Blending Tennessee Rye with Peated Single Malt Scotch to create a World Whiskey.
It sits outside the rules of both camps and would annoy the ‘traditionalists’ – which is another reason for me to love it before even tasting the liquid!
But as it contains rye whiskey & peated whisky – both styles I enjoy – it would appear to be a ‘no-brainer’ for me to purchase.
So I did.
Packaged in an attractive medicine bottle the whiskey exudes a cheeky fun quality.
Pours a rich golden brown.
Smoking nose!
Very inticing.
Fairly mild start to the palate – do find a sherry finish mutes some of the stronger smoky elements with a sweet veneer – before that smoke – finding it more ‘smoked’ than ‘peated’ – shines through.
There is a tingling dryness on the finish – but can’t work out if that’s the peat or rye?
I often experience a similar finish with many a peated whiskey so wonder what the rye element is actually bringing to this fine blend.
Burnt Ends does float my boat however.
A fun & extremely satisfying whiskey to sip & savour!
I was motivated by the unique collaborative effort of Connacht Whiskey Company & New Liberty Distillery to combine 10 year old Irish & American Whiskeys in a single bottling – & I was also under the impression the American component contained a high rye content.
After the recent release of Powers Rye I was keen to revisit Brothership.
Aware that 6 years is WAY beyond the recommended 2 year time limit for opened spirits bottles – I was a little apprehensive.
How had I allowed this shocking situation to develop?
My constant desire to taste new product had built up a large stash of opened bottles I couldn’t possibly safely consume on my own.
To address this my ‘collection’ – as it is – is always open for sample swaps. Also – with the collaboration of World Famous Sean’s Bar in Athlone – I’ve been holding monthly ‘Whiskey By The Water’ tastings where a small group of us gather, drink & debate the virtues of the varied whiskey – & other spirits – featured.
You’re welcome to contact me to get involved in either initiative.
But back to Brothership!
Well the cork appears unblemished.
A fairly light coloured whiskey greets me – along with a rather shy & muted nose.
An easy start to the palate slowly grows with gentle peppery spices.
The finish flourishes with prickly spiciness tingling away to a dry lip-smacking finale.
Brothership’s charms appear to have not been diminished by it’s long time in storage.
A highly entertaining whiskey!
Sláinte
Blog article on how long to store opened bottles here.
Whiskey By The Water tastings are held 1st Wednesday of every month at Sean’s Bar, Athlone, 7.30pm. Check social media for latest bottle choices #WhiskeyByTheWater
Peter Mulryan’s publication, The Whiskeys Of Ireland, is a welcome exploration of the Irish Whiskey landscape.
Packed full of historical information, anecdotes & photographs, the current rise of Irish Whiskey is given texture & depth.
The reasons for the demise of Irish Whiskey in the early 1900’s is still a contentious issue.
The usual trinity of prohibition, war & the rise of Scotch are generally trotted out by way of explanation.
However it’s clear from reading this book that opposition by the major players in Irish Distilling at the time to the emerging & revolutionary new technology of the Coffey Still of the 1830’s was a major factor.
Shunning this invention – and lambasting blended whisky as silent – gave the Scotch Whisky industry an opening which they enthusiastically embraced.
It wasn’t until the late 1960’s that Irish Whiskey eventually championed blended whiskey with the launch of a reimagined Jameson coupled with aggressive marketing that things slowly started to turn round.
As late as 1988 Jameson was only selling 466,00 cases globally.
Proper Twelve sold that much alone in the US in it’s first meteoric couple of years.
Irish Whiskey is still dominated by a few players – but there is much more diversity & innovation in the category as a whole.
Cooley kickstarted that diversity by double distilling & reintroducing peated Irish Whiskey to the market. This in turn has led to a positive proliferation of distilleries, brands, styles, customers & consumers flocking to the industry.
It’s fabulous to witness.
Irish Whiskey has never been in better health.
The Whiskeys Of Ireland is a great book to read – preferably with a glass of Irish Whiskey – to grasp what Irish Whiskey was, what it became & where it is now.
The attractiveness of their dumpy bottles complete with horned stoppers was heightened by the quality of the tasty liquid inside.
This trio of whiskey was recently sampled in the fabulous Dead Centre Brewing in Athlone.
Elegance Single Malt, 46%
Elegance by name – elegant by drinking experience.
Enjoying this classic ex-bourbon cask only matured whiskey. Provided a richness on the palate followed by a frisson of spice on the rear topped off with a gentle kick.
Nice!
Triple Wood Single Malt, 46%
Rich, sweet sherry bomb of a blend.
Triple Wood displayed a smoother, sweeter palate marrying together a combination of ex-bourbon, sherry & red wine casks in juicy fruitiness.
Sweet!
Diamond 10 Year Old Blend, 46%
A rich vanilla & caramel nose captivated me.
The sumptuousness of this whiskey was balanced by an appealing woody spiciness which added an element of prickliness on the finish.
Lovely!
Thoughts
All of these divergent whiskeys impressed with clean, clear flavours.
Despite the grandness of Diamond, I was drawn to the simple pleasures of a well presented standard ex-bourbon matured single malt in Elegance.
When Powerscourt Distillery originally released their core range of Irish Whiskey much of the commentary made a big play of the fact Head Distiller – Noel Sweeney – had overseen the distilling of the liquid whilst at Cooley Distillery & then latterly supervised the blending of the casks at Powerscourt.
Now Mr Sweeney has left Powerscourt – does this lessen the ‘story’ of the whiskeys?
If you rate whiskey by the personality of key players involved in bringing it to market – then perhaps yes?
On the other hand, if you appraise a whiskey based on the taste & flavour of the liquid in the glass before you – it doesn’t matter.
Most whiskey has been produced by a large team of mainly un-named people who all contribute – in one way or another – to making & marketing the final product.
That product – especially if it’s a core release like this Fercullen Falls blend – can be presented to the public as a consistent expression regardless of the potential changing personnel who participate in its existence.
As it is, Fercullen Falls is a non-age statement blend of whiskeys both from outside sources and Powerscourt Distillery itself.
I like the name.
Fercullen Falls themselves are an impressive spectacle set in Powerscourt Estate grounds – and well worth a visit they are too!
So, onto the whiskey!
Pale straw in colour. No mention of added caramel or chill filtering.
A very easy, pleasant soft aroma of vanilla & caramel.
Smooth palate with a touch of honeyed maltiness on the body.
Livens up on the finish with a lovely prickly sensation & decent depth of flavours which fade slowly.
A very well-presented easy drinking blend with no rough edges, fine heritage & an entertaining flourish on the finale.
Independent bottlers That Boutique-Y Whisky have done a few of them over the years & this World Whisky Blend made up of distillate from around the world is a celebration of the art of blending.
A soft nose greeted me with the merest hint of smoke.
Nice & easy delivery, lovely sweet grain, touch of depth.
Growing complexity on the rear leaving with a tingly drying sensation.
A very engaging blend to sip & savour!
The Whistler, The Good The Bad & The Smoky, Blended Malt, 48%
Image courtesy Boann Distillery
The Whistler series are part of Boann Distillery’s growing range of sourced spirits with witty names showcasing their blending & bottling prowess.
How could I resist The Good The Bad & The Smoky?
Soft & smooth palate slowly builds in intensity.
Opens up into a glowing hearth fire on the rear finally exhibiting The Smoky – which up until now had been subdued.
Neither the nose nor the palate kind of let you know what this one develops into!
Very intriguing!
Thoughts
If it was on the name only – The Good The Bad & The Smoky would win hands down.
But on the taste & overall experience?
Well The Whistler was certainly a bit of a rollercoaster of a ride alright – if slightly unexpected at the end.
That Boutique-Y came across more of a balanced easy drinker if anything – with a bit more complexity too – so for that reason the World Whisky Blend gets my vote!
By the way That Boutique-Y inform me this blend is made up of distillate from; Scotland, Canada, Ireland, Sweden, USA, Switzerland, Netherlands, Taiwan, India, Italy, Germany, France, Japan & Finland.
Johnnie Fox’s is a well known pub which does a roaring tourist attraction trade in the mountains just outside of Dublin.
They released a whiskey a few years ago & this is my 1st time to try it.
I’d never heard of Henry Downes before – so had to look them up. Turns out they are also a bar – situated in Waterford City – but originally started out as spirits merchants.
Nice to see some traditions last with this release!
Obviously these are both sourced whiskeys from unnamed Irish distilleries – so what did I find?
Pale straw in colour, a fruity little number with hints of darker depth, clean fresh grain palate develops some pleasing spiciness towards the rear finishing with a little spirity kick.
An attractive blend to entice you into the Johnnie Fox’s establishment!
A slightly darker shade of pale straw, soft malty nose with hints of wet leather, sweet biscuity palate finishing with a dry peppery spice & slight frisson of excitement.
Grand.
Thoughts
For me Johnnie Fox’s came over as a fresher & livelier style of whiskey which instantly appealed to me.
Can’t help thinking Henry Downes was beginning to suffer from being too long in the bottle & might have been more enjoyable when originally released.
Happy however to have tasted a couple of early pioneers who paved the way for the positive explosion of Irish Whiskey brands entering the market today.
Stripped of any clues as to what’s before you it heightens your senses to the tastes & flavours experienced on drinking the liquid.
Presented before me were 6 samples. I duly poured them into 6 identical Túath glasses & proceeded to savour the contents.
For some reason I thought this was a rum tasting – & quickly revised this theory as No 1‘despite having a bit of a sour nose the lack of body on the palate & high ABV kick signalled to me a poitín! Can’t say it did much for me. Nice experience – but not an approachable spirit’.
There was no No 2 so No 3‘proved intriguing. The pale yellow colour, soft fruity nose, easy palate with slight hints of burnt notes on the rear drew me in. I could drink this one again!’.
With No 4 ‘I experienced a slightly musty nose, indicative of long ageing, perfectly fine palate yet lacked a bit of body & very dry on the rear. Rather nonplussed by this one’.
No 5‘had a sherry like influence, smooth & silky on the palate with a nice touch of dryness on the rear. Could be a low ppm peater? Not quite enough to excite me if it is’.
No 6‘initially blew me away! Suggestive of high ABV. On a 2nd tasting it still didn’t entice me’.
No 7 ‘kinda hooked me, if only for a more pronounced smoky influence. Elegant yet challenging all at the same time’.
So that was it! My initial thoughts are in italics.
Given that Smögen is a bit of a unicorn bottle – hard to get hold of, pricey & limited edition – as are some of the other bottles – I think Dunville’s 1808 performed extremely well on my palate.
I took away a few themes from this tasting. High ABV can blow away the flavours for me & make for a challenging drinking experience. Sherry cask influence isn’t my style of choice & when it comes to enjoyable, affordable drinking – you can’t beat a good blend!
What would your palate have chosen?
Sláinte
Many thanks to fellow Whiskey Blogger S for the blind samples & bottle photo.
It’s not everyday you come away from a whiskey tasting championing a vodka,
But then it’s not everyday you encounter such an innovative drinks producer like Lough Ree Distillery.
Mike Clancy from Lough Ree entertained us with a highly informative talk & introduction to 5 of the companies offerings.
We kicked off with Bart’s – the company’s core Irish Whiskey blend – which I’ve always found very attractive. Read my blog here.
The Dead Centre collaborative Single Malt Whiskey duo were equally well received – with No1 just winning it for me in this 2nd tasting. Read my original thoughts here.
The limited release Bethlehem Bridge Series Single Grain Whiskey proved to be a favourite all round with it’s rich, deep & dark flavours captivating the audience.
I previously tried this attractive trio – blog here – but now they’ve appeared in an eye-catching miniature set complete with historical stories regarding the Earls portrayed & tasting notes on the whiskeys too – I thought I’d give them another go!
Red Earl, Blended Irish Whiskey, 40%
Triple casked, finished in Rioja casks. This light brown blend has a gentle aroma of soft dark fruits. The palate is quite soft yet there’s a delightful fruit bomb on the finish. An added prickly spice livens up the finish.
A very pleasant offering.
Great Earl, Single Grain Irish Whiskey, 40%
Triple casked, finished in Sangiovese casks. Not come across that wine before! Slightly paler in colour. Finding the nose more expressive than the blend – richer & more redolent. A lovely sweet grainy appeal on the palate slowly develops into a punchier finish.
Liking this one!
Spanish Earl, Single Malt Irish Whiskey, 43%
Triple casked, finished in Stout casks. Upping the game with a few extra ABV! A darker shade of straw. Finding the nose a tad muted – but darker & heavier when it does appear. Very smooth & silky palate. The stout cask flavours emerge with dark toffee & burnt toast notes.
Vey attractive.
Thoughts
A terrific trio!
It’s actually hard to pick a favourite from these well presented whiskeys. All lean towards a sweet wine cask finished style with the malt introducing darker stout elements. On this occasion Spanish Earl won me over. What it lost on the nose was more than compensated by a rich finish.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 