I was very pleased to come across these very brightly coloured RTD – Ready To Drink – offerings in my local Aldi.
They ticked a few boxes.
Irish,
Poitín based &
Using natural ingredients being a selection.
Bar 1661 are behind the Little & Green brand & have been singing the praises of Poitín for some time now. Having these cans listed in Aldi will hopefully increase the attraction for this historic spirit & propel it to popularity again.
I’ve previously enjoyed the Sneaky Orchard edition – which you can read about here – so started with Shady Bramble.
Shady Bramble, 5%
Pours a surprisingly clear liquid – no artificial colours here. A refreshingly sweet raspberry like aroma. The sweetness merges with an underlying darker & smoother experience on the palate. Finishes off quite dry. Has a wonderfully fresh & natural appeal.
Sneaky Orchard, 5%
Pours a light pale green. Orchard fruits on the nose. Fresh, clean & clear apples with hints of depth. Didn’t detect the poitín influence as much yet still a lovely fresh drinker.
Thoughts
If anything Shady Bramble was my preference. The combination of fruity sweetness balanced with a deeper smoother influence from the poitín hinted at the historical spirit base more clearly than with Sneaky Orchard.
Both are lovely fresh alternatives to the often overly sweetened & artificially flavoured RTD’s that often inhabit this category.
Unexpectedly spotting a friend from Carlow walking up the street from our Dublin Bus seats ended up – after a few text messages – with a few early afternoon drinks in the Palace Bar.
The Palace Bar is a Dublin institution by now. 200 years serving customers is no mean feat!
In celebration I thought enjoying one of their own branded Palace Bar Irish Whiskey would be in order.
The barman presented an attractive looking rectangular bottle bearing an 11 Year Old age statement. I was informed the distillate originated from Dunville’s in the North & had been selected by the Palace Bar themselves.
The nose was very welcoming. I discerned a slight smoky influence. The palate gave a richness of depth, flavour & a very pleasing mouthfeel. The 11 Year Old dried out on the rear with a joyous prickly tingling.
Very nice indeed!
On the internet it states Port & Sherry cask finishing at 46% ABV – no mention of any peat influence.
Whatever it’s make up – this single malt pleased my palate!
Whilst chatting away I scanned the whiskey shelves & spotted an old friend in a new bottle – Michael Collins. He promptly made my next glass.
A much more easy going tipple – soft, smooth, slightly fruity, gentle vanilla & caramel with a subtle serenade on the finish – was experienced.
Sazerac now own the Michael Collins brand & when their distillery in County Sligo gets going it’s intended to produce Michael Collins Irish Whiskey at the Lough Gill Distillery.
I would have stayed for more – The Palace Bar has plenty of whiskey to choose from – but a train home beckoned.
Big, bold, flavoursome & a little too easy to drink at 12%.
Big Smoke is a nod to the city of Dublin where Rascals Brewing have their base – as well as Dubliner Irish Whiskey who collaborated on this brew by donating the ex-bourbon casks for maturation.
The results are superb.
A bit of caramelly sweetness on the nose.
Dark chocolate, sweet vanilla & a slightly bitter burnt note all combine on the palate creating a wonderful mix.
The bourbon influence certainly isn’t shy.
Dubliner Irish Whiskey in turn re-use the barrels to age some of their whiskey in.
It’s not very often you get the opportunity to enjoy a couple of whiskeys in the bar of a 12th Century Castle in County Kildare – so when you do, you make them a memorable duo!
I was fortunate enough to be overnighting in Kilkea Castle Lodges so a few drinks in Kilkea Castle’s Keep Bar itself before dinner was in order.
The Keep Bar has an extensive array of spirits – mainly concentrating on high end Irish Whiskey. No doubt catering for the mainly 70% American clientele that pass this way.
Not quite being in the market for a 33 Year Old Bushmills Malt at around €125 a glass – a more realistic pour of Teeling 15 Year Old Single Grain was ordered.
Teeling 15 Year Old Single Grain, 50%
The bottle attracted my eye. The Phoenix embossed top allowed the relatively light brown liquid to shine while the bottom label denoted the contents.
Single Grain Whiskey is often overlooked – which is a great pity – as this 15yo Teeling certainly shone on my palate!
A very expressive nose replete with vanillas & caramel associated with bourbon cask maturation were augmented by a rich sweetness from a finish in sauvignon blanc casks.
The palate started of smoothly – before growing in warmth & depth with a luxuriant mouthfeel.
The 50% ABV made it’s appearance on the rear with an appreciative bite before leaving lingering flavours dancing slowly away.
A lovely tipple indeed!
Basil Hayden Toast, 40%
In a nod to the American visitors a glass of the highly colourfully labelled Basil Hayden Toast followed.
This is a rather unusual bottle in that brown rice has been used in the mixed mashbill for this whiskey.
A warm inviting nose of rich dark caramels greeted me.
The palate was quite mild – a trait I’ve experienced with other rice based spirits – before gently warming up.
The finish provided a flourish of spice. I initially had this down as a rye influence but as that grain had been substituted with brown rice, perhaps it came from the virgin oak cask required for bourbon maturation. Whatever the cause – it perked up this ever so easy drinking whiskey for me.
There was a gradual slow fade away of flavour to savour on the finish.
Very unusual, very entertaining & very nice.
Thoughts
There were more spirits for me to explore in The Keep Bar – but dinner called.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit – jump at it!
You won’t be disappointed by the eclectic array of whiskey, gin, rum & tequila on offer. Not forgetting a log fuelled warming open fire, fancy dining, extensive grounds & a golf course to explore on the castle estate too!
I was certainly very happy with the contrasting styles shown by Teeling 15yo Single Grain & Basil Hayden Toast!
I found Lost Irish in the Rag Trader bar in Dublin.
I’d popped in for some liquid refreshment, a light lunch & the possibility of finding something I’d not had before.
Lost Irish suited the bill.
Stylistically it’s an attractive bottle.
The green glass is embossed with Lost Irish in white & set off with red labelling at the base.
Blend is a bit of an understatement as to what’s in this whiskey.
6 different casks from 6 continents have been used to mature this complex whiskey – along with 3 styles of Irish Whiskey, single grain, single malt & single pot still.
There are further details courtesy Lost Irish website here if you’re interested.
I found the nose quite mild with a hint of spiciness creeping through.
A soft yet warming palate further developed the engaging spiciness with a touch of depth.
There was a flourish of spice & complexity on the finish.
Well I have to hand it to the folks at Rascals Brewing for coming up with such a highly entertaining Club – synonymous with Orange – Rock Shandy Pale Ale.
At 4.5% it’s decidedly alcoholic – yet the nose demonstrates those Club Orange notes mixed in with a slightly bitter pale ale element.
I was immediately drawn to the colourful cartoon imagery on the front of this rather retro styled bottle.
Using Irish Whiskey in the mix the term Black Liqueur was new to me & as I spotted Shanky’s Whip on the shelves of a Dublin pub a measure was ordered.
When even the bar steward mentions it’s sweet – better pay attention.
Sweet is rather an understatement of what transpired on tasting.
A rich luxuriant mélange of creamy toffee, butterscotch, caramels & sweet vanilla coated the palate in a velvety embrace.
The only comparison is with Bailey’s – but without the slightly cloying cream & presented in a very dark brown almost rum like colour as an alternative offering.
This is a dessert of a whiskey liqueur & wouldn’t be out of place poured over a bowl of ice-cream.
Interestingly the bar staff said they sell quite a few Shanky’s mixed in with Guinness.
Would probably take the bitterness off the famous stout for those that have a sweeter tooth.
Not exactly my thing – but I can see the attraction of this fun product.
With the festive season coming up it wouldn’t surprise me if a few bottles of Shanky’s Whip were shared round at many a gathering!
After having launched his Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey to great success – Conor McGregor has now taken on Irish Stout with his Forged offering.
As I reviewed Proper Twelve vs Jameson back in 2018 – I thought a Forged vs Guinness comparison was overdue.
Now the whiskey world in general shunned Conor’s entry into the category.
Many a blogger tripped over themselves to denigrate Proper Twelve as piss.
It appears to me folks found the personality of Conor quite offensive – which is perfectly understandable – but then let that colour their perception of his whiskey.
On a back-to-back with Jameson I found Proper Twelve to be an easily approachable smooth Irish Whiskey with a little touch of character that sat well within the blended whiskey competitors it shared shelve space with.
I found the wholesale bating of Proper Twelve in the whiskey world very demeaning & reflected more on the attitudes & bias of that world rather than any serious look at his whiskey & how Conor shook up the category.
Given that Proper Twelve rose to become the 2nd biggest selling Irish Whiskey in the USA it appears to me there was a previously untapped appetite for a new more youthful & alternative brand to excite the next generation of drinkers.
Rather than abuse – a more critical appraisal of how & why this success came about would have been better suited.
Now that Conor has sold on the Proper Twelve brand he’s using that money to perhaps replicate that success in the stout category.
Guinness – as with Jameson – has had an almost monopolistic control over the category.
As such I welcome any contender that can challenge the status quo & bring about change. Conor – despite of (perhaps even because of) all his negative attributes – appears to be in a strong position to do so.
He’s building up a Dublin pub portfolio & has purchased the previously well regarded Porterhouse Brewery to brew his Forged in.
A quick look at the internet already suggests there is opposition to the move – as well as putting down his liquid too.
If judging an alcoholic beverage based purely on the character of the individual owner is the in-thing there clearly is no need for tasting notes of an honest & open approach. It simply becomes a reduction of who you like or dislike.
Nor is drinking a beer an automatic endorsement of the owner or makes you a non-thinking fan boy – there is such a thing as objective tasting & critical thinking. Something that often goes missing when discussing Conor McGregor.
So with that all said – onto the stouts.
Both were purchased in local stores.
This is quite an important fact. If you want to take on the market leader your product has to be easily available in the same premises. No online shopping only or specialist shops for Forged.
Both pour a very respectable Irish Stout visually. Guinness use a widget to achieve this – Forged doesn’t.
Neither give off much aroma other than classic stout.
First taste of Guinness is smooth, creamy & very easy.
First taste of Forged is also smooth, creamy & very easy – with just a touch more flavour to pull me in.
Palate wise Forged gave me more dark malts, heavy caramels & hints of burnt barley.
I found the finish relatively short on both – but yet again Forged just offered that little extra.
Overall these 2 brews are very similar in style, presentation & delivery. Not much separates them. Objectively Forged has a little more flavour profile on my palate & would be my preference. I’d love to do a blind taste test to confirm that.
It’ll be interesting to see how Conor shakes up the beer market. More pertinent to me will be witnessing the reactions of commentators to this new player in the field.
Whether you like Conor or not – there is absolutely nothing wrong with Forged from a drinking perspective.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 