found at the 1907 hut in the Antarctic.
In a break from my normal posts, this blog has come about through a transatlantic alliance of the shared love of whiskey in both Ireland and America. I hand you over to the Whisk(e)ySmiths.
Welcome to the Whisk(e)y Warrior Award!
My name is Zac Smith and my wife LeAnne and I created the Whisk(e)y Warrior Award (WWA) to help make the whiskey community even tighter and more close knit. So many of you are making wonderful contributions to the world of whiskey and not asking for anything in return. We want to deliver a big thank you from all of us in the whiskey community.
On the first of every month, someone is awarded the prodigious title of Whisk(e)y Warrior. A question and answer interview is conducted with the valiant warrior, and then distributed to the world in a special Whisk(e)y Warrior Release.
What’s a Whisk(e)y Warrior?
A Whisk(e)y Warrior is someone who is passionate about whiskey. They devote their evenings and weekends to being active in the whiskey community. They’re the first person you think of when you hear “whiskey enthusiast.” They’re also the first one you turn to when you need recommendations, reviews, or have questions.
Would you like to say thank you to the Whisk(e)y Warriors in your life? Then click this link, Whisk(e)y Warrior Award, and nominate them! Further instructions and details are on the nomination page. Thank you for helping your whiskey community come closer together.
And now, we proudly present your Whisk(e)y Warrior.
She produces a nonstop supply of whiskey-food creations that will shatter your concept of delicious with a five-finger sucker punch of flavor. She’s a hardworking cohost of The Bourbon Daily podcast five days a week. She might barely break five feet tall, but she’s breaking stereotypes of what women can do and be. She is…
Chrissy Martin, Whisk(e)y Warrior!
Interview
Zac: Chrissy congratulations on winning the Whisk(e)y Warrior Award. You’re the first woman to win this title and that’s awesome! LeAnne and I hope, as this award continues, that there’ll be a long list of women Whisk(e)y Warriors. Before we get into all the whiskey specific questions, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Chrissy: I am a very proud Jersey girl currently living in Kansas. It’s kind of crazy to say still to this day. Never once did I think I’d grow up and be like, “I’m going to go live in Kansas!” But you know, I’m very proud of where I come from. I grew up in an Italian family. It’s very important to me the values of family and how food and drink revolves around our everyday life. And so that’s the core of what I am. My family and food. That’s the gist of it. I like to cook. I like to feed people. I will bring you into the home and let you drink some bourbon, and probably fill you up with some bread and pasta and whatever else I can.
Zac: Ok that brings a question to mind. In a typical Italian family, wine is very important. So at what point did Bourbon enter the scene?
Chrissy: Bourbon didn’t enter the scene for me [until later], because like everything revolved around a lot of wine, from what I remember as a kid. I remember some Bourbon, but growing up on the East coast in an Italian family, it was very much more wine heavy. So for me not until my twenties. I would go out and have drinks and stuff. And the bar tenders that I knew would be like, “Make it pink, make it sweet, and they’ll drink it.” And I couldn’t. I hated it. I hated the way I felt afterwards and I wanted something that just by itself tasted pretty good. And so my husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, introduced me to Makers. That was it from that point on. It was all Bourbon all the time and nothing else.
Zac: So at what point did you decide you wanted to be more than just a passive whiskey drinker? What motivated you to launch your website and become a whiskey sommelier?
Chrissy: You know it probably started about four and a half years ago. Especially with my husband’s job we’ve moved around so much. And for me I wanted something, that whether it was a passion project or whatever it could turn out to be, I wanted something that I could take with me and actually have a little piece everywhere I went. That’s really what started it. Because I wanted something of my own. Of course along the way I started collecting Bourbon and I was going a little bit more hard core into Bourbon events. I would travel to Kentucky all the time and go to Bourbon festivals, Bourbon dinners, meet with the master distillers and from that point I just got hooked. How welcoming the community itself was and that right there blossomed everything. And I was like, “What more can I do with this?” Then I found the whiskey school and tons of opportunities come from there.
Zac: I have to say, what you are doing with food and Bourbon is phenomenal. If people want to know about food and Bourbon, then you are the resource to go to.
Chrissy: Aw thank you. It’s one of those things I get a lot of mixed reviews about it. Especially when I first started people thought I was absolutely nuts. A lot of questions were like, “Are you really going to take a bottle of Pappy’s twenty-three and cook with it?” Yeah, one hundred percent! As long as it works with whatever recipe I’m going with. It’s just like if you were to cook with wine. That’s what I learned from growing up with my Gram. You cook with what you drink and you don’t vary from that. If you want to cook Chicken Marsala, then you go and buy Marsala wine. It’s just as simple as that. People just think about the fact that the alcohol is going to cook out, and not remembering or thinking about the flavor that it has a chance to leave behind.
Zac: Speaking of your Gram, do you have a specific memory that you cherish from being with your grandmother?
Chrissy: Gosh, there’s so many. The one that I remember [is that] we would sing together a lot. She would have me use the back porch and that was my stage. I would sing On the Good Ship Lollipop and that is one that I remember. I had to have been about two or three years old so that’s one of my earliest memories. It’s one of my favorites.
Zac: Do you remember how old you were the first time you cooked a full dinner by yourself?
Chrissy: I would say I was probably about nine years old.
Zac: Wow that’s awesome.
Chrissy: My other two sisters didn’t get as much as what I got with Gram, [but] that’s because I wanted to be in the kitchen with her. We would watch Julia Child together and would mimic her. You’d have an old crooner in the background because we’d listen to Rosemary Clooney and Frank Sinatra. So like, when I am in the kitchen and I’m creating a recipe for the blog or if I’ve got people coming over, that’s the kind of stuff I put on to get myself in the right mindset. The sounds and the smells are all connected to your memory and it’s just the best feeling to bring those all back.
Zac: Thanks for sharing those personal memories with us. Now looking to the future, what are some things you hope to accomplish in regard to whiskey?
Chrissy: I’m loving to see how involved women are becoming more and more in the whiskey and Bourbon business. So for me, I hope that I can help. My goal is to continue doing what I’m doing – cooking, working with The Bourbon Daily, and writing – but also to help open doors so that it’s ok for females to come in and feel ok about being serious about whiskey. It’s not just a guy’s drink anymore.
Zac: I agree and I hope you get to help open those doors. What’s the biggest thing you’d like to see change in the whiskey industry?
Chrissy: I would love to see more women master distillers and more women coming forward and changing the game. I love seeing how more and more men are becoming more accepting. There’s much more acceptance for women now than there ever has been and I love it. I love seeing it and I would love to continue to see more of that.
Zac: I’d love to see more of that too. This probably doesn’t need asked but, are you Team Scotch or Team Bourbon?
Chrissy: Team Bourbon.
Zac: I figured. So what’s something you appreciate about Team Scotch?
Chrissy: I really appreciate the nuances of Scotch. The depth of which Scotch has, you know kind of like Bourbon.
Zac: Very good. So where can we find you and your content?
Zac: Chrissy, from everyone in the whiskey community, thank you for all the contributions you’ve made! We eagerly look forward to seeing what the future holds for you and we hope you continue to open doors for women in whiskey.
End of interview
We’d like to give a HUGE thank you to the Whiskey Nut for running the Whisk(e)y Warrior Award this month. If you enjoyed the interview and would like to see more, please let the Whiskey Nut know!
The next award will be released July 1st. We’ll see you then, and remember to nominate your favorite Whisk(e)y Warriors by clicking here!
It’s always wise to visibly scan the whiskey shelves of any bar you go into to see what they actually have in stock – even if you are familiar with the premises.
I’d not been in the Tullamore Court Hotel for a few months and was very pleasantly surprised by the improved array of fine whiskey before me.
Not only was there a veritable wall of Tullamore DEW expressions lining the front bar, which befits the hotel only being a mere mile away from the new Tullamore Distillery – but also plenty of The Balvenie, Glenfiddich, Monkey Shoulder & Grant’s bottles all from the William Grant & Sons – owners of the distillery – portfolio.
How about a tasty trio of Tullamore DEW to test your tastebuds?
Tempted? c/othewhiskeynut
Clearly the hotel is a popular watering hole & welcome bed for the night to many overseas staff and visitors to the Tullamore Distillery.
Meanwhile the side bar had also broadened to showcase the large selection of Irish whiskeys currently available on the market today.
What are you having yerself? c/othewhiskeynut
The trio that caught my eyes however were the very distinctive & attractively packaged Method and Madness range recently released by Irish Distillers to much acclaim.
Comprising of a single grain, single malt and a single pot still – these whiskeys have pushed the envelope in terms of style, cask selection & innovation for Irish whiskey.
This happened to be my 1st encounter with them – so I started at the beginning with the single grain release.
A stunning whiskey c/othewhiskeynut
Presented at 46%, matured in ex-bourbon casks & finished in charred virgin oak, the nose immediately captivated me with warm rich vanilla notes associated with the bourbon casks but heightened with added depth from the virgin oak.
This followed through into a warm smooth snug of flavours in the mouth – very reminiscent of a good bourbon – which is hardly surprising as it is made from a high corn mash with some charred virgin oak cask maturation – albeit Spanish oak. There was a slight delay to savour these beautiful notes before a lovely warming, slightly spicy finish coated the palate and enveloped it like a cosy fireside hug.
Sumptuously gorgeous!
There is no madness to this whiskey – it’s simply pushing the method of distilling & maturing the spirit to a higher level.
And in the words of Mr Belt & Wezol – I’m happy for Irish Distillers to Take Me Higher.
The single grain category bar has just been raised!
Writing a blog about the future of Irish Whiskey with a headline photo of a trio of Scottish Single Malts released by the supermarket chain Lidl may seem a little askew – but it highlights an issue pertinent to the current Irish Whiskey industry.
Imagine I’m a supermarket chain of similar standing.
I want some Irish Whiskey.
Perhaps a single pot still, a single malt & a single grain to show off what Ireland has to offer.
I have the branding ready to go.
I have the bottling plant primed.
I have the customers.
Can Irish Whiskey deliver – like yesterday – to capitalise on the Scottish release?
” Slane Castle has survived on Rock ‘n’ Roll and the inspiration for Slane Irish Whiskey came from the first rock concert we staged back in 1981 with Thin Lizzy.
Phil Lynott’s lyric – Whiskey In The Jar – struck me back then and a dream was born.
Throughout the thick and thin of the intervening years Phil’s song stayed with me, nourishing that dream.
Tonight I’m proud to say that dream has become a reality.
Slane Irish Whiskey is definitely in the jar!
Enjoy the music!
Enjoy the craic!
Enjoy Slane Irish Whiskey!”
And with that – Henry & Alex Conyngham released Slane Irish Whiskey – as well as announcing their distillery – to the accompaniment of local rock band Otherkin -who happen to be supporting Guns N Roses next week at the very same Slane Castle.
Rock On!
I must say – as whiskey launches go – this was pretty damn cool!
Otherkin pumping out their own tunes, along with selected classics from bands that have played Slane over the years.
Otherkin in action c/othewhiskeynut
Slane Irish Whiskey flowing either neat – in my case – or with fashionable cocktail suggestions.
Neat, no ice! c/othewhiskeynut
And delightfully tasty tit-bits of food served up by the trusty Eastside Tavern crew where the launch was held.
Eastside Tavern c/othewhiskeynut
An eclectic gathering of people came to witness this event including Phil Lynott’s mum Philomena fresh from unveiling a refurbished statue to her famous son & all enjoying the the bright sunny Dublin evening that was in it.
But what about the whiskey?
Well it’s obviously not from Slane Distillery itself – which is due to open it’s doors to the public in August.
Slane Irish Whiskey is a sourced blend of quality malt & grain spirits blended and matured together in 3 different types of casks under the watchful eye of Brown-Forman master distillers Chris Morris and Steve Hughes.
Like Otherkin – this is a young, fresh & gutsy whiskey that grabs your attention.
The soft smooth nose captures elements of both the virgin oak and oloroso casks used in a sweet sherry bouquet. There is a bit of depth to the taste with some wood notes & a welcome soft spice from the seasoned American casks too. This all develops into a friendly warmth that gently fades away.
Lovely.
This raises Slane Irish Whiskey up a notch or 2 in my book as the spirit exudes a bit more punch & flavour than standard blends. It would perform very well alongside Jameson’s Crested, Bushmills Black Bush as well as Diageo’s Roe & Co if you’re familiar with these brands.
Slane -Rock On! c/othewhiskeynut
The bottle is also attractively designed in muscular black with contrasting white & red labeling together with the raised Slane motif on the sides.
If this is a sign of things to come from Slane Distillery I can’t wait for their own offerings of single malts & single pot stills from their 3 copper stills in the years to follow.
Slane Irish Whiskey and Slane Castle Distillery – to borrow a line from Queen who also played Slane.
The One is a blend using whisky from the 4 corners of Great Britain – as it exists at present – Scotland, England, Northern Ireland & Wales.
More of a British blend.
The standard expression – bottled at 40% as they all are – is aged in bourbon casks and delivers a perfectly fine tasting experience for a decent well rounded blended whisky.
The sherry finish adds a delicate sweetness to the mix.
Whilst the port finish delivers added body, depth & colour to my palate – as well as a more satisfying heavy mouthfeel.
The Lakes Distillery near Keswick in Cumbia have yet to release their own distillate – but I look forward to the day they do.
