Triple Dog Irish Whiskey dares to be different – at least from the information on it’s website here.
The bottle design is certainly catchy – vibrant red & contrasting black with a dog’s head logo.
The distillery of origin is given – Great Northern Distillery in Dundalk – which is not always forthcoming for a sourced brand.
I can’t vouch for the taste as Triple Dog Irish Whiskey is an American brand & not available in Ireland. It does seem to have collected a number of awards since it’s release however.
Triple Dog’s Instagram page does appear to portray a youthful, fun & female focused brand.
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.
The Re-turn Deposit Return Scheme has been in action for a few months now.
From what I can see people are taking to it. I’ve encountered queues waiting to use the machines, kids picking up litter to get some credit to spend, sports clubs collecting for funds – which all seems positive to me.
Yet the distractors, dinosaurs & deadweights are still out there with their moaning & groaning about it’s implementation.
Sadly some of these voices emanate from Irish Beer.
Rather than engage with the positives of the scheme & encourage it’s use – they snipe negativity from the sidelines.
I expect any company I purchase from to have a positive attitude towards reducing waste & increasing recycling rates – if Irish Beer isn’t willing to demonstrate that I’m happy to pick up beers from a Croatian company – available in my local petrol station shop – that judging from the plethora of labels on the side of their cans seem willing to embrace recycling.
And Irish Beer is moaning about re-labelling?
It’s my opinion companies are more worried about their profits than showing willing to engage with Re-turn – a not-for-profit company attempting to reduce waste & recycle more.
But with beer it’s all about the taste – so I poured a couple of glasses.
Uvala House Sour, 3.5%
A pale yellow colour with a decent head. Fresh fruity & tart aromas. Clean, citrusy & fresh palate with a dashing of dry tartness on the rear. Reminds me more of gooseberries rather than pineapple – but a very nice drinker!
This one has a cloudy orange appearance. Much heavier aroma, strawberry, mango, touch of citrus & juicy tropical fruits. Rich palate feel, crowded with fruits. Gentle tart on the rear to counteract the sweetness. Doesn’t feel like 6.9%. Very entertaining.
Thoughts
Really enjoyed these beers. Sour is a style I’m partial to & Garden Brewery certainly deliver gorgeous examples of this genre. It’s an added bonus I can get my deposit returned too.
If a Croatian Brewery can get it together – why can’t Irish ones do similar?
One of the Irish Whiskeys uncovered in my sojourn to ProWein in Germany was Kerrighan’s.
I had a very quick sample as the show was coming to a close & found it an easy going blended Irish Whiskey.
On searching for further details it appears to be a Great Northern Distillery offering for a French distribution company by the name of Les Producteurs Réunis.
It’s certainly flying the Green for Irish Whiskey in France!
Their website also showcases many other brands spanning various spirits categories.
Pity I didn’t have time to explore more of them at the show!
The Deposit Return Scheme – DRS – is coming in to play on 1st February 2024 in Ireland.
It’s a scheme designed to boost recycling rates in the state by giving back to customers an additionally added recycling fee charged on all in-scope liquid containers – be they alcoholic or not.
The world’s natural resources are not inexhaustible & human pollution is causing real environmental damage.
The DRS is an attempt to redress that by focussing on recycling rates within the wider drinks industry whose plastic & aluminium cans litter many a street & roadside verge.
Yet with every new initiative there are detractors.
I was a bit disappointed by the recent Lacada Brewery statement.
Rather than talk about the environment they said the it’s no longer costeffective for them to continue in the Irish market.
That smacks of putting profit before the environment in my book.
It’s also suggestive of Lacada perhaps struggling a bit – which a lot of small breweries are in the current economic situation – but it’s a bit of a red-herring to blame it all on the DRS.
This then led into a thread I can only describe as a bunch of bemoaners, begrudgers & plain anti-voices to the DRS venting.
Quite frankly – anyone who is opposed to the DRS in my book is against implementing seriously any type of positive steps to improve the appalling waste problem that currently exists both within Ireland & worldwide.
I find it extremely bad publicity for Lacada Brewery & the wider beer community in general.
As for Beer Nut?
On his suggestion I’ve deposited him in the digital trash bin.
Pity I didn’t get my 15 cent recycling fee in return!
The controversial Conor McGregor continues to divide opinion – this time in the beer world. There’s nothing wrong with his Forged Stout however – the same can’t be said for himself!
2 Blogs on the same spirit appear in differing positions in the charts. You could say it’s the old 7″ plus the extended deluxe 12″ re-mix versions. Combining the pair together would have gained a far higher rating for this clearly popular spirit from Vietnam!
Finishing early on the last day & coming home in daylight was a bit of a novelty to begin with – followed by a spot of last minute shopping & a proposal to go out for a meal – eased the mood.
Herself had missed her routine swim so I suggested we go for a meal afterwards at the hotel – Hodson Bay – where I could relax with a drink at the bar. Offer accepted I shortly found myself scanning the spirits shelves where the bright yellow label of Torres 10 Spanish Brandy caught my eye.
It took me back to our trip to Spain & a glass was duly ordered.
The nose exuded those signature woody tannins I associate with the Spanish Brandies enjoyed whilst abroad. Torres 10 is made using the solera system & the woodiness is an integral part of that process.
Rich warming caramels danced on the palate before that prickly tannic spice came to the fore on the finish leaving with a slightly drying experience – a lovely contrast to the juicy middle.
The characterful brandy raised a smile & triggered fond memories.
On returning home I poured a glass of my Torres 10 Double Barrel by way of comparison.
If anything the extra finishing in virgin oak had slightly muted the more forward tannic spice of Torres 10 original & added a degree of complexity to the palate. Yet I did like the no-nonsense approach of the original as a purer example of the long solera system aging style used by this reputable brand.
A lovely little encounter to perk me up before the main event!
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.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 