Still under Covid-19 lockdown, we forced ourselves to organise our second virtual tasting courtesy of Peter's Zoom licence (he's such a nice fellow!)...  This time we woud be sampling five Irish Whiskies from the Emerald Isle (as if Irish Whiskies could come come from anywhere else?)..

 

 

 

We tasted five Irish whiskies :

  1. The first whisky was Roe & Co. Blended Irish Whiskey (NAS) - bottled in Dublin at 45% ABV without chill filtration was is a blend of single malt and grain whiskeys matured exclusively in bourbon casks and had a velvety texture and sweet flavours including spiced pears and vanilla.
  2. Our second whisky was Teeling Small Batch  (NAS) - 46% ABV, matured initially fully aged in Ex-Bourbon barrels for 6 years and then married together in Central American Rum casks for up to 12 months for a spicy and ‘dried fruit’ character, with a beautiful creamy valilla taste.
  3. Next up was Irish Single Malt No. 1 – 13 yo 46.8% ABV - from ‘That Boutique-y Whisky Company’ (a bottling company not a distillery) that 

    buys single casks and bottles single malts, single grains and bourbons from whisky brokers and a variety of renowned distilleries (145 around the world) as well as producing award-winning blended malts and blends.  The whiskey had a delicate nose of White grapes, red apples and cooked pears, whilst the palate had a blush of bright citrus notes to kick things off.

  4. Fourth up was a Connemara Peated Single Malt at 40% ABV - the only Irish Peated Single Malt Whiskey widely available today. Double distilled – not triple as most other whiskeys - and aged in ex-bourbon casks. A palate full and smooth with notes of malt and peat, honeyed smoke and barley sweetness.
  5. Finally, leaving the best 'til last, from the oldest Distillery in the world, we tasted Bushmills 21 yo 40% ABV, with a bottle price of £160!  

    Aged for a minimum of 19 years in former Oloroso Sherry and bourbon-seasoned casks, then married and transferred into Madeira casks for a further 2 years of aging and maturation, the result was a delicious nose of rich toffee, honey, spiced fruit notes and a palate of chewy, dates, pecans, grapes and mango.

Full details of the whiskies can be found via the 'Whiskies Tasted' tab above.