There’s a bright new shiny brand of Irish Whiskey from Limerick creating a few waves.
Using artwork designed by a local illustrator Foxes Bow strikes a bold, fresh & contemporary pose – and that’s only the bottle label!
So what of the liquid?
Positively sparkles on my palate!
A light, clean & fresh nose offers up hints of peppery spice.
Smooth mouth coating palate.
Dries out towards the finish but leaves a fruity juiciness gently fading away too.
The bourbon cask maturation with Oloroso & Rye barrel finishing has created a highly entertaining blend with an engaging array of flavours to tease out.
Very enjoyable!
Sláinte
All images courtesy Foxes Bow website & social media.
They’re a great way to sample a selection of whiskeys & hone down your tasting preferences.
This Dublin Liberties Distillery box has been lying round my house for a while – so long in fact the label design on The Dubliner still boasts the old – & rather outdated I must say – frontage!
So how do they stack up?
The Dubliner, Blend, 40%
A bourbon casked NAS – non age statement – blended Irish Whiskey.
Soft vanilla & caramel on the nose, pleasant easy palate, a flourish of sweet grain & richer maltiness on the finish.
There’s a noticeable tannic spiciness which just works on my palate & the connections, connotations & playful attractiveness of the name is very engaging.
Suits me!
The Dead Rabbit, Blend, 44%
A great collaboration with the Dead Rabbit bar in New York.
At 44% & using first fill American Oak finishing Dead Rabbit is just – richer!
The vanilla aromas are boosted, a heavier mouthfeel leads into a lip smacking almost succulent finish.
Nice!
Thoughts
The Dublin Liberties Distillery are a dynamic operation.
Not afraid to rework their offerings, engage in collaborations & rebrand when required. They’ve also released an innovative beer cask range & are involved in head distiller Darryl McNally’s Limavady Single Cask outing.
Yet to release their own distillate – this entertaining trio displays careful cask choices & clever blending & maturation regimes to bring about a diversity of flavours.
The Dubliner’s new packaging is a winner for me – but it’s a close call between the richness of Dead Rabbit & clean simplicity of Oak Devil for tasting enjoyment.
It boils down to personal choice, memories, connections & joie-de-vivre.
Conversion of the Old Mill – situated in the heart of the pretty village – into a modern Irish Whiskey Distillery & Visitors Centre is ongoing.
The new café is already welcoming customers & offers branded gifts alongside light refreshments.
For the harder stuff – a visit to one of the local hostelries is suggested. Nearby Katie Daly’s Bar was open the day I visited.
In advance of their own whiskey being produced Ahascragh Distillery have released a trio of sourced spirits – Xin Gin, Clan Colla 11yo Blend & Clan Colla 19yo Single Malt.
Clan Colla 11 Year Old Blend
A lovely rich, warm glow of dark vanilla & deep inviting leather notes signifies to my tastes a classic ex-bourbon cask matured whiskey.
Hints of juiciness & stone fruit succulence on the palate.
The finish gradually dries out & I was left with an attractive bite giving added character & flair to this very attractive blend.
Clan Colla 19 Year Old Single Malt, 46%
Like slipping down into the warm embrace & comforting hug of a generously padded old leather armchair!
The bourbon cask has worked it’s charms on this silky smooth yet wholesome & juicy malt.
Delightful.
Thoughts
A stupendous & stunning duo to launch the McAllister family’s adventure into the whiskey business.
For my palate the 11yo offered that extra oomph with being finished in peated casks additional to the oloroso featured across both whiskey.
I didn’t detect any smokiness but that dryness & attractive frisson of bite on the finish won me over.
The publicity is slick, contemporary, very active on social media & appears to target a demographic & culture of bling that wouldn’t include myself.
That’s Jatt Life.
Jatt Life info
There’s little information on the bottle – but tasting & enjoying the contents is my motivation.
That’s Jatt Life.
A lovely rich nose redolent of succulent dark fruits complemented by hints of woody oak.
The mouthfeel is deep & luxurious.
More woody spice comes through leaving a dry tingling on the long finish.
That’s Jatt Life.
Often virgin oak maturation can be quite aggressive – but additional finishing with sherry oak has introduced a wonderful luscious rich fruity interplay.
That’s Jatt Life.
Enjoying Jatt Life
A very engaging & characterful blend.
Congratulations to Jatt Life – expanding the Irish Whiskey category.
While Kilbeggan Black explores the softer side of smoke, this latest incarnation of Titanic Whiskey is a bolder offering.
Titanic Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut
More pronounced smoke infused with a sweet juiciness from the sherry casks greets the nose.
Quite a clean, fresh & clear grainy palate.
Gorgeously drying spicy finish leaves with an entertaining tingling gently sailing away.
A fabulous addition to the growing peated Irish fleet.
The original Titanic Whiskey was a honeyed blend sourced from Cooley Distillery – there’s still a few bottles around – for Belfast lottery winner Peter Lavery.
Peter Lavery c/o belfastmediagroup.com
The brand was doing well before John Teeling sold to Beam in 2011 – who promptly turned off the taps to 3rd parties.
Little did Beam know this would precipitate the biggest whiskey distillery building spree witnessed in Ireland for generations!
From Slane Distillery in Co Meath, Great Northern Distillery in Co Louth & Teeling Distillery in Dublin.
McConnells of Belfast c/othewhiskeynut
Peter Lavery attempted a distillery in Crumlin Gaol – now in new hands as McConnell’s Whisky – & has secured planning for a distillery at Titanic Docks itself!
Today’s Titanic Whiskey is sourced from GND & it’s a lovely little blend.
Titanic info c/othewhiskeynut
Who knows – in a few years time there could be a Belfast made whiskey again emanating from the same docks the Titanic ship hailed from.
For a long time Irish Whiskey was defined more by what it couldn’t be rather than by what it could.
Truths About Whiskey 1878 c/othewhiskeynut
When the whisky market was clearly shifting to blended whisky in the late 1800’s, Messrs J Jameson, W Jameson, J Power & G Roe brought out the ‘Truths About Whisky’ pamphlet which railed against this new confounded ‘silent spirit’ & thereby shunned the opportunities available.
Proper Twelve c/othewhiskeynut
Celebrity endorsed brands are making big waves across the globe right now – yet within the Irish Whiskey community there is almost universal rejection of Conor McGregor’s Proper Twelve Whiskey – despite it leaping to become the 4th most popular Irish Whiskey in the world.
Sods of turf drying in the sun. c/othewhiskeynut
Many also adhere to the myth that Irish Whiskey can’t be peated.
Which is a pity.
Peated whiskey displays a gorgeous smoky flavour which many customers seek out – customers like myself.
Peated Kilbeggan c/othewhiskeynut
So when Kilbeggan Distillery recently added the Kilbeggan Black Lightly Peated Irish Whiskey to their range – I couldn’t wait to try it out.
Label info c/othewhiskeynut
The double distilled blend of malt & grain whiskey from Cooley Distillery in County Louth is presented in a no nonsense screwcap bottle at 40% ABV with added colouring.
It’s clearly positioned at the mass market peated blend category previously dominated by Scorch – and I fully welcome Irish Whiskey’s entry into this arena.
Delicately smoky c/othewhiskeynut
A subtle kiss of smoke rises from the honeyed blend.
Soft & easy palate.
Gently drying smokiness envelops the finish in a warm tingly embrace.
Now that the pubs are slowly opening after a long COVID shutdown – it’ll be great to reach for a lightly peated Irish Whiskey.
Devoid of any prior knowledge my brief assessment of this ‘Complex Blend’ was as follows;
Complex Blend c/othewhiskeynut
Neutral on the nose, soft & subtle.
Not giving much away on the palate, mellow easy drinking.
Nice flavours on the finish, intriguing.
I was surprised to find out it was Two Stacks, The First Cut. Mainly as I’d heard the blend contained a peated element – which I’d failed to detect.
My second encounter with Two Stacks was from an actual bottle.
On the back label is the blending mix & yes – peat does feature, but at only 2% – it clearly wasn’t enough to grab my palate.
Back label info c/othewhiskeynut
Having all the information & a longer time to engage with the whiskey did slightly alter the experience.
A mere hint of smoke just pushed through on the nose – although the mild mellow softness still dominated.
The finish left me with a dry tingling – often a reaction I get from peated whiskey. At only 2% however it was a gentle suggestion & I’d probably be happier with a 20% hit.
Two Stacks in a Tuath c/othewhiskeynut
Interestingly another drinker had a heightened reaction against the peat – even at such a low concentration it was still overpowering.
Others I know detect sulphur from sherry casks in small amounts too.
My palate seems to be the opposite in that I need bigger percentages & bolder flavours to grab my attention.
As it is, The First Cut is a well put together blend.
Nice easy drinking – & while the peated element does add some character – it’s just not enough to excite my palate.
Copeland Distillery are one of a growing collection of new Irish Whiskey Distilleries making inroads to market.
Copeland Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut
Despite having laid down their own stocks – they have yet to mature – Copeland have taken the route of releasing a sourced blend to build awareness of the brand, gain valuable practice & knowledge regarding marketing, packaging, blending as well as cultivating relationships.
I think it’s a commendable exercise – especially when I get the opportunity to try out a sample bottle!
Story time c/othewhiskeynut
The presentation is very attractive.
The story plays up the rich maritime history of Copeland Distillery’s home town of Donaghadee in Northern Ireland – which I’m immediately drawn to having been a seafarer in the past.
But it all comes down to the liquid – so a sample was poured.
Copeland in a Tuath c/othewhiskeynut
The nose is rich & inviting. A satisfying display of depth coupled with an attractive bite & hints of wood.
Silky & smooth on the palate. Waves of flavour ebb & flow on a gentle tide.
A delightful spiciness opens up on the finish with succulent fruit juiciness fading to a dry tingling.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 