Roe & Co. Blended Irish Whiskey (NAS)

ABV:   45% ABV

Price:  £29.49

Distillery

The Thomas Street Distillery, run by the Roe Family in 19th C (Golden era of Irish whiskey), over 17 acres; once the largest in the Britain and Ireland, output of two million gallons per annum at its peak.

Opposite Guinness' St. James' Gate brewery; fell asleep in 1926, some buildings purchased and incorporated into the Guinness Brewery.

In January 2017, Diageo, producers of Guinness, £23 million investment; new distillery in the old brewery Power House building, close to the site of the original Thomas Street Distillery.

Roe & Co blended Irish whiskey marks Diageo's return to the Irish whiskey category having sold Bushmills a couple of years earlier.

Production at the new distillery started in a year ago – will eventually produce the single malt whiskey that will form the ‘core’ on a brand new whiskey, to which single grain whiskies will be blended in.

Meanwhile, they have sourced and blended single malt and single grain whiskeys from various distilleries.

Whiskey

Roe & Co is bottled at 45% abv without chill filtration and is a blend of single malt and grain whiskeys matured exclusively in bourbon casks (a high proportion of which are first-fill).

Nose:  Creamy, delightfully fragrant and remarkably rounded with notes of soft spice and mellow spun sugar along with warm hints of woody vanilla.

Palate:  The quality and perfect balance of the blend is immediately apparent on the palate through its velvety texture and sweet flavours including spiced pears and vanilla.

Finish:  Lingering and gentle, ending with a light creaminess.