What Whisky/Whiskey are we drinking this month?

ZV Yoda

Beanstalk wrote: »

Got one today too, and the bushmills 10 for 30 also. Need to stop now the press door can hardly close

Time for a bigger press!

Electric Nitwit

Ginger83 wrote: »

Is it nice? How does it compare to RB, powers etc?

Not sure, probably won't open it for a while but it's joined the queue!

oleras

Only got around to using the Black Bush cocktail kit last night, my first time making a sour and only my second time drinking one.

I will deffo be making these over the xmas.

Weepsie

Lucky enough to have stayed in the Shelbourne the other day (once off). Had their Whiskey Sour using Red Breast 12. Could have drank them for days.


Also tried the Writers Tears, Mizunara. My first cask strength, so wasn't quite prepaared. Quite intense at first I though on the heat/spce side of things. I had a little ice and it mellowed very nicely. I'll try it again, as I liked it more every sip.

Hodors Appletart

Some advice please.

My Father-in-Law is a bit of a hoarder, and I found a bottle of Bushmills 10 Single Malt in his house over the weekend.

It's unopened, but the cork is snapped, so if I open it it will need decanting.

Anyone had it? I've no idea how long it's been there but it's dusty.

Rew

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

Some advice please.

My Father-in-Law is a bit of a hoarder, and I found a bottle of Bushmills 10 Single Malt in his house over the weekend.

It's unopened, but the cork is snapped, so if I open it it will need decanting.

Anyone had it? I've no idea how long it's been there but it's dusty.

Finished one a while back, cork had the opposite issue and was a bit loose. Cant say there was anything memorable about it, didn't taste of more to me.

Cazale

Another two new releases. This time from Lough Ree in Longford. Both peated so presume it's Great Northern stock.

Hodors Appletart

sounds like something I'll have a glass of and decide to lash the rest into coffee or cocktails

thanks!

Rew

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

sounds like something I'll have a glass of and decide to lash the rest into coffee or cocktails

thanks!

Think I drank a lot of it with fever tree ginger ale and a slice of lime

Slattsy

Just an observation

I dont see that anyone drinks Tullamore Dew here? The 12 yr old comes in at 48e which i find a lot nicer than the Redbreast 12 (60e). Redbreast 12 i find fiercely overrated but that for another debate!

Their 14 yr old Single Malt is one of the best Irish out there, its a stunner. Its cheap at 75 bucks.

They're not trendy but i gave the single malt a try once and since then i've always had them in my collection. I'd certainly recommend them.

(i do not work for Tullamore Dew!!! )

Starlord_01

Slattsy wrote: »

Just an observation

I dont see that anyone drinks Tullamore Dew here? The 12 yr old comes in at 48e which i find a lot nicer than the Redbreast 12 (60e). Redbreast 12 i find fiercely overrated but that for another debate!

Their 14 yr old Single Malt is one of the best Irish out there, its a stunner. Its cheap at 75 bucks.

They're not trendy but i gave the single malt a try once and since then i've always had them in my collection. I'd certainly recommend them.

(i do not work for Tullamore Dew!!! )

Done the tour this summer - should've picked up the 12 at that price but didn't.

Electric Nitwit

Slattsy wrote: »

Just an observation

I dont see that anyone drinks Tullamore Dew here?

A few years ago, while I was still over there, Tullamore DEW kitted out a double decker bus with Irish sports photos and banners etc and took it round the UK. It was kind of cool, but mostly because they had a little bar on board giving away TD and cloudy apple juice. That became my go-to drink for festivals, its really good. Worth a try (though maybe more for the summer)

odyssey06

Slattsy wrote: »

Just an observation
I dont see that anyone drinks Tullamore Dew here? The 12 yr old comes in at 48e which i find a lot nicer than the Redbreast 12 (60e). Redbreast 12 i find fiercely overrated but that for another debate!
Their 14 yr old Single Malt is one of the best Irish out there, its a stunner. Its cheap at 75 bucks.
They're not trendy but i gave the single malt a try once and since then i've always had them in my collection. I'd certainly recommend them.
(i do not work for Tullamore Dew!!! )

Tullamore Dew seems to have a bigger profile abroad than at home... but when you consider Jameson dropped their 12 year old, that's a pretty good price.

If you want to add another TD version to your collection, some Supervalus are selling the Tullamore Dew XO Caribbean Rum Cask Finish for €27.
https://shop.supervalu.ie/shopping/product/1727631000

Slattsy

odyssey06 wrote: »

Tullamore Dew seems to have a bigger profile abroad than at home... but when you consider Jameson dropped their 12 year old, that's a pretty good price.

If you want to add another TD version to your collection, some Supervalus are selling the Tullamore Dew XO Caribbean Rum Cask Finish for €27.
https://shop.supervalu.ie/shopping/product/1727631000

TD is absolutely huge in the States.

Effects

Yeah, you only need to look at their distillery to know they have deep pockets and do well abroad.
I did a tour last year and it was great. Got to taste a big selection of their stuff. I really like the 12 year old as well.

L1011

In a lot of Scandinavia you'll be hard-pushed to find Jameson - its Tullamore everywhere. Irish is popular there, so you'll get Tullamore (and Baileys) in corner shops in Denmark for instance.

Cazale

L Mulligans

Friday 18th December 7:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Whilst 2020 may have been a strange year we have still manage to host weekly whiskey tastings and it is fair to say that we have had some unbelievable whiskies!

We have put together the top 5 based on your thoughts and comments and have this fantastic list of whiskies to try and vote for which is the best on the night.

Paul John Kanya
Loch Lomond Inchmurrin
Tipperary Single cask 2302
Bushmills 1995 Malaga Cask
Gelston’s 15 year old

Plus one other bonus whiskey to finish the evening off.

So far we will be joined by Shilton from Paul John, Jennifer from Tipperary and Seamus from Bushmills to talk us through their whiskies. We should have someone from Loch Lomond and Gelston’s join in too.

Cazale

This months Pour and Sip selection has arrived. Five by 30ml samples each month. Decent enough selection and got a free Kyrö glass too.

Talisker 8 Year Old (Special Release 2020) Drinks giant Diageo bottles its themed Special Releases each year, and it’s always much-anticipated. The 2020 collection’s theme was Rare by Nature, inspired by the surroundings of each distillery and all bottled at cask strength – including this youthful Talisker. The single malt spent its entire maturation in casks which previously held pot-still Caribbean rum, which is the first release of its kind from the Isle of Skye distillery! Considering how well it’s turned out, we don’t know why these two seaside locations haven’t met in one bottle before. It’s all savoury coastal Talisker smoke and tropical fruit from the cask in this well-balanced whisky.

Darkness 8 Year Old If you like a little mystery to your whisky, Darkness has you covered, because the folks behind it will never tell which Scottish distillery they source the single malt from – though they sure know how to get the best out of a sherry cask! The whisky was initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels, and was then transferred to custom-made Oloroso sherry octave casks for at least three months before it was bottled. If you haven’t heard of them before, octave casks are much smaller than your usual sherry butt. This increased surface-area-to-volume ratio amplifies the cask influence over a shorter period of time, so you’ll enjoy heaps of chocolate, red fruit and spice in here!

J.J. Corry The Hanson – Batch 2 Over in County Clare, Ireland, you’ll find J.J. Corry. It isn’t a distillery, but a whiskey bonder – the first new bonder in Ireland for over 50 years! – which means that it doesn’t produce the liquid, but instead sources it from all over the country, then matures, blends and bottles it itself. This is the second batch of The Hanson, a blended grain whiskey, and this particular release was a blend of three casks from a selection of Irish distilleries. If you like your whiskies slightly lighter, full of buttery, tropical and vanilla notes, this will be right up your street!

Kyrö Malt Rye We look to Finland for our next whisky, more specifically an old dairy farm in Isokyrö, where you’ll find the Kyrö distillery! The folks at the distillery are even known to go by the name of the ‘Adventurous Rye Rye Gentlemen’ because they have such an affinity with the grain, and this is their newest release, Kyrö Malt Rye. It’s distilled entirely from malted Finnish wholegrain rye, and is actually the first Finnish single batch rye whisky. Its entire ageing was spent in new American white oak casks, and this particular wood type imparts some creamier notes to balance the more herbaceous, spicy flavours from the grain.

Jura 21 Year Old Tide Jura is one of Scotland’s Hebridean Islands, and the scenic destination boasts just one road, a larger population of deer than people (which is either awesome or terrifying, you decide), and just one distillery! This is Tide, a 21-year-old single malt that’s been through a dual maturation. First, it was rested in American white oak bourbon barrels, which is where it gets its oodles of vanilla and caramel flavours from, after which it was transferred to virgin American white oak casks, which is where the slightly spicier nuances come from. Proof that Scottish Island whisky isn’t always packed full of peat – though you will find subtle suggestions of smoke in here.

Another subscription on the way is whisky-me.com. It's one 50ml sample a month. This month is a single cask Glen Elgin.

Glen Elgin 2009 Bourbon Cask
From: Speyside

Fact: The distillery powered by paraffin right up until 1950! All machinery was driven by a paraffin engine and a water turbine and it was a full-time job to keep the paraffin lights burning

This month we have hit our milestone of 2500 members, so we have been out and purchased an entire cask of whisky. This months dram is a Glen Elgin 2009 Bourbon Cask. Glen Elgin uses non-peated malt, which is mashed in 8 tonne batches, producing a clear, fruity wort that is then fermented for 90 hours. This is the key to the distillery’s trademark fruity character. Besides being a component of the White Horse blend (as well as appearing in Johnnie Walker blends), Glen Elgin single malt is a popular export brand and has enjoyed a long standing following in Italy and Japan. Needless to say, we’re very excited to have our own cask of Glen Elgin!

Cazale

Cazale wrote:

This months Pour and Sip selection has arrived. Five by 30ml samples each month. Decent enough selection and got a free Kyrö glass too. Another subscription on the way is whisky-me.com. It's one 50ml sample a month. This month is a single cask Glen Elgin.

Last months Pour and Sip was a Highland Park Cask Strength, Cameronbridge 27 year old, Glengoyne the Legacy series chapter 2, Uncle Nearest 1856 and Taketsuru pure malt. Whisky-me last month was Glenfarclas 25 year old. Great way to try a varied selection of whiskeys.

BonnieSituation

I still haven't had a chance to open my Glenfarclas 25. The email today was a nice wee fillip.

---

It's a night of GIS and Kilbeggan over this side with the NFL on in the background for good measure.

Weepsie

A whiskey sized box from O'Briens has arrived to me as a secret santa present. No idea what it is, but excited to find out on Saturday.

Dtp1979

I’ve made a few attempts over the last week to try my RB26. All failed attempts. So tonight I said feck it, and poured one. What an amazing whisky.
And now I see there’s a RB30?! Anyone tried that?

Cazale

The Tipperary release that caused all that bother a few weeks back is a bargain in comparison to this one. Crazy money for a three year old whiskey.

Ballykeefe distillery, single estate whiskey - €475

Ballykeefe is an entirely independent, artisan, family-owned Single Estate Whiskey Distillery, which was built in 2016 to diversify a working family farm for successor generations. All of the Whiskey is triple distilled from barley sown, grown and harvested on the family farm. This makes it a uniquely 100% ‘field to glass “Single Estate” Whiskey distillery’ and marks a revival of a century’s lost tradition of family farm distilling. Ballykeefe on the label means 100% Ballykeefe distilled spirit made from 100% Ballykeefe Irish barley, in the bottle.

The Ging family have an unbroken lineage of farming for centuries as far back as written records exist. Ballykeefe is located in the region which is renowned for the earliest written accounts of distilling in Ireland, recorded in the Red Book of Ossory in 1324.

Built in 2016, Whiskey production began in 2017 with a Single Pot Still, followed by Single Malt and Single Rye. All Whiskey is triple distilled in bespoke, Irish designed, Italian made, copper stills, using deep well Ballykeefe water. Major investment in sophisticated technology and eco-friendly practices have ensured zero off-farm waste and secured Ballykeefe multiple awards for sustainability.

The first release of 500 cask strength, single pot still, single cask bottles, is being done in an exclusive collaboration with Ireland’s oldest Family-owned Crystal Studio Workshop, Kilkenny Crystal. Using traditional techniques, the master craftspeople at Kilkenny Crystal, have designed and hand cut two unique crystal tumblers to accompany each bottle, which they have also beautifully hand engraved to mark this historic first release.

lawrencesummers

Bargain.
Only 475 for a 3/4 year old whiskey and a set of glasses.

ciaran76

Slattsy wrote: »

TD is absolutely huge in the States.

TD huge in Czech Republic too.
Before Covid I used to go there once a month with work and I used to live there back in 2012/13 and it had huge marketing there.

People would mention it to me before Jameson in bars etc.

Beanstalk

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Bargain.
Only 475 for a 3/4 year old whiskey and a set of glasses.

ah lads. what is going on? honestly...that's just mad.

lawrencesummers

Beanstalk wrote: »

ah lads. what is going on? honestly...that's just mad.

It’s only mad if it doesn’t sell out.

If it sells out then it’s underpriced.

the beer revolu

Beanstalk wrote: »

ah lads. what is going on? honestly...that's just mad.

They probably watched too many distillery first releases being retailed for €50 - €70 and then being resold for €hundreds.
I guess they felt that they deserved to cash in more than the resellers!

With crystal tumblers they are going for rich Americans and Russians and collectors rather than whiskey drinkers imo.

Mad money, though.

Weepsie

TD was always my favoured of the mixing/entry whiskeys, and I don't quite know why. I always go for that or Bushmills, where as my wife goes for Jameson.

I think she's a little concerned about the sheer amount I have amassed lately. This is what I have in total at moment


Greenspot x 2, Writers Tears Mizunara, Writers Tears Copper Pot, Kilbeggan 8, Black Barrel x 2, Jameson Caskmates Stout, Bushmills, Powers 3 Swallows Release, Tullamore Dew, Talisker 10 (not much left) and Johnnie Walker Black.

Not being able to have guests and such has obviously impacted that, but that's probably more than I need

Beanstalk

lawrencesummers wrote: »

It’s only mad if it doesn’t sell out.

If it sells out then it’s underpriced.

yeah fair point. what i should have said is that its maddening, having been waiting so long for new Irish distilleries to open, and to rival the scotch industry, that one of our most interesting potential products and the concept of single origin are marketed way beyond our reach.

Ivefoundgod

Ballykeefe is relatively local to me but I wouldn’t go near their stuff at €70 let alone €500 unless I saw some reviews. Their gin is really bad and nothing about their packaging says premium. The Drumshanbo inaugural release for €80 has better packaging than what this set has.

Know someone working in the wine centre Kilkenny though who said they’ve already had multiple enquiries for it. People are crazy.

lawrencesummers

Beanstalk wrote: »

yeah fair point. what i should have said is that its maddening, having been waiting so long for new Irish distilleries to open, and to rival the scotch industry, that one of our most interesting potential products and the concept of single origin are marketed way beyond our reach.

It seems crazy alright, but the latest Waterford release is selling for €800 at auction and that’s a bottle only release with twice the availability.

lawrencesummers

Ivefoundgod wrote: »

Ballykeefe is relatively local to me but I wouldn’t go near their stuff at €70 let alone €500 unless I saw some reviews. Their gin is really bad and nothing about their packaging says premium. The Drumshanbo inaugural release for €80 has better packaging than what this set has.

Know someone working in the wine centre Kilkenny though who said they’ve already had multiple enquiries for it. People are crazy.

I think most people would agree that no young whiskey is worth that amount no matter the distillery, It’s novelty and potential future value that people are paying for.

Cazale

Teeling Wonders of Wood Amburana Cask

We are excited to announce there is still stock available of the very first in our series of Wonders of Wood bottlings! A 14 Year Old Single Malt aged initially in bourbon barrels and then further matured in Virgin Amburana Brazilian hardwood. Challenging the conception of traditional whiskey flavours, this unique Irish whiskey has a striking carrot cake taste profile with hints of vanilla, cardamom and walnut. This Teeling Distillery Exclusive is very different to anything we have bottled before and definitely not Irish whiskey as you would normally know it.

The selection of the Amburana Wood as the first release of our Wonders of Wood series was decided by attendees of our Virtual Wonders of Wood event in September. Hosted by Teeling Whiskey’s Master Distiller, Alex Chasko, Teeling Maturation Manager, Iain Wood and Global Brand Ambassador, Robert Caldwell, the tasting gave participants a unique opportunity to taste some of our most innovative and unique Teeling Whiskey maturation projects. At the end of the tasting we asked the audience to vote for their favourite and to share their tasting notes. The winner on the night was to be bottled up as a Single Cask and to be the first of our Wonders of Wood releases. The Amburana Brazilian Hardwood was the pick of the lot! These casks normally never make it out of Brazil but we were lucky to get our hands on a number of sustainably farmed casks that had been destined for a premium Cachaça distiller.

Bottled at 56.9% ABV and costing €125, this limited edition, distillery exclusive is available via our online shop.

the beer revolu

Beanstalk wrote: »

yeah fair point. what i should have said is that its maddening, having been waiting so long for new Irish distilleries to open, and to rival the scotch industry, that one of our most interesting potential products and the concept of single origin are marketed way beyond our reach.

I don't think this kind of thing will last, really - and I'd imagine it will only apply to distilleries first release anyway. With 38 active distilleries on the Island, I don't think it will be too long before the market slows down.

Having said that, the first whiskey release from any distillery will always be somewhat collectable.

Also , there is another "grain to glass" distillery in the North - Echlinville

Starlord_01

Cazale wrote: »

Teeling Wonders of Wood Amburana Cask

We are excited to announce there is still stock available of the very first in our series of Wonders of Wood bottlings! A 14 Year Old Single Malt aged initially in bourbon barrels and then further matured in Virgin Amburana Brazilian hardwood. Challenging the conception of traditional whiskey flavours, this unique Irish whiskey has a striking carrot cake taste profile with hints of vanilla, cardamom and walnut. This Teeling Distillery Exclusive is very different to anything we have bottled before and definitely not Irish whiskey as you would normally know it.


Bottled at 56.9% ABV and costing €125, this limited edition, distillery exclusive is available via our online shop.

“Like Christmas in a glass”

ro_p_ro1986

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Bargain.
Only 475 for a 3/4 year old whiskey and a set of glasses.

Its all about collectability and rarity in this case rather than the actual quality of this Whiskey.

Its the first release from a new distillery, so, if this distillery hits, that 475 will look cheap in a few years.

flended12

May have been posted already but rummaging around online to buy whiskey as a gift and tescos doin 1l powers for €25, usually €45

Weepsie

the beer revolu wrote: »

I don't think this kind of thing will last, really - and I'd imagine it will only apply to distilleries first release anyway. With 38 active distilleries on the Island, I don't think it will be too long before the market slows down.

Having said that, the first whiskey release from any distillery will always be somewhat collectable.

Also , there is another "grain to glass" distillery in the North - Echlinville

Lambay have posted a loss close to double that of last year too. Now I imagine the first few years are tough, but how many years of losses can some of these sustain before packing it in.

odyssey06

Weepsie wrote: »

Lambay have posted a loss close to double that of last year too. Now I imagine the first few years are tough, but how many years of losses can some of these sustain before packing it in.

Think they had heavy focus on travel retail so there may be a covid impact on them more so than others.

Dtp1979

Canadian crown royal blended whisky is lovely

Effects

Ivefoundgod wrote: »

Their gin is really bad and nothing about their packaging says premium. The Drumshanbo inaugural release for €80 has better packaging than what this set has.

PJ Rigney has a lot of experience in the drinks trade, and he did an amazing job of the packaging and promotion for his gin, and following on from that, his whiskey.

Ballykeefe just didn't seem to get good designers on board for their branding, probably because they don't have the same experience.
The image they have for their single estate release is a cobbled together, bad photoshop job. At least put a bit of money into making it look good when you expect people to pay that kind of money for it.

Dtp1979

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Canadian crown royal blended whisky is lovely

Not a million miles from RB15

odyssey06

Some big numbers in the recently published report on Irish whiskey.

The Irish whiskey industry invested €1.55 billion in total over the past decade, led by capital investment in distillery and plant developments.
Global sales grew from 60 million bottles in 2010 to 144 million bottles in January 2020.
The aggregate value of Irish whiskey exports from the island of Ireland reached €890 million in 2019.

More info:
https://www.shelflife.ie/irish-whiskey-industry-invested-e1-55-billion-in-all-island-economy-over-last-10-years/#ixzz6g4Fncjj0

Ivefoundgod

Effects wrote: »

PJ Rigney has a lot of experience in the drinks trade, and he did an amazing job of the packaging and promotion for his gin, and following on from that, his whiskey.

Ballykeefe just didn't seem to get good designers on board for their branding, probably because they don't have the same experience.
The image they have for their single estate release is a cobbled together, bad photoshop job. At least put a bit of money into making it look good when you expect people to pay that kind of money for it.

Yeah agreed 100%, the Drumshanbo stuff both tastes and looks the part. I bought the parents the Ballykeefe gin pack they were selling last Christmas with the normal gin, lady dasert and glasses. Had I seen the way it was presented before I bought it in person I wouldn't have bothered. Tried both over Christmas and they were really poor, don't know how they were selling at their normal prices particularly when there are so many excellent Irish gins in the €30-40 range.

I'll be interested to see how the "standard" release of the whiskey goes and what price point they go for.

Effects

I know the gin market is oversaturated, but I hadn't even heard of their gin before.
I think it's harder and harder to stand out these days.

Hogzy

Anyone else get the email from Thomond Gate this evening?

Insect Overlord

Hogzy wrote: »

Anyone else get the email from Thomond Gate this evening?

Ginger83

flended12 wrote: »

May have been posted already but rummaging around online to buy whiskey as a gift and tescos doin 1l powers for €25, usually €45

It's a lot sweeter than any others I've tried

Mellor

ro_p_ro1986 wrote: »

Its all about collectability and rarity in this case rather than the actual quality of this Whiskey.

Its the first release from a new distillery, so, if this distillery hits, that 475 will look cheap in a few years.

With 500 bottle released locally, it's not particular rare. (also raises some other questions tbh).
At that price point, there will still be 500 bottle in "collections" in 3 years. With everyone hoping to offload. I can't imagine a situation where it is worth more than 500 in the near future.

Contrast that with MVR for example. There are far more than 500 produced obviously, but it's actively consumed. So the stock of any vintage is constantly reducing. A bottle with an RRP of 180 is easily in demand and worth 250+ in a few years.

Effects wrote: »

Ballykeefe just didn't seem to get good designers on board for their branding, probably because they don't have the same experience.
The image they have for their single estate release is a cobbled together, bad photoshop job.

The press release that was post in the thread above has some really basic spelling/grammar errors. It's one thing when in a rush online to slip, but a press release should have a review for basic stuff like that. Low effort is a terrible sign.