I don’t know if 3 Counties Spirits have a back catalogue of Irish folk songs to name their whiskeys after – but I’m very happy to purchase this latest release – Irish Rover.
Having previously enjoyed the very well presented Galtee Mountain Boy Irish Whiskey from the same independent bottlers – Irish Rover differs inbeing ‘ a delicate blend of grain and malt Irish Whiskey’ – and is produced in ‘the South West of Ireland’ – which kind of narrows down the distillery to West Cork.
Irish Rover is also a response to the Minimum Unit Pricing – MUP – regime in place in Ireland.
I used to pick up 700ml bottles in the sub €20 category – now they’re all €22.09 minimum.
Going for 500ml bottles allows you to purchase sub €20 bottles again.
Happy days!
So how is Irish Rover Irish Whiskey to experience?
A no nonsense screw cap is cracked open to pour a light golden brown whiskey – no mention of added caramel or not – although Non Chill Filtered is stated.
A fairly shy nose – hints of vanilla & caramel with a touch of bready malt peeking through.
Easy on the palate. Smooth & mild.
A welcome growing heat develops on the rear – augmented by a flourish of almost gingery spice on the finish.
Since Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol – MUP – has come into force in Ireland I’ve noticed a few more bottles of spirits offered in 500ml packages.
Sierra Tequila Silver – for sale in Dunnes & Tesco – happened to be one of the first – so I bought it!
I’m happy to have smaller bottles.
Tasting a wide variety of spirits is what excites me & smaller bottles allows me to indulge for less outlay.
So how was Sierra Silver?
Having previously enjoyed a miniature Reposado from this fun brand – well who else would put a sombrero stopper on their bottles? – I was pre-disposed to the Silver.
There’s no mention of 100% Agave so clearly Sierra is a Mixto style of Tequila – but it does have an expressive earthy agave nose.
Smooth & oily on the palate.
The finish is very drying. That peppery spice is to the fore & leaves with a lip-smacking prickliness.
Sierra Silver is a fun & flavoursome tequila to tipple!
To begin with it was there, on the shelf, in my local store, and in a 350ml bottle too, making it both accessible & affordable – increasingly important factors in the current economic climate.
Further, my St Remy VSOP Brandy, initially purchased for an WSET course back in 2019, was nearing it’s end. I found the brandy world shared – like whiskey – a set of rules & regulations governing it’s production – as well as a long history – plus barrel ageing too & I enjoyed the drinking experience, encouraging me to explore more.
Tesco Napoleon appeared a shade darker than my St Remy, suggestive of extra caramel, a permissible added ingredient for the category – just like whiskey.
Quite a shy nose – not very aromatic for me – soft sweet winey elements are all I got.
Smooth, soft mouthfeel, easy on the palate.
Dark notes of burnt caramel & a tingling warmth surfaced on the finish giving Tesco Napoleon a bit of a lift.
Lacked any hints of oakiness I enjoyed with St Remy.
After sampling Tesco Napoleon I read the label – Mellow And Smooth Taste – it says.
Olmeca Tequila is found in pretty much every Irish supermarket & is often the only tequila offered at many bars & hotels.
This shouldn’t be much of a surprise given Pernod Ricard own the brand & possibly use the Jameson distribution network for Olmeca too.
I’ve enjoyed a few glasses of Olmeca in various bars.
The nose portrays that signature agave pungency with hints of peppery spice.
The smooth palate lacks a little flair with an accentuated black peppery spice on the finish.
Olmeca Reposado ticks all the tequila taste boxes – but not being 100% agave it does miss out a tad on the flavour front.
Often listed as Olmeca Gold – denoting a mixto tequila where only 51% has to be agave based & Gold possibly being coloured – Olmeca Reposado – also mixto but with barrel ageing – appears to be the bottle supermarkets stock.
In the absence of any alternatives – it does the trick.
Update!!! On January 4th 2022 Ireland implemented a Minimum Unit Pricing – MUP – policy on alcohol with all 40% whiskey in 700ml bottles now costing a minimum of €22.09.
With whiskey prices inevitably spiraling northwards & putting many punters out of the buying game – it’s still possible to find a selection of whiskeys for under €20.
At this price point you can hardly expect non chill filtering, natural colour, fanciful back stories, the strain of barley used nor the name of the field it grew in – what you get is plain simple unpretentious whiskey.
I polished it off in a week – which is highly unusual.
Very pleasant.
Under €20
Being under €20 is no barrier to good taste or flavour. The above 3 demonstrate the variety that is available. Something to suit all palates. You may have to try a few to get the one that satisfies – but at the price point – that’s part of the adventure!
I’ve just found out – which was a bit of a surprise – as I’d only been down my local Tesco & picked up a bottle of Havana Especial to continue my exploration of all things rum.
Already my limited tastings are taking me down the barrel aged dark rum route.
The contrast of sweet caramels or darker molasses contrasting with spicy oaky tannins appeals to my palate – which is just what I found with this Cuban Rum.
Double matured in ‘old oak barrels’ & ‘ex-whiskey casks’ it says on the label – ex Irish Whiskey casks I later found out on Havana Club’s website – certainly piqued my interest.
Especial back label c/othewhiskeynut
Described as ‘amber coloured’ I found the nose caramelly sweet – with no real depth to it.
The palate started off very smooth & sweet too – but gradually built up a nice oaky spice as it warmed up.
Most of the flavour I found on the finish.
A prickly spiciness contrasting with a dark, almost burnt molassey note just rescued it from the overt sweetness at the start.
Garantia Cuba! c/othewhiskeynut
Overall an easy drinking everyday rum with just enough character & depth to enjoy of a balmy summer evening.
Irish Whiskey is never going to be the same again.
A new player has entered the market to potentially topple the reining champion.
Welcome to Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey.
Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you couldn’t have missed the phenomenom of Mixed Martial Arts star Notorious MMA Conor McGregor & his exploits both on and off the ring.
You may also be aware of his plans to market a whiskey.
Well it’s out – Right Here, Right Now in yer local Tesco.
Now Conor doesn’t do things in halves.
thenotoriousmma instagram page
Despite the bluster around ‘his’ distillery – the money is on Bushmills as the main source of this entry level blend.
He is certainly coming in BIG.
He is certainly coming in STRONG and
He is certainly entering into a market previously dominated by Jameson as a serious contender.
What else could I do but rush to Tesco to buy my own bottle & do a back to back taste test?
Mission statement c/othewhiskeynut
The Bottle. It looks big, it looks chunky, it’s green & is catchy enough. Jameson by comparison looks dated.
Colour. Proper Twelve comes out a slightly darker shade of added caramel. This is standard practice for entry level blends. Proper Twelve does appear to have more viscous legs in the glass however.
Nose. Both show that standard entry level caramel nose. Yet Proper Twelve has a hint of warmth to it – some charred cask influence? – which Jameson lacks.
Taste. Both are soft & smooth – Jameson is softer & smoother – but the little bit of body & warmth Proper Twelve exhibits – along with an enjoyable sprinkling of tingling spice – adds to it’s appeal.
Overall. Jameson is yer archetypal go-to easy drinking approachable blend. Proper Twelve is of similar style – yet for me has added depth, body & a little spice which gives it more character – which is only appropriate given the larger than life character behind it.
Named after the Crumlin area of Dublin – D12 – Conor hails from – Proper Twelve has appeal far beyond the narrow confines of the whiskey world.
It opens up the Irish Whiskey segment to a mass audience – and it seriously challenges Jameson’s dominance of that market.
I wholeheartedly welcome that challenge and wish all involved with Proper Twelve future success.
Seeing as it’s Independence Day in America – and by a little twist of fate Britain also recently voted for it’s ‘Independence’ regarding the Brexit split from the European Union – I thought I’d celebrate/drown my sorrows – nothing like sitting on the fence on tricky subjects – by opening a few bottles of bourbon to try out the contents.
America is the biggest export market for Irish whiskey. In return we get the used bourbon barrels to mature yet more whiskey in – as well as easy availability of famous bourbon brands in our pubs and off-licences.
Now bourbon has a whole set of rules and regulations – like Irish Whiskey – which define how it’s made – matured and that all important mash bill – but I’l leave The Whisky Exchange blog here to explain all that.
To get the ball rolling I’ve started with the iconic Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 from Tennesse.
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 c/othewhiskeynut
I did think of using a Bruce Springsteen track to accompany this blog – but given revelations from Jack Daniel’s themselves – perhaps Donna Summer is more appropriate?
Despite Jack being one of the biggest brands out there – I must admit to not liking it.
The combination of sticky sweet notes from the corn element together with a rough finish probably from the shorter maturation period leaves my palate a little strained. I can see why it’s usually drunk as a mixer rather than my preferred option of neat.
Undeterred I moved on.
Clarke’s Old Kentucky Straight Sour Mash Bourbon is a budget brand courtesy of the supermarket chain Aldi.
Clarke’s 1866 Bourbon c/othewhiskeynut
Surprisingly this brand warmed to me as the initial sweetness evolved into a lovely soft spiciness which pleasingly lingered on the tongue to give a long finish.
Given that Aldi sourced this bourbon from an unknown Kentucky distillery – there is no Clarke from 1866 – they’ve done a pretty fine job in my book. It’s also won some awards too – so don’t just take my word.
To be fair to other supermarket brands – and on the strength of Clarke’s Bourbon – I purchased Tesco’s budget bourbon by the name of Old Samuel.
Old Samuel c/othewhiskeynut
Billing itself as ‘Aged Kentucky Style Blended Bourbon’ the label also declares
‘Product of the USA. Blended and bottled in the Netherlands’
International Bourbon c/othewhiskeynut
Intrigued I checked out the bottler and uncovered Toorank – a Dutch distilling company which does a successful business importing bulk bourbon from USA – along with whiskey from Ireland and Scotland – to blend for third party customers.
My bottle has been open for sometime now and is going down fast as once again I found this an easy bourbon to consume. Not too sweet, a smooth body and pleasant finish.
My final choice was bought from a well known internet whiskey site by the name of Flavair. Knowing my palate enjoys the more robust flavours and less sweet notes normally found in rye whiskey – I took advantage of an offer on FEW Rye Whiskey.
FEW Rye c/othewhiskeynut
Bottled at 46.5% as opposed to the 40% of the others – this expression also bills itself as ‘handcrafted and small batched’ and hails from Chicago.
An initial sweetness soon gave way to a powerful spicy rye punch and a lingering dryness on the palate. Now this is more my thing!
Given a choice – I’d always go for a rye first. All of the admittedly very limited selection I’ve tasted so far suit my palate better than even the best bourbons.
It should come as no surprise then that FEW Rye comes out tops in my Independence Day tasting session.
Jack Daniel’s I’m afraid flunks – to use an American phrase.
Whilst in the budget bourbon category Clarke’s comes in second because of it’s soft spice followed closely behind by Old Samuel.
As regards pricing. Both Clarke’s and Old Samuel came in at 16 euro. Jack Daniel’s can be got from 25 whilst FEW starts at 70 – when you can get hold of it.
Clarke’s Bourbon wins as the best buy.
So there you go.
I thoroughly enjoyed my exploration into american bourbons.
Enjoy your 4th July – and remember – don’t drink too much.
Enjoy the tastes – flavours and good company – not the hangover.
Prior to the Beam/Suntory takeover of the Kilbeggan/Cooley distillery, it was the only independently owned distillery in Ireland. (This situation has altered again due to the many new entrants into the market). A number of brand names were dropped from the portfolio during the changing process which has led to exciting developments in the Irish Whiskey industry.
Locke’s Single Malt Crock c/o Celtic Whiskey Shop
The 1st notable omission from the current line-up is Locke’s Single Malt.This is a fine example of a smooth tasting pot still Irish whiskey. The fact that the Locke’s family ran the Kilbeggan distillery for over 100 years through the ups and downs of the whiskey trade and that there name was synonymous with a good dram – it seems a startling miss out. For further reading there is a very informative book – “Locke’s Distillery, A History.” by Andrew Bielenberg, produced for the 250th anniversary of the distillery. Well worth getting hold off. I got my copy at the Offaly Historical & Archaeological Society shop in Tullamore.
Locke’s Distillery A History c/o Whiskey Nut
The main beneficiaries of the sale to Beam were the Teeling family. Brothers Jack and Stephen wasted no time reinvesting their share in building the 1st new distillery to be opened in Dublin for 125 years. I’ve been lucky to have visited it already. It’s a grand building and will produce some very fine whiskeys indeed judging by the Teeling releases currently out there which are all presently spirit made at Kilbeggan/Cooley. There is a must see documentary called “The Whiskey Business” soon to be screened on Irish TV on June 5th which follows the boys making their dreams come true.
Teeling Single Malt c/o Celtic Whiskey Shop
Father John is also building a grain distillery at Dundalk – no doubt to supply his sons (and others) with one of the main ingredients for blended whiskey.
There are a number of other clients who previously sourced their spirit at Kilbeggan/Cooley who have gone on to develop their own distilleries.
Lottery winner Peter Lavery previously released the Titanic and Danny Boy whiskey brands. He is now behind the release of McConnell’s Irish Whiskey prior to the development of Crumlin Gaol in Belfast as a whiskey distillery.
Michael Collins Whiskey c/o Celtic Whiskey Shop
Meanwhile – a whiskey I have tasted and enjoyed – Michael Collins – is taking a rather different approach. The Sidney Frank Importing Co is suing Beam for the cessation of it’s whiskey stocks!
There is also the rather unknown quantity of “own label” brands – supermarket chains for example -that would have got their spirit from Kilbeggan/Cooley. This is a major business – but often hard to get information on. The requirement is only to state which country produced the whiskey – not the distillery – but Kilbeggan/Cooley under Teeling supplied this lucrative market.
O’Reilly’s Irish Whiskey c/o eluxo.pl
One example is O’Reilly’s Irish Whiskey which is available in Tesco’s. It has the Cooley Business address on the back. It is still on the shelves at present so whether stocks have been secured post Beam – or pre Beam – I don’t know. I’ve aslo not tasted it. But it is an example of the many different labels a distilleries output can end up in!
The above are only a small sample of whiskeys manufactured at Kilbeggan/Cooley during the time John Teeling was at the helm – 1987 to 2012. Many are no more – but some may survive. I certainly enjoy hunting them down and experiencing the differing tastes and styles on display – marvelling that they were all produced at the same distillery!
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 