McCormack’s Irish Whiskey was brought to my attention by a random tweet featuring a photo of a French supermarket spirits shelf.
The discussion mainly revolved around the varying prices brought about by the taxes charged in the respective countries – but what interested me was the fact that sitting beside a well known staple – Bushmills – is a brand unheard of in Ireland – McCormack’s.
A bit of digging reveals it to be a West Cork Distillers brand. For it to be listed in LeClerc stores suggests it’s quite a big seller. A European Supermarket Magazine article from January 2024 has E.Leclerc as the largest retail chain in France – view article here.
The Pogues Streams Of Whiskey is the 3rd version of Pogues Whiskey to hit the shelves.
All of them are presented in visually striking bottles.
Black was the colour of the 1st one. A blended Irish Whiskey hailing from West Cork Distillers. Dunnes Stores stocked this at one stage.
Red signified the Irish Single Malt version – also sourced from West Cork Distillers.
Purple is the choice of this 3rd edition. Also a blended whiskey but representing the London-born-to-Irish-parents-heritage of The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan, Streams Of Whiskey is a High malt blend of whiskies distilled in Ireland & the UK – as stated on the front label of the whiskey.
It doesn’t say who distilled them – but it would be safe to assume West Cork did the honours here too. The UK – or full flavour English Whisky as on the website here – portion is probably a little harder to confirm.
Halewood are the parent company for The Pogues Whiskey. They own a number of distilleries around the UK with one of them – Bankhall – just releasing a range of matured English Whisky. Could this be the source?
Mulling over who distilled it however is no substitute for tasting – so a glass was poured.
Dark golden brown with decent legs. No mention of chill filtering or added caramel – so I assume it has both.
Quite a shy nose. Hints of sweet oakiness & caramel with an underlying burnt toastiness.
Smooth palate with a sweet mouthcoating feel.
Came alive on the finish for me. A dry spicy tingling, burnt toffee, dark chocolate & warm caramels.
Has a different taste profile than the previous 2 examples & found it very entertaining.
For the price point, Streams Of Whiskey offers a visually striking bottle to grace any shelf, a fabulous collaboration with The Pogues band as well as an intriguing taste that folks can discuss the merits of the various components while enjoying a few drams.
Glad to have picked this one up with the last of my Amazon vouchers!
We move to Australia for this week’s Irish Whiskey Around The World with the Finnlaigh brand.
My only encounter with this Irish Whiskey was visiting a Woolworths Store in Melbourne back in 2016.
Woolworths famously collapsed in the UK when I was living there & left empty spaces in many a High Street so to find the stores openly trading in Oz was a surprise.
I’d never heard of Finnlaigh before – so took a photo.
I wasn’t in a position to purchase a bottle due to flying the next day.
The bottle design has changed subsequently & it’s listed on the Dan Murphy’s website.
Product information on Dan Murphy’s describes Finnlaigh as hailing from Cooley Distillery – Ireland’s only independent distillery.
Sadly this information is outdated.
Beam/Suntory currently own Cooley & I’d question whether they still supply Finnlaigh.
I couldn’t help noticing the new bottle design & slight name change to Finnlaighs. Both Great Northern Distillery & West Cork Distillers actively supply this market too so the juries currently out for me.
I did find an Australian YouTuber tasting Finnlaigh – old bottle – & commentating – That’s quiet nice!
We move to France for this SuperU release by the name of Green Gabbler.
The whiskey is presented in a green bottle with an embossed motif and suitably Irish images & script on the label.
For a long time Cooley Distillery supplied a lot of these supermarket-own-label bottlings but when Beam took over they promptly shut off the supply taps in 2012.
This gave space initially for West Cork Distillers to supply the third-party market followed later by the large operation at Great Northern Distillery.
A lot of these offerings are of very good value & exceedingly drinkable.
I didn’t manage to get hold of Green Gabbler myself – but friends in France were very satisfied with the whiskey.
Continuing my exploration of the booming Ready To Drink – RTD – market are a couple of very attractively presented West Cork offerings.
In the Green Corner is Classic Ginger.
In the Red is Classic Old Time Cola.
Both are at 6.5% ABV.
Unlike a lot of other RTD brands out there these are quite clearly a distillery canned product – as stated on the labels -which should guarantee an element of provenance.
Classic Ginger
A decent ginger aroma rises from the top of this one. The carbonation isn’t overpowering & the lime comes through on the palate. An easy & refreshing tipple.
Classic Old Time Cola
A darker offering to the golden hazy brown of Ginger. Classic cola notes off the top. Classic cola taste too – yet there’s a suggestion of malty whiskey peeking through as well.
Thoughts
I popped these cans in the freezer for 15 minutes before opening. It makes a difference. Served chilled they are bright, refreshingly lively & make for an entertaining easy drink.
It was a hard one to pick my preference from this pair. I think Classic Ginger just pulled ahead with that winning ginger & lime combo working very well above a faint whiskey influence.
There’s been a lot more notice of this West Cork own label age statement Single Pot Still release over many of their previous output.
Perhaps you might question why?
Up ’till now West Cork have done a roaring trade supplying 3rd party brands & supermarkets with whiskeys that despite selling well – often go under the radar.
An age statement SPS is a different matter – or so it appears.
I happened to be in The Shelbourne Bar in Cork – so a glass was ordered to sample the 5yo.
The Shelbourne is an award winning whiskey bar with no end of choices to whet your appetite. I’d have preferred a Tuath Glass over the Glencairn myself though.
A rich, warm & malty kind of nose greeted me.
A cuddly, welcoming & engaging palate.
Developed an entertaining soft prickly spice on the rear which danced merrily away.
If you haven’t tried West Cork Distillers before – isn’t it about time?
Alcohol & rock music go hand-in-hand – often to the detriment of those who over indulge.
Thin Lizzy Irish Whiskey is the latest of many a musical tie-in & is a collaboration with West Cork Distillers, the Thin Lizzy group & Phil Lynott’s family.
Bright golden colour.
Quite a rich aromatic sweet caramel & woody nose – which invites you in.
Very smooth & easy on the palate – yet grows in depth offering a gentle warmth enveloping the senses.
Especially one coming from ‘the largest wholly owned distillery in the country of Ireland’.
West Cork Distillers are a powerhouse of Irish Whiskey. They produce their own branded whiskey range – as well as supplying many a supermarket own label – as in this Dundalgan Gift Pack for Lidl – and several other non-distillery Irish Whiskey brands too.
I enjoy the opportunity a miniature pack gives to explore the diversity of range & styles available at a single setting.
My encounters with Dundalgan started back in 2018 & have continued ever since. I admire their evolution both in terms of label design & tweaking of product from batch to batch.
Without further ado – here’s what I found.
Dundalgan Blended Irish Whiskey, 40%
This entry level blend has always delivered the goods. An easy going vanilla & caramel nose, pleasant soft mouthfeel with a little kick on the finish.
A benchmark Irish Whiskey blend.
Dundalgan Charred Cask, Blend, 40%
Given an additional finish in charred casks has imbued this whiskey with a darker hue – along with added richness & warmth. Smoother on the palate there’s enhanced depth with a touch of spice on the rear.
Nice.
Dundalgan Stout Cask, Single Malt, 42%
The first of a trio of single malts featuring different cask finishes. The Stout Cask offers up an almondy nutty nose. Soft yet rich on the palate, a prickly tingling on the rear no doubt added to by the extra 42% presentation.
Dundalgan IPA Cask, Single Malt, 42%
I’m not a fan of IPA in craft beer – but in whiskey it does add a light fruitiness to the palate with a hint of bitterness on the rear.
A refreshing contrast to the other offerings.
Dudalgan Sherry Cask, Single Malt, 42%
You could say – along with the Blended Whiskey – this is the most traditional offering in the portfolio. A soft easy nose segues into a mild & gentle palate topped off with a dry spice on the rear.
Well balanced.
Thoughts
Regardless of your palate preferences there’s a Dundalgan to suit all – although I’m still holding out for a smoky version myself!
Given that all these whiskey are presented with natural colouring & non chill filtered at an affordable price they offer an impressive array of flavours.
My choice steers me towards the honest simplicity of Blended Irish Whiskey & the refreshing lightness of IPA Cask.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 