Slane Irish Whiskey 40% ABV $25 – $30 Website What the Blender Says Three Unique Casks for a Uniquely Complex Spirit Slane Irish Whiskey takes many of its complex and smooth qualities from our signature Triple Casked process. Whiskey is aged in three varieties of casks: Virgin and Seasoned casks raised by hand at the venerated Brown-Forman Cooperages – and Oloroso sherry casks by way of Jerez in Spain. Once the liquid has been aged to perfection, it is masterfully blended to create an exceptional Irish whiskey.
Tasting Notes Smooth, complex and robust. Slane Irish Whiskey marries toasted grain and malt whiskeys with the distinctive flavours of each cask. NOSE: Complex fruit with drizzles of caramel, butterscotch and vanilla; brown spice and toasted oak TASTE: Spicy at first but quickly sweetened with rich caramel, vanilla and butterscotch atop a deep layer of dried fruit FINISH: Lingering hints of dry fruit and caramelised wood sugar
What Gary Says Nose: Fruity (reminds me a bit of young rye); notes of caramel, butterscotch, toasted oak with hints of allspice and worn leather (like an old baseball glove). Palate: Sweet and soft; pears, peaches, plums with honey, subtle oak, nutmeg, and notes of malt. Finish: Medium length, slightly drying with a slight spice note. Comments: For 40% ABV (and $35 for a 1 liter!), this has a lot more character than I would have anticipated. I tried this in a pub in Ireland as it was a bottle I’d never heard of (not available in Georgia) and was fairly inexpensive. I thought it was delicious (although sometimes an idyllic setting can make something taste better). I decided I’d try to pick up a bottle to spend more quality time with, and was not disappointed in the least. The triple-cask maturation definitely makes it stand out as unique, and it punches well above it’s weight. Sometimes we enthusiasts can be purists, and turn our noses up when a bottle isn’t age stated, or doesn’t explicitly state no coloring was added. No, this isn’t a terribly complex dram, but if you’re a fan of just drinking Irish whiskey – I think you’ve got to at least try this. Rating: Must Try; Great Value
40% ABV $220 – $250 Website What the Blender Says Johnnie Walker Blue Label is an unrivalled masterpiece. It is an exquisite blend made from some of Scotland’s rarest and most exceptional whiskies. Only one in every ten thousand casks has the elusive quality, character and flavour to deliver the’ remarkable signature taste of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. An extraordinary whisky for extraordinary occasions.
FLAVOR NOSE: Take in the wonderfully mellow, rounded nose – replete with dry smokiness artfully mixed with the sweetness of raisins. PALATE: Serving a velvety combination of vanilla, honey and rose petals – before broadening out to include a zesty orange flavor with notes of hazelnut, sherry and dark chocolate. FINISH: Signing off with a rich and luxuriously long finish, which showcases Johnnie Walker’s trademark smokiness in the most sophisticated way.
What Gary Says Nose: Nice with a bit of sherry, peat, and nutty spice with dark fruit; hint of pipe smoke while laid back in an old overstuffed leather chair. Palate: Creamy rich mouthfeel, fruity (melons and raisins), hints of chocolate with allspice, nutmeg, anise and dark candy. Finish: Long, slow and mellowing. Comments: This is one of the main reasons I wanted this sample pack. I’ve been wanting to try Johnnie Walker Blue for years, but not enough to buy a whole bottle (and not wanting to try it in a bar/restaurant where the environment isn’t often conducive to giving a dram my full attention. In comparison to the Platinum 18 yr, I found this to be only a marginal step up in the line-up. On its own, it is a very nice pour. It is absolutely one of the more intensely flavored drams I’ve had at only 40% ABV. Nothing objectionable either – very well balanced, and I appreciate the craftsmanship that went into blending this. It too leaves me wanting to try it at a higher proof, and for my tastes, there are plenty of bottles I’d pick over this for the money. Rating: Stands Out
(Richard and Matt had reviewed this as part of a ‘taste off’ in 2009; below are their notes from that post)
What Richard Says: Nose: Peatier and smokier than most blends. You can really smell the Islay in here. Fresh cut wood and non-orange citrus. Limes maybe? Palate: An initial sweetness quickly shoved aside for a rich smokiness that settles to brine notes of the sea. Rich, complicated, and ever changing on the palate. Finish: A very slow and long finish. It leaves you with a mellow smokiness more subtle than the robust smoke on the palate. Rating: Must Try
What Matt Says: Nose: Peat, chocolate, honey suckle and other sweet florals. Quite lovely. Palate: Very smooth, but a little one-dimensional. There are some very light hints of peat, but mostly sweet and fruity. Finish: Peaty and dry. Rating: Stands Out
Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Years Old 40% ABV $120 Website What the Blender Says Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Year Old was inspired by the tradition of giving private blends to a close circle of family friends by John Walker & Sons. Blended from whiskies that have matured for at least 18 years, it combines sophisticated and contemporary tastes with classic Johnnie Walker flavours. When you want to make a special occasion truly exceptional, Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Year Old is the discerning choice. FLAVOURS Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Year Old blends big, classic Johnnie Walker flavours with intriguing contemporary notes of citrus and fragrant almonds. Initially sweet with a warm vanilla undercurrent and a suggestion of tangerines, it moves smoothly over the palate into a nutty, malty dryness before a long finish brings elegant suggestions of soft charcoal smokiness and a beautifully fading citrus zest.
What Gary Says Nose: Sherried smoke with subtle dark fruit behind sea air; bit of allspice, cigar paper and sour oak. Palate: Soft entry with a slightly creamy mouthfeel, sweet fruit with savory vegetal notes, hints of peat and smoke. Finish: Moderately long and drying. Comments: Tasting this as part of the Johnnie Walker Sampler Pack (which includes their Black, Gold Label Reserve, this, and Blue). If you’re not familiar with Johnnie Walker’s lineup, this is a cost effective way to get a large enough sample of each to spend some quality time with them. This was a definite step up from the Gold Label Reserve. A nice pour that is well balanced, with a bit of several things (sherry, smoke, peat, fruit). While I enjoy it, it isn’t squarely in my wheelhouse – especially for the money. And again – while quite easy to drink at this proof, I’d love to try this at a higher proof. Rating: Stands Out
I had the pleasure of spending just over two weeks in Ireland in early August 2018. This was a father/son trip where we used a company (Trafalgar) that took care of everything. We added a few days to meet distant relatives – but this wasn’t specifically a whiskey-focused trip. Thankfully my old man is also a whiskey enthusiast, so we managed to squeeze in a couple distillery tours/tastings that I’ve shared. We also used our free time in various cities to sneak in some other whiskey themed stops.
This hidden gem was a block from our hotel. I spotted it while out for an early morning walk, and took note of the little sign off the lamppost: Jack Ryan Single Malt Irish Whiskey. I returned that evening and was not disappointed. I did try their own single malt (distilled by Cooley, aged 12 yrs) and it wasn’t in my wheelhouse, but not off-putting either. What really blew me away is the ambiance (although I think if I would have used that term in there, someone would have laughed me out of the pub). Just a very relaxed, easy going atmosphere. Met a chap named James who gave me some of the history, and while not perhaps a PC term – I thought he nailed the essence of this place when he said it was one of the “last but best old-man pubs around”. Good natured ribbing (note – asking to have Tennis put on when the World Cup Final is being televised might not earn you many friends; besides James), great service (when James noted that around the other side of the bar they had a more extensive whiskey selection, our bartender Anton was happy to have me come around their side to see for myself – and they were right!), and just a lot of fun. Enjoyed a few drams, and then a couple of pints of Guiness, and thought that if this place were a block or two from my house – I could easily picture that being a regular stop. Highly recommend if you’re in town (although if there’s a game at nearby Aviva Stadium, expect it to be hectic!) Better whiskey prices than other pubs in the area, and a top notch atmosphere.
We only had 40 minutes of “free time” in Belfast, and spent nearly all of it talking with Rob in one of the neatest whiskey shops I’d ever set foot it! It is more museum than shop (I believe he said they have more bottles NOT for sale than are for sale), but that was what I found so fascinating about it. I bought a 50mL of their own label, which was Bushmill’s distilled single malt aged 13 yrs in bourbon cask (again, wasn’t right in my wheelhouse, but nothing off-putting), and took a ton of pictures. They have ancient dusty bottles most had never heard of, and Rob was very well informed about any we asked about. They have one of the last remaining unopened bottles of Red Spot, a 15 yr Irish whiskey (of course in the “Not for Sale” case).
While Irish whiskey focused, there were some very rare bottles of scotch (although there was some connection with Ireland involved typically). We saw some shops with a greater “for sale” selection, but I think we had more fun in this shop than any others. I’d definitely check it out if in the area (and carve out more time!)
Ballybofey and Stranorlar Most Memorable Pub:The Snug Bar (on Main St, next to the Kee’s Hotel).
We spent two nights in Stranolar, and the first we stuck with the pub in the Kee’s Hotel (which was also pretty decent; live entertainment both nights we were there which was appreciated!) The second we decided to pop next door after hearing someone mention a quiet little pub with a great atmosphere. We were early (like – first ones/only ones in the door), but weren’t disappointed. For a small pub, they had an extensive Irish whiskey collection (and a better than average collection of bourbon and scotch as well!), and had a printed drinks menu which made browsing easier. While they cater to the whiskey enthusiast, they had a fine selection of beer and other drinks for the masses. The bartender (who may also have been the owner) was well versed in whiskey, and a serious enthusiast himself. He shared some details of his personal collection which I’ll respect his privacy to not divulge here, but it was impressive. Most importantly, he was willing to sit and chat with patrons about our shared love of the amber spirit, which is all one can hope in a lovely setting such as that!
This is hardly a ‘hidden gem’. I mean – just Google ‘Killarney Whiskey’ and their “Irish Whiskey Experience” web page is the first result – and for good reason. We didn’t have time to experience that unfortunately, but their on-line whiskey menu floored me! Pappy, BTAC, and the various American limited editions that are near impossible to get today were available, and at prices that aren’t outrageous (one example – William Larue Weller was 22 euro for a 35.5 mL pour; I won’t quote local prices – but that’s damned reasonable!) I figured they were on the menu, but not behind the bar – but they were (we didn’t do a complete inventory, but here’s a snapshot my Dad took of that section). If you’ve read about the distillery tours, you’re familiar with my quest to find a bottle and my criteria (if not, check those posts). I asked for a manager and explained what I was looking for in broad strokes. Frances went out of her way to bring me various options, including the details on each bottle. I ordered a pour of two, and while both were very nice, I didn’t absolutely love either one – so I thanked her for her help. We arrived early (about 5pm) and enjoyed an excellent meal before this. When we arrived, there were a couple of patrons in the bar area. When we left around 7pm, it was packed – every seat at the bar or every table was taken. I wish I had a day to spend, as they also offer different whiskey flights. While I didn’t find a bottle, I had a great time and would definitely return if in Killarney.
The other whiskey tour we managed to squeeze into our non-whiskey themed Ireland trip was at Teeling Whiskey Distillery, which opened in 2015. The tours include a tasting, and they have different offerings which was nice (same tour, but more/better whiskey tasting at the end if you’re interested). As the tour is the same for all, let’s cover that first.
Before the tour starts, they have a nice exhibition space setup. It covers some facts about the distillery (how many visitors, pours served, etc), and provides a nice historical timeline about Irish whiskey in Dublin, as well as the Teeling history. If you’re really into that piece, I’d suggest getting there at least 30 minutes early if you want to read everything. They’re pretty proud of being the first new distillery in Dublin in over 125 years, incorporating the “phoenix rising” into their logo (and not suggesting they shouldn’t be!) The tour guide ushered us from this space into a smaller room and talked with us briefly about the history of Irish whiskey, and how it fell from grace in part through their own stubbornness (not wanting to incorporate column stills over pot stills). They play a video of the Teeling’s talking about the distillery and their plans before bringing you into the working distillery.
If you’ve toured large distilleries before, this will definitely feel smaller. They step through the basics – starting with malted barley and pass around 3 canisters that you can touch/smell/taste the difference between un-malted barley, malted barley, and “Scottish” malted barley (heated with peat smoke, and what they were using during our visit). The barley is milled into flour and combined with water in a wet mill as it is passed to the lauter tun for heating and mashing. Several hours later the resulting wort is ready to be moved to their fermenters. It starts in one of their two 15k liter wooden fermenters, and after a bit is moved to one of their four 30k liter stainless steel fermenters to complete fermentation. This is the first I’ve heard of anyone moving the wort between different fermentation vessels, but Teeling is nothing if not innovative. The two wooden fermenters were open for visitors to see what’s happening inside, with one fermenting away (the other they hadn’t yet added the yeast). They allow it to ferment over about 5 days until their wash (or ‘distiller’s beer’) is about 8% ABV. I asked about the type of yeast, as I’m always intrigued by how some distilleries place great emphasis on this (maintaining yeast strains for generations, or using different yeast strains to impart different flavors, or simply using industrial yeast with no provenance).
Our guide (Eimear) explained that they use a combination of traditional distiller’s yeast (the industrial standard at many distilleries) and a white wine yeast from South Africa which they found imparts some fruity notes to the spirit. She emphasized that the yeast doesn’t make a huge difference – that only 40% of the flavor comes from the process we see in the distillery (the rest from the barrel during maturation), but acknowledged it does have a subtle difference. Those of us who have tasted through all 10 recipes of Four Roses (where there are two mashbills, but 5 yeast strains) can attest that there is absolutely an impact from yeast, and I was impressed that our tour guide not only knew the answer to my question, but had some grasp on the impact it has on the final spirit – reflects well that they’re training their folks well and not just providing scripts to read.
After fermentation, the wash moves to the first of their three, handcrafted copper pot stills (made by Frilli in Sienna, Italy). Each of the stills are named after Jack Teeling’s three daughters. The first 15k liter wash still (Alison) takes the wash up to a low-wine of about 30% ABV. This is moved to the second 10k liter intermediat still (Natalie), where a second distillation takes the spirit up to about 65% ABV. This is moved to the third 9k liter spirit still (Rebecca) whose third distillation of the spirit renders a product of about 84% ABV. Currently they’re producing about 30k liters of spirit a week at the distillery, and it is matured off-site about an hour north. They do have a couple of barrels aging on-site – the first barrel filled at the distillery (which has a countdown clock on the vault for when it will reach the 3 years and one day age to be legally bottled as Irish whiskey, which would be on 10/24/2018). The other is the Zoey Teeling cask, which was filled on the day she was born. For maturation, they use casks which previously held bourbon, cabernet savignon, rum, sherry, and other wines/spirits. The climate in Ireland results in the angels being less greedy, losing only about 2% every year during maturation (versus 5% for bourbon in Kentucky).
Now for my favorite part – the tasting! They offered three different tasting options we we visited. The entry level was the Teeling Tasting (€15) and included the Teeling Small Batch along with a handcrafted whiskey cocktail. The middle option was the Teeling Trinity Tasting (€20), which included the Teeling Small Batch, Teeling Single Grain, and Teeling Single Malt. We opted for the top of the line tasting, the Teeling Single Malt Tasting (€30) which per the web-site includes: Teeling Single Malt, Vintage Single Malt, and Limited Edition Single Cask. During our visit, the “Vintage Single Malt” we got was their Teeling Revival Volume V, and the “Limited Edition Single Cask” we got was a non-chill filtered, cask strength 9 yr single malt matured in Port – which is only available at the distillery. While not listed on the web-site, we got a 4th tasting of Teeling Small Batch in a highball glass, which was a nice palate warm-up dram (and made it easier on the guide to have everyone start with that). I liked how they managed the different tastings – when you get your ticket they give you a wrist band which is a ribbon (not one of those printed sticker things that aims to pull at your arm hairs). When you arrive to the tasting room, they have different tables based on your wrist band. This allowed the guide to move between the tables and manage the three experiences nicely without half the group feeling like they were “missing out” on what the others had. We’ve reviewed the Small Batch and Single Malt here previously. The Revival was quite nice, although I didn’t find it appreciably better than the Single Malt. It is difficult to do a studied tasting in this type of environment (although their setup was one of the better I’d seen to try to provide for that). But for me, at a price point of €120 vs €55, I wasn’t blown away with the Revival. It had a lovely, long finish, and my dad thought that was his favorite of the four we tried. For me, the 9 yr port was what I liked best.
As I shared in an earlier post, I was on a mission to find a bottle of whiskey under the specific criteria – and here, on the last full day of the tour – I’d yet to purchase a bottle. Just a reminder of those criteria: 1. Something I could afford (wanted to stay under $200) 2. Something I absolutely loved. 3. Something I could not purchase back home. 4. Something non-chill filtered. 5. Something bottled at cask strength. 6. Something distilled/matured in Ireland. I was delighted to find something that checked every box in this 9 yr port. For €100, I’d have something delicious that I loved and could share with family/friends back home. Being able to fill my own bottle was a nice added touch. I’ll post a more thorough review when I can spend more quality time with it 🙂 They did have another single cask you could fill yourself (a 20+ yr old rum cask for €350), and they have a bar next to the gift shop so you could order a pour before you buy (something the US distilleries should consider for those gift shop exclusives; many a one-off bottle I would have bought had I been able to try it first!)
If you’re in Dublin, I’d definitely recommend carving out a couple hours (the tour/tasting was 45 minutes to an hour) and swinging buy Teeling Whiskey Distillery.
