Most barrel aged beers tend to be porters, dark ales or otherwise ‘heavies’.
But the real twist of this Rascals brewed ale in collaboration with Dubliner Irish Whiskey is – well – it’s orange!
Both in colour,
An orange twist! c/othewhiskeynut
And taste.
A bright, refreshingly zesty blood orange aroma greeted me on first acquaintance – shortly followed by a biscuity malty base on the palate – all wrapped up in a delightfully lagery mouthfeel.
It may seem an incongruous pair of whiskeys to compare – but in my opinion – the two offerings above represent the growing maturity, complexity and coming of age of Irish Whiskey.
Photo c/oYouTube
On the one hand you have ChapelGate’s ultra premium exquisitely packaged and presented Chosen,
On the other, McGregor’s mass market blend Proper Twelve.
Proper Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut
Both have delivered a product that satisfies the demands of their specific target audiences,
And both are excelling within their respective categories.
My blog welcoming the arrival of Proper Twelve to the market stated;
‘Irish Whiskey will never be the same again’
Has certainly been proven true.
McGregor c/oProperTwelve
For a newly released brand to be seriously challenging the dominance of Jameson – as in an Irish Times article – is truly outstanding. Despite the recent deplorable antics – perhaps even because of? – there seems to be no slowing down of Proper Twelve’s growth trajectory.
It is opening the market to a new generation of Irish Whiskey drinkers around the world and recently expanded into Poland & South Africa.
ChapelGate’s Chosen is also taking Irish Whiskey into new – and to many unthinkable – territory, the ultra premium luxury market. I highly commend founder Louise McGuane for her courage in doing so.
Louise McGuane launches Chosen c/oindependent.ie
The dedication, careful selection of stock and variety of quality casks at her bonded warehouse in County Clare was outstanding. I chanced a visit over two and a half years ago – even before her first release – which you can read about here.
To chart the growing success of ChapelGate since then – as well as tasting JJ Corry’s fabulous whiskey releases – has been a wonderful journey.
The reaction to Chosen and Proper Twelve has been immense – and divisive.
Both have taken Irish Whiskey out of the narrowly defined one dimensional stereotypes of the past.
They represent a multi dimensional & complex Irish Whiskey scene that can be double distilled, peated, flavourful, rough round the edges, brash & youthful, aged & nuanced all at the same time.
Both dreamed big and played far beyond the boundaries.
What better way to enjoy breakfast than indulge yourself with Irish Whiskey Marmalade on yer toast?
How could I resist? c/othewhiskeynut
Erne Larder is currently available in the Lidl chain of stores and I happily spread a liberal amount all over my sourdough toast earlier.
Whiskey Marmalade! c/othewhiskeynut
The marmalade has a solid consistency – it doesn’t run over the toast – is fairly dark in colour and comes with orange peel in the mix to give added bite & texture.
The nose was rich & inviting, heavy with orange, a hint of malt & fresh zestiness too.
The taste was wholesome, bursting with flavour & full bodied.
If this was a whiskey I’d be saying it possessed character, depth & added flair.
A very satisfying way to start the day.
Sláinte
NB – Please note the 2% refers to the percentage of Irish Whiskey – source not stated – in the recipe, not the ABV of the marmalade.
I couldn’t say goodbye to my latest selection of Irish Whiskey brands only available in America without a taste challenge.
Emptying what was left of the miniatures – and a pour from the 750 ml US size bottle – the first thing I noticed was the almost identical golden colour from all 3 whiskeys.
All 3 are NAS – non age statement – offerings at 40% ABV.
All 3 are sourced brands from unspecified Irish Distilleries and
More malty – biscuity even. Hardly surprising as it’s a single malt. A smoother delivery – cultured perhaps – with a gentler spiciness adding some character.
Mrs Whiskey brought back a selection of Irish Whiskeys from America after a recent trip.
They aren’t available in Ireland – and I was keen to check them out.
Kilbrin is an actual place in Ireland. A parish in County Cork with a GAA club, a school and a church. But no whiskey distillery.
Kilbrin Irish Whiskey is a sourced brand – I’ve no problem with that.
The attractive front of Kilbrin c/othewhiskeynut
A search of their website here – leads you onto Quality Spirits International here – who specialise in Own Brand and Private Label products.
Quality Spirits International are in turn a wholly owned subsidiary of ‘the largest independent Scotch Whisky Company’ – which to you and me is William Grant & Sons – owners of Tullamore DEW, Glenfiddich, Grant’s and others.
Kilbrin back c/othewhiskeynut
What interested me though was how the whiskey tasted.
The nose was caramelly sweet, honeyed & slightly fruity.
This followed through on the palate – which opened up into a decent sweet grainy feel with a lovely prickly spice developing.
The finish was sadly short – but the overall effect was rather appealing.
I quite enjoyed this one.
A pleasant easy going entry level blend with a bit of character & spice towards the end.
The Dreel Tavern is an attractive stone built gastropub sitting above the Dreel Burn that flows into the Firth Of Forth at the endearing ‘stepping stones’ area of Anstruther.
Only suitable to cross at low tide! c/othewhiskeynut
Popping in for a drink I spotted the local Fife based Kingsbarns Distillery‘s first release – Dream To Dram – and was keen to taste this Lowland Malt.
Kingsbarns Dream To Dram c/othewhiskeynut
The nose was rather muted. Fresh soft subtle vanilla going on.
The palate started off gently too – before an exuberant spirity kick punched in.
Definitely youthful – perhaps too much so!
I’d have preferred a few more years in the cask.
Dream To Dram label c/othewhiskeynut
There is pressure on new distilleries to show off their wares – and I commend Kingsbarns for releasing this fresh malt.
At the very least it allows fans the opportunity to try out the new spirit & see how it compares with future more aged releases.
If I’d tried Akashi before this sister blend – I may not have bothered – but in reality – Tokinoka was my first exploration into the White Oak Distillery.
Oddly – I also found this whisky in France.
There must be a distributor doing a great job in getting it stocked around the country.
Again – this is an entry level caramelised blend.
But it’s more characterful & robust than it’s stablemate.
Tokinoka Whisky c/othewhiskeynut
A sharp spirity nose is smoothed by the caramel influence.
There is a soft underlying malt to begin with – before a lovely warming heat kicks in.
I found it a pleasant little number.
A fair few were enjoyed at a Parisien get together with friends.
Whiskey Live Dublin always throws up a surprise or two.
This years was the safely guarded release of Whiskey 21C.
Whiskey 21C c/othewhiskeynut
This is a unique historical bottling of all the Irish Whiskey Distilleries that currently have stocks of matured whiskey in their possession.
The Celtic Whiskey Shop – not content with being the hard working organisers behind Whiskey Live Dublin – contacted all the distilleries with matured whiskey – asked for a donation of some of that precious liquid – proceeded to blend it – bottle it – sell it at the show on a strictly limited never to be repeated release – all for the Downs Syndrome Ireland charity!
Now that WAS a surprise indeed!
The 12 Irish Whiskey Distilleries who kindly donated to this project are – in the order they appear on the back label;
The distilleries involved c/othewhiskeynut
Bushmills Distillery – Producers of the Bushmills range + other brands.
Cooley Distillery – Producers of the Tyrconnell, Connemara, Locke’s & Kilbeggan ranges – as well as numerous other brands.
Echlinville Distillery – All current releases under the Dunvilles brand are sourced – yet Echlinville are sitting on 5 year old whiskey of their own making which has not yet been deemed ready for it’s public debut.
Kilbeggan Distillery – Producers of Kilbeggan Rye – the 1st Irish Whiskey containing rye for many a year and the 1st whiskey to be wholly produced at Kilbeggan since the micro distillery was commissioned there in 2010.
Pearse Lyons Distillery – Producers of Pearse 5 Year Old Single Malt. Some of the Pearse blends also contain malt made on the stills sited at the Pearse Lyons Distillery in Dublin.
Teeling Whiskey Co – Producers of Teeling Single Pot Still. All other current releases are sourced.
The Shed Distillery – Producers of Gunpowder Gin & Sausage Tree Vodka – yet clearly have whiskey waiting to be released.
Tullamore DEW – All current Tullamore DEW is sourced – yet they are obviously sitting on whiskey which has been produced at the new Tullamore Distillery.
West Cork Distillers – Producers of the Glengarriff range. Some of the WCD range is sourced + they supply other brands too.
Camera Shy Cork Distillery – The only whiskey producer not mentioned is Midleton. Could this be them?
A small sample of Whiskey 21C was also offered to Whiskey Live Dublin attendees!
I found it a young, fresh & fruity blend. Approachable & easy despite it’s 54.2% strength. There was no mention if it was either a blended malt or a malt & grain mix – nor the percentages of the distilleries involved in the project. I was just extremely pleased to get a chance to taste the future of Irish Whiskey!
A big thank you to all the hard work of the team behind Whiskey Live Dublin AND Whiskey 21C.
A toast to the future of Irish Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut
After my previous experiences with entry level blends I was a bit apprehensive to approach this one.
But Hankey Bannister is widely available and having passed it by in my local Dunnes stores on numerous occasions my curiosity was eventually piqued – I also found a use for those 5 euro back vouchers!
I got a dose of the Whiskey Shivers before I tasted this one – which happens to be the name of this blogs featured band.
But this entry level blend wasn’t as bad as expected.
The nose is a bit corny. Which befits the high grain content used in the mix. Not my favourite flavour profile.
The taste is soft & smooth with a slight oiliness.
But the best bit is at the end where a decent hit of malt shines through on the palate with a lovely soft spiciness.
Just about makes this bargain purchase worthwhile.
