A Posse of Poitín, Hackler, 40%, Straw Boys, 46% & The Big Field, 47%

Poitín Now is happening on 20th November 2022.

Image courtesy Poitín Now

I thought a ‘warm up’ tasting of this posse of poitín before the inaugural Dublin based event would ease me in.

Hackler, 40%

I knew nothing about Hackler before purchasing this sample from Tiny Tipple. Turns out it was a late 1990’s launch by Diageo – distilled by Cooley – to build the Poitín market. On failing to meet ‘targets’ it was unceremonially dropped.

A rather shy nose, sweet & sour. Easy on the palate. A sweet warming spice on the finish.

A very pleasant easily quaffable poitín – if a tad too artificially sweet for my liking. Smacks as a bit of a crowd pleaser – not sure why it didn’t catch on?

Image courtesy Celtic Whiskey Shop

Straw Boys, 46%

Connacht Distillery’s venture into Poitín is presented in a very attractive bottle.

Richly pungent, offering that sour new make nose I associate with poitín. Gently oily palate. Noticeable bite on the finish, leaves with a strong tingling sensation.

A classic poitín drinking experience.

Image courtesy Celtic Whiskey Shop

The Big Field, 46%

Distilled using barley grown on Tipperary Distillery’s own ‘big field’ using a 50/50 mix of malted/unmalted barley it’s taken me a little while to sample this one.

A softly muted nose. Wonderfully oily palate. The finish bites with a healthy dose of spiciness.

Highly entertaining!

Thoughts

An extremely varied tasting experience from this trio!

Can’t help thinking Hackler is a toned down poitín to appeal to the masses. Certainly makes for a very easy drinker. Pity it never caught on. Perhaps Diageo were ahead of the curve?

Both Straw Boys & Big Field are a bit more challenging yet offer- to me at least – a grounded authenticity.

With the former you have malted barley alone – while the later has that malted/unmalted mix giving added spice & an enhanced appeal.

It’s hard to pick one out from this diverse & very well delivered variety of poitín styles – but for me Straw Boys does it!

Sláinte

Poitín Now event site here.

Diageo drops Hackler news report here.

Connacht Distillery website here.

Tipperary Boutique Distillery here.

Advertisement

Method And Madness, Rye & Malt, 46%

After falling in love with Shortcross Rye And Malt I thought I’d order up a sample of Method And Madness Rye & Malt from Tiny Tipple for a comparison.

Image courtesy Celtic Whiskey Shop

Reassuringly pale in colour.

Where’s the rye on the nose? It’s rather timid & tame.

Mild & malty mouthfeel.

It’s only on the finish a rich peppery spice develops showcasing the rye that’s in there.

After Shortcross I must admit to finding Method And Madness a bit of a letdown.

Despite a 60/40 rye/barley mix there was a distinct lack of warmth from this whiskey.

Too much of the method & not enough madness for me.

Sláinte

Method And Madness Rye & Malt website here.

My Shortcross blog here.

Tiny Tipple website here.

Shortcross Rye And Malt, 46%, at Thomas Connolly Bar, Sligo

Now here’s a whiskey I instantly fell in love with!

Shortcross Rye And Malt is the 2nd release from the boutique Rademon Estate Distillery in Northern Ireland.

It marks the return of rye to Irish Whiskey with a bold & unapologetic offering.

The 1909 Royal Commission into whiskey – which paved the way for the modern industry we know today – mentions Irish Whiskey usually being made with a mixed mashbill of barley, oats, wheat & rye.

I’m very pleased to see distilleries like Rademon exploring the rich flavours these grains deliver.

Being a self confessed lover of rye – Shortcross Rye And Malt displays that classic rye nose to draw me in.

Some describe it as dry sweet biscuit, my other half experienced almondy nuttiness.

A warming luscious mouthfeel.

The dryness of the rye has been balanced by a barley creaminess.

Offering both depth & complexity Rye And Malt finishes with a flourish of dry peppery spice that delights.

Love it!

Shortcross double distill Irish grown rye & barley & present the whiskey non chill filtered, natural colour at 46%.

Thomas Connolly have an extensive array of Irish Whiskey to suit all palates – especially rye heads!

Sláinte

Rademon Estate website here.

1909 Commission Report here.

Thomas Connolly website here.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier, Märzen, 5.1%

I’m smitten with Märzen.

Smoky heaven c/othewhiskeynut

The smoky BBQ flavours just win me over.

Using barley dried over a beechwood log fire – the richness, depth & above all – smokiness – of this traditional German style screams out YES to my palate.

Smokebeer! c/othewhiskeynut

I’ve moved over to the Rauchbier side!

Prost!

Killowen Poitín, 48%

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.

My kinda poitín!

Sláinte

Micil Irish Poitín, Heritage Edition, 46%

Every now and then there’s a release that just blows away the old myths.

One of the hackneyed stereotypical tropes used is that Irish Whiskey isn’t peated – or as I’m in Ireland – turfed.

Any cursory study of past recipes clearly shows it was – as the collective who collaborated to produce this Heritage Poitín found – and thankfully it now is.

Micil distillery Instagram Post

Micil Heritage Poitín is the first spirit to use Irish turf to smoke Irish Barley  & Irish Oats in a long time.

This is a game changer.

Drinking Poitín at the Distillery c/othewhiskeynut

The other myth is that to be a good whiskey it must be aged – preferably for a long time.

Well – after tasting this fabulous poitín – age is only a number.

This is the original uisce beatha – the water of life – that started the whole whiskey craze.

Micil’s back label c/othewhiskeynut

It’s pure, it’s clear and it’s a delight to drink.

The final myth is that barley is the be all and end all of whiskey.

Again – no relevance to the actual recipes of the past that traditionally used a mixed mash bill of barley – both malted & unmalted – wheat, rye and oats.

The oats in Micil Heritage Poitín give it a gorgeous creaminess with a depth of body & generous legs.

The turf smoke is like the warm hug of a winters fire sharing the craic with friends & family.

Micil Heritage Poitín is stepping back in time to go forward.

I raise a glass to all involved.

To the return of Irish turf!

Sláinte

 

 

Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye, 43%

I got fierce excited at last years Whiskey Live Dublin over the opportunity to sample an Irish rye whiskey that was still maturing in Kilbeggan Distillery.

The bottle was filled straight from the cask at over 60% ABV & presented non chill filtered without added caramel.

When will this stunner be released? c/othewhiskeynut

It was powerful – yet the mashbill of malted & unmalted barley together with a high rye content displayed that wonderful peppery rye spiciness with a smooth & creamy barley influence.

Almost a year on the production bottle has been released in time for Whiskey Live Dublin 2018 – as well as picking up a Gold Medal at the recently held Irish Whiskey Awards.

As a self confessed rye fan I picked up a bottle in the distillery on my return from the highly enjoyable awards evening at Slane Castle.

Small Batch Rye calling card c/othewhiskeynut

Now the bottle design is rather muted & understated. There are some lovely tasting notes on the back label – an unexplained handshake logo on the neck – and a nod to the historical inclusion of rye in Irish whiskey making from times past.

The back label c/othewhiskeynut

I fully welcome the return of rye to the modern Irish whiskey scene.

On the nose it’s very soft, slightly sweet with just a hint of peppery spice that signifies the rye content.

The palate is also very silky & smooth. The barley content dominates the initial experience before that black pepper spiciness – which I love – kicks in to leave a wonderfully drying mouthfeel at the end which slowly fades away.

At 43% & with added caramel – which is found throughout the Kilbeggan range of whiskeys – I couldn’t help feeling some of the spark & vitality of that original cask sample had been lost a little in this more tame offering.

I just had to compare it with the Arbikie Highland Rye released late 2017 in Scotland.

Ireland v Scotland Rye test c/othewhiskeynut

Now this is also a barley/rye mix – but there’s no unmalted barley – and the rye content is higher at 52%. It’s also younger at only 2 years old & has no added caramel or chill filtering. It’s bottled at 46%.

There is more pronounced rye on the nose.

The smoothness & creaminess of the barley belies it’s young age before a joyfully massively drying peppery spice explodes on the palate leaving a fabulously prickly finish.

I’m afraid to say – when it comes to rye – Scotland do it better.

12 Acres Single Malt Lager, 4.2%

Now we all know what the term Single Malt means when it comes to whiskey – don’t we?

The Scottish Whisky Association rules of 2009 define it as;

2.3 Single Malt Scotch Whisky means a Scotch Whisky produced from only water and malted barley at a single distillery by batch distillation in pot stills.

Single Malt Lager c/othewhiskeynut

So what does it mean when it comes to beer?

Well – it isn’t defined – but 12 Acres Brewing Co. in Laois have come up with their own interpretation.

A lager brewed with 100% malted barley grown on one farm. Namely their own.

So what does it taste like?

Ground to glass lager c/othewhiskeynut

Well I must confess to not being a big lager fan – too much mass produced tasteless uniformity for my liking – but 12 Acres are offering something a bit bolder.

It’s heavier, maltier and more fuller bodied than what I expected.

The earthy notes of County Laois can be experienced with every drop.

Not one to be thrown down the hatch on a session – rather one to sip & savour on a warm summer’s evening – of which we’ve had a few lately.

A worthy addition to the craft beer canon.

Sláinte.

 

Arbikie Highland Rye, 2 Year Old, 48%

Scotland 1     :     Ireland 0

At least that’s the situation when it comes to the race for rye.

Despite Kilbeggan sitting on a wonderful 6 year old pot still rye – as tasted at Whiskey Live Dublin here – Arbikie have released a 2 year old Highland Rye.

Being relative newcomers – Arbikie are not bound by ‘tradition’, ‘custom’ or ‘expectation’. This Highland Rye exists outside of the box that is Scottish Whisky Regulations – time for a musical interlude!

As such there is no mention of ‘whisky’ on the label.

Yet rye has always been an integral part of the whisky scene both in Scotland – as well as Ireland – and what Arbikie have done is simply to re-interpret a ‘tradition’ that has been neglected for over a century.

As a self confessed ‘rye head’ I couldn’t pass this up. A bottle was duly ordered.

It’s a bit pricey for 500ml – but the proceeds of the first 100 bottles go to a Motor Neurone charity here.

Scottish Rye c/othewhiskeynut

I like the simplistic clarity of the no nonsense label – including the large Arbikie logo common throughout their Gin & Vodka range.

I like that Arbikie are a ‘single estate distillery’ using ingredients grown on the estate farm & fields.

And I like the additional information shown on the attractive label; grain variety, field grown in, cask type.  Shades of Mark Reynier at Waterford’s terroir here.

But most of all – I simply love the whole drinking experience of this rye.

4 of us sampled this first Scottish rye for over 100 years – so the following is an amalgamation of our findings.

A wonderful floral bouquet on the nose, hints of varnish, a soft to medium classic white peppery rye spice, warming vanilla & caramel notes from the charred American oak casks.

The taste was suitably smooth, the youthful rye punch delightfully muted by the barley content which added a gentle malt & slight oily influence to the drying rye spices in the well balanced mix.

The finish coated my mouth in that invigorating warm yet dry prickly feel I so enjoy after a great dram.

Superb.

If you only drink one rye this year – make it Arbikie Highland Rye.

Not only does it encapsulate all the classic rye attributes I love – it also adds a unique Scottish mix with the homegrown rye & barley.

A stunning return for Scottish rye.

Sláinte.

Teeling Spirit Of Dublin Poitin, 52.5%

Flying?

We all do it these days.

For a whiskey fan like myself – the journey begins even before you’ve boarded the plane.

The last time I flew out of Dublin I took full advantage of the promotional stalls and tasted over half a dozen Irish whiskey samples – most of which I’d never tried before.

The one that stood out for me happened to be Teeling’s Spirit Of Dublin Poitin.

Why?

2 reasons.

1) This is the first spirit to be released from a new Dublin whiskey distillery for over a century.

That in itself makes this recently released poitin worthy of a punt – which is exactly what I did. But on tasting the spirit – I got a lovely surprise.

2) Spirit Of Dublin is a single pot still Poitin.

Once I worked my way through that initial oily, slightly rotten fruit smell of new make whiskey – I experienced a very welcome single pot still signature spice warming up my palate and making me smile.

Made with a mix of malted barley and unmalted barley – this is a uniquely Irish style originating from an early tax avoidance scheme where unmalted barely attracted no duty.

The unexpected result is a fabulous soft spice together with a slightly richer mouthfeel on tasting – which Spirit Of Dublin clearly possesses.

If it taste this good straight from the stills – what will it be like straight from the barrel after it’s matured for long enough to be called a whiskey?

Perhaps I’ll have to book another flight a few years hence to find out!

Slàinte.