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.
