What whisk(e)y are we drinking? (Part 2)

tejula

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119730704#Comment_119730704

yes, neat. I'm unable to finish the bottle even after few years though. Didn't convince me TBH.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119730751#Comment_119730751

Same, can't finish this bottle (although it's a small 500ml squared bottle) :)

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119730704#Comment_119730704

Taste first, then a drop of water. Find your own sweet spot.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119734784#Comment_119734784

Perhaps try it with a drop of water?50+% abv can feel a bit harsh.

Mywifetoldme

Hello to everyone here.

My dad bought a bottle of Glenfiddich over 8 year Whisky to celebrate my 21st birthday.

It was never opened.

I am now 65.

I email Glenfiddich a couple of years ago to see if they could tell me anything about it but never heard anything back.

What would the great and good think about it.

I'm not a whisky drinking and I don't think I'll put it in the Christmas Pudding.

Cazale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119737374#Comment_119737374

https://www.worldwinewhisky.com/us/glenfiddich-8-years-old-pure-malt-43-750-108349150.html

Here is a bottle of similar vintage. Glenfiddich wouldn't be as sought after as some other distilleries so its probably worth €150-200.

tyler71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119040824#Comment_119040824

Totally agree, but we have to recognise that we're at the stage with Irish whiskey where a lot of places need the money to keep them afloat until they can get their own whiskey on the market. And the fact that everyone isn't releasing their own distillate at 3yrs old is probably due to them not being happy with the quality which can

tyler71

Tasted two Celtic whiskey tasting samples yesterday - Teeling Single Pot Still and the same SPS but finished in a PX chestnut cask. The Single Pot Still is very much improved from when I tasted it before, and the chestnut PX cask version was absolutely wonderful - nutty, leathery, dried fruits. just loved it. Immediately went online to try to buy a bottle,but couldn't get one - looks like it's an American travel special ☹️

Listrydude

Got my hands on a bottle of Redbreast PX last week and opened it the weekend. A stunning whiskey, a really beautiful dram. One to hold onto and enjoy at Xmas methinks.

Justin10

I was lucky to get hold of three. Genuinely felt guilty and sold a bottle for 100 I believe.

Tasted a friends bottle and its absolutely beautiful, really should be a core release.

Will open my own bottle soon once I get rid of some other supplies.

Black Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119741330#Comment_119741330

It's specific to the distillery and how long they are around, yes, but some of them have been around as long as Dingle and I dont think the argument they need more time necessarily holds water. Glendalough for example has only done a very limited release of their own product but how long have they been going? Their model appears very much to be about sourcing whiskey... but marketing the idea they are a distillery. I would personally just rather some these guys owned being a bonder style business, its not inherently a bad thing.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119742243#Comment_119742243

I'm not sure Glandalough have produced a whole lot of their own liquid, at all.

What of their own liquid did they release?

FlicFlak

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119742243#Comment_119742243

Some of them have no interest in producing whiskey at all! Take for example, Lambay whiskey, they have no distillery, just a warehouse on the island where the age and blend third party distillate. I see their new release is 20 year old single malt, 43% ABV, 8000 bottles limited release, and it costs 600 quid!!!

sceach16

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119742525#Comment_119742525

I am not too sure they have a warehouse on the island where they age and blend anything. Some water from the island and some casks that spent a day or two on the island may be used in the process. There is no recent construction on the island commensurate with a whiskey business and none is visible (to me anyway) from Google earth. Their publicity releases are wonderfully vague on the topic.....

" we have placed our whiskey casks in the once-used lifeboat cottage on our western shore. Neither too warm nor too cold, the maritime winds and naturally occurring sea pollens on Lambay are a reliable influence on our casks."

It must be a very big lifeboat cottage!

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119742593#Comment_119742593

That statement doesn't say whether there is whiskey in the casks that visit the island!

odyssey06

I don't think Lambay fake label themselves as a distillery, unlike some...

I wish more would follow the lead of JJ Corry and go with the Whiskey Bonder title, which works for me.

Quackster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119742755#Comment_119742755

But they give the false impression that they mature their liquid on the island.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119743442#Comment_119743442

Looks like they mature some on the island, but probably just to cover their asses and for marketing purposes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk7Kztmb4FM&ab_channel=LambayIrishWhiskey

One of their first videos of 'cask arrival day', is clearly empty casks arriving by boat. And they don't seem to have an equipment for filling or transferring liquid at their facility.

I know they say they use water from the island as well, but surely for reducing ABV, the water would be filtered to such a degree that it wouldn't make a difference where it came from.

I got an invite to go out to the island, back in 2017, but regretfully, I never followed up on it.

FlicFlak

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119742593#Comment_119742593

Even worse again!!! They do bang on about the island character and well water used, but as was said, it has to be filtered to such a degree so its just water, same as filtered water from anywhere! Still dont see where the 600 quid price tag comes from though.

Black Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119742477#Comment_119742477

I thought I remembered reading that they started releasing their own pot still from about 2019 onwards, but most of the line-up was still sourced.

https://storiesandsips.com/irish-whiskey-distilleries/glendalough-distillery/

I'm not confident of it however.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119743758#Comment_119743758

Yeah, it says it there, alright.

Does anyone remember a release stating it was their own liquid? I don't.

janiejones

Bought the method and madness oats and malt Tuesday. Had been interested from hearing about it on here the week before. Held myself back, I was doing the whole wait before you buy. Had a dram that night and immediate buyers remorse. Not about the whiskey in general, more about the 95 price tag.

Following up on it tonight and feeling better about it. Still pricey but it's got a uniqueness. Nose is very friendly, reminds me of a sweet rum, guess it's the toasted marshmallow from the official notes. Taste is really sweet as well, you can tell it's pot still but young pot still. powers 3 swallows vibe but with a much gentler finish. (Although for one third the price I could take a harsher finish). Really creamy and really spicy at the same time

Black Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119746246#Comment_119746246

Interesting, I'd be curious to try it.

On the 95 euro price tag, it's probably a bit punchy but I guess you could argue it a few ways. It's an attempt at something innovative and I think it's billed as a limited run, that's in its favour. There's nothing to say a non age statement whiskey has to be on the cheaper side, premium no age statement whiskies are not unknown... But if they're going to be pricey they usually do try to mention that there's some older whiskey in there in the mix.

In general I struggle with Irish whiskey pricing these days, at the mid to upper end (Let's say 60 euro up to very high). There are relative islands of stability, where it's clear I know the price and the quality are generally equivalent... Redbreast, Powers John's Lane, Green Spot, JJ Corry Gael, Irishman, Dingle, some Jameson offerings... I'm forgetting a few... And then there is a plethora of stuff coming out with no age statement or a young age statement and it's hard to get a sense of how the price was arrived at, it's like it was plucked from the air, or decided before anyone even finalised the whiskey. I'm mainly talking about sourced whiskies from newer distilleries here, which is obviously a continuing thread of discussion here.

In Scotland it's not uncommon for companies to sell bottlings of particular years, sometimes at a relatively young age statement. So for example Douglas Laing or Berry Bros might offer an 8 year old single cask from an Islay distillery, or as in Berry Bros' case do it by year, and say this is a 2010 or a 2014 or whatever. I have the sense that generally though the price "makes a degree of sense" in that sometimes it's high, for an in-demand distillery, or because the cask is touted as particularly good, and sometimes you know that it's on the cheaper side because they're acknowledging it's not a particularly cool distillery and the cask is probably pretty banal. But in Ireland I don't get the sense we do the same thing. Selling sourced whisky is obviously a thing, but we don't seem to have gone the route of making the origin and status of what was sourced a selling point, we nearly obscure it as best we can.

janiejones

Yeah, I guess in this case you have the guarantee they distilled it on site and you've got an interesting recipe that's something new. There's no pressure on Jameson to do anything new so I appreciate the method and madness line. It's not an outrageous process compared to some of the more questionable releases mentioned in the last few days.

On the cynical side method and madness could be viewed as the equivalent of the big beer producers dipping into craft beer under different names. But some of their releases are very exciting

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747428#Comment_119747428

The oldest liquid in it is 8 year old. Some is obviously younger.

Samuri Suicide

Macallan 12. Very very smooth and is one of my favourites. Had two drams last night and my neighbour is calling round this evening to help finish it.

Citizen Six

Killowen are releasing the first two barrels of their own liquid. One by ballot, and the other in shops next week.

odyssey06

Payment in whiskey if you know how to build a website...

https://mobile.twitter.com/WhiskeyMerchant/status/1581349817661685765

fmul9798

Local O'Brien's had Lagavulin 16 back on the shelf after a long absence. Still out of stock on the website. 84 euro, which was good considering the big bump in prices for it elsewhere. I also see Molloy's have it in stock for 83.99. Have to think it won't be at that price for long in other outlets. When I bought it, there was one more left. In a moment of clarity, I went back and bought the last one. Great dram for the thundery day that it was.

1901Rory

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119743758#Comment_119743758

I feel I was duped by Glendalough. It is my local distillery and I drive past it daily. They are operational for well over a decade now and for a long time I fancied owning something produced in my area. I had tried some of their sourced stuff and some it is excellent like the Mizunara cask finishes, so I was happy to wait.

Then came their pot still whiskey - a 4yo whiskey and they released it with fanfare in 2019 as their first pot still whiskey. It came out around the same time as Teeling and Drumshanbo were doing likewise. Great, I thought. They used oak from a local forest for the final year of virgin oak maturation. Even better, I thought. It’d be warming to have an inaugural release so firmly rooted in the area I now call home: a fresh, first still-run from the distIllery down the road; a lovingly barrelled and carefully watched-over piece of Wicklow; nectar from the “Garden of Ireland“. 

Filled with romantic notions and local pride I bought a bottle.

I later learned that the first release of Glendalough pot still was not their own distillate. It annoys me that I went ‘all in’ on an alluring fantasy. Poor research on my part, and I guess a lack of transparency on theirs. Their official blurb when they released described it as “the distillery’s first pot still whiskey“. It was their first pot still whiskey release, but not THEIR first pot still whiskey. The provenance of the whiskey doesn’t alter the taste, I know that, and the Glendalough pot still is still a solid whiskey (I particularly like the virgin oak finish). But something leaves a bitter taste…

Citizen Six

Reading this article from a few years back, they word is fairly carefully to obscure that it's sourced whiskey. https://www.forbes.com/sites/oppo/2022/09/09/oppo-leaps-ahead-by-doing-whats-right/?sh=5b7a04de5d1d

An article from 2018, on a distillery started in 2011, describing a 13 year old whiskey that they produce. 😂