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

the beer revolu · 12-06-2022 11:08am

I'd love to know what the point of information was that was corrected.

Reps from big brands come out with some amount of barefaced untruths, all the time. I like to see them challenged on these.

Obviously, there's a way of doing it, though. This guy sounds like a dickhead.

Black Sheep · 12-06-2022 2:15pm

Yes, I agree. I don't think there would have been a problem in him chipping in to say something (even in a mildly admonishing way), it was definitely the wrong tone, and he didn't seem to really read the room and understand what kind of a talk it was and who it was pitched at.

It's that thing where sometimes people think if what they're saying is factually correct, they've got no other obligation to observe any kind of social niceties. Not really how the world works.

The area of dispute was over what are the regulations laid down for 'bottled in bond'. It happened quite quickly, but yeah I think reps got the requirements a bit wrong, not in a big may it must be said, and the guy went bananas.

Justin10 · 12-06-2022 5:56pm

Anyone taste the new gold spot release?

Anyone know is it part of their core range?

Obviously the 135 year labeling won't be.

DARK-KNIGHT · 12-06-2022 8:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119192845#Comment_119192845

It's a nice drop

120 euro though for a 9 year old whiskey 😲

DARK-KNIGHT · 12-06-2022 8:26pm

Ended up getting 1175 for the dream cask

L1011 · 13-06-2022 2:27pm

In Santiago (Spain one) airport. Used to have a decent ish range of Scotch at about 25/litre and my good old friend J&B for about 16/litre

Now it's big blends only, nothing interesting, 30/l. Except they still have J&B but for over 20!

Airport gets less passengers a year than Dublin gets in one summer month so it's not like you can expect much, but it's now grim.

3-for-2 advertised so if it works I'll be taking a Chivas 12, a JWB and a J&B for ~60. Basic home bar stock

L1011 · 13-06-2022 3:41pm

It was 3-for-2 on the same bottles only. Which I didn't get, as 9l would be s tad heavy to bring on the bus at the other end. Still stocked up

Beanstalk · 14-06-2022 9:24am

Two purchases last week from Supervalu. Clonakilty Port Cask and Dingle Core Release Single malt. A bit annoyed at the Clonakilty not really being obvious about whether the whiskey is sourced or not on the bottle or even what the whiskey is actually made up of (its grain and malt). Had to find this out online after. Well more just my own fault for not checking beforehand but it was an impulse buy but its just annoying some distilleries are more transparent than others on the bottle. Anyway, tasted it, and it is nice, port cask does come through but a little too light. I think unless its something amazing I'm going to steer away from single grain or grain blended whiskies for the foreseeable future.

Looking forward to trying the Dingle Single malt though. I was lucky enough to taste the fifth pot still release and it was beautiful.

Black Sheep · 14-06-2022 10:40am

Yeah, I’m a bit done with the whole sourced Irish whiskey scene to be honest.

I have no problem with whisky bonders and single cask releases … This is done really well in the UK, clearly…. You can get something unusual in terms of barrel finish, or maybe an odd age… Love what Douglas Laing do with their various ranges for example.

But in Ireland there’s something irritating about the lack of transparency.

Also can’t help but wonder how many of the places claiming the sourced output is a “while we wait” situation already know they probably won’t ever finish their own distillery and release their own whiskey?

Beanstalk · 14-06-2022 11:31am

Aye and i've since found out more about Clonakilty and I know they have a distillery and thats great, but I just felt a wee bit duped there and then. I really should have known better! Anyway, i love distilleries that are activley updated their distilling process on social media, very excited about our Local Distilleries Crolly and Sliabh Liag already distilling and casking on site. Pot still and in some cases peated which is briliant. Hoping they keep the price point reasonable just...

the beer revolu · 14-06-2022 12:47pm

Of course, there's then the possibility of brands having their own distillery but still outsourcing production to increase product. And there would be nothing obliging them to tell the consumer.

Consumer protection in Irish whiskey is a complete joke.

FlicFlak · 15-06-2022 12:07pm

I did the tour of the Clonakilty distillery, and nice as it is, i asked about the actual stuff they are distilling.

I was told its all pot still stuff (as in mash of malted and unmalted barley) and they havent done any single malt and obviously no grain whiskey!!

But yet, every bottle they have released is a blend or single malt! Absolutely no pot still stuff whatsoever!

So does that mean when they release their own liquid, they'll stop releasing the stuff they have now, or use their own pot still stuff and blend with other liquid?

I asked this and wasnt told anything!! Dont get me wrong, ive drank a fair few bottles of Clonakility, all ones i bought myself, and nice stuff it is, but im not seeing any long term overall plan!

Black Sheep · 15-06-2022 12:15pm

I know Silkie, as mentioned, have their stuff laid down and from what I know of them they will 100% plough ahead when it is of an age.

Glendalough kind of puzzles me as they released some pot still in 2019 but they've also continued with sourced whiskey, and that seems to nearly be where their money is and what they're pushing with marketing. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, I don't claim to know much about what is going on there.

FlicFlak · 15-06-2022 12:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119205908#Comment_119205908

That Glendalough pot still wasnt even their own liquid, it was contract distilled in West Cork!! Still no sign of them ever distilling their own whiskey.

irish_goat · 15-06-2022 12:52pm

Crolly are opening their visitor centre soon so they have sourced some GND liquid to sell while their own stock matures. They are further aging it in virgin oak casks for 6 months before releasing it afaik.

Black Sheep · 15-06-2022 4:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119206080#Comment_119206080

Oh man, that's worse than I thought!

Beanstalk · 15-06-2022 4:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119206112#Comment_119206112

And at 46% too. Starting as they mean to go on! Its also great to say all the freshly painted lids as well with pot still distillation on their instagram.

cloudatlas · 18-06-2022 11:48am

Anyone tried Black Bush 80/20?

Cazale · 18-06-2022 10:53pm

The missus got me a bottle of Lustau Oloroso for Fathers day so I thought it would be rude not to try some Redbreast Lustau alongside. My first whiskey in 5.5 months and it's going down very nicely.

Black Sheep · 20-06-2022 10:53am

Opened one of a pair of Lagavulin 10 travel retail exclusives that I have.

For 40 GBP can’t go wrong, but it’s certainly weaker than the 16 and some other editions.

Mix of ex bourbon and rejuvenated / charred ex bourbon barrels I think.

A lot of spice and pepper notes, the peat is a dry campfire, smouldering wood affair rather than the moist, saline wafted bog fire you sometimes get. As I re read that, it sounds wanky … But that’s how it is!

Not my fave but it’s solid and would beat the pants off a lot of other 40 GBP whiskies.

awec · 20-06-2022 1:36pm

I got a dram of this recently, I believe it’s the predecessor to Black Bush, I forgot to ask the age so does anyone know when Black Bush first came to be? If I'm not mistaken, this stuff is likely from the 60s or 70s?

It was very good indeed.

Mark1006 · 20-06-2022 6:42pm

Seems places have finally figured out the supply issues with scotch post-Brexit but the prices are as eye watering as the drams are mouth watering! All the 10-12 year old standard expressions from Islay seem to be starting at €70-€80, and Lagavulin 16 up to €110 in the Celtic Whiskey Shop.

odyssey06 · 20-06-2022 7:13pm

In whiskey news, Sligo's Lough Gill Distillery has been bought by Sazerac.

Sazerac brands include Paddy Irish Whiskey, Michael Collins Irish Whiskey, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon and Southern Comfort. Under the terms of the deal for Hazelwood Demesne, The Sazerac Company plans to fully develop the more than 100 acre site, the original demesne of Hazelwood House, to create a new whiskey facility and visitor attraction.

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2022/0620/1305947-lough-gill-distillery-bought-by-sazerac/

Black Sheep · 22-06-2022 9:54am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119228066#Comment_119228066

I can understand why prices are rising, to be honest, it's more than just Brexit unfortunately...

We're in an intensely inflationary period in general... International supply chains (Everything from packaging to glass to cork) is in a jock... Brexit is slowing down everything still... There's ongoing soaring public demand for single malt... And the distilleries don't forecast that well all the time, leading to major shortfalls, particularly of older whisky.

Johnny Walker discontinued Green Label briefly, and when it came back, a lot of people think the balance of Caol Ila and Talisker in it had been re-jigged in line with what was available to them. I think this probably happens in other cases, too, for other blends.

With something like Lagavulin 16 no such sleight of hand can occur, and it's not on the shelves because there just isn't enough of it to put out there right now. A bottle of it in Portugal is 125 euro right now, so 110 in the CWS isn't actually that bad, although it's still a significant mark-up compared to what it is in the UK.

Some cost of living rises feel somewhat inevitable and possibly even a market correction (Food prices, for example, were never going to stay as low as they've been in the past decade). Whisky price rises... I don't know if they're strictly inevitable but I don't think we've hit the ceiling yet either.

Citizen Six · 22-06-2022 10:28am

I got the 16 abroad last year for €55. I'm hoping to get another bottle in a few weeks, but looks like it might be harder to get this time!

Black Sheep · 22-06-2022 10:35am

It wasn't much more than that in the UK at airports when available last year and year before... How times change.

I do think it's particularly cyclical with Lagavulin, for some reason.

Citizen Six · 22-06-2022 10:58am

I was just trying to get into scotch, and wanted a decent one. Supermarket had better value than smaller spirit stores, which seemed to be the same price as home, but had a good selection and you could taste most things.

Ginger83 · 22-06-2022 5:33pm

Picked up a Teelings gift set with Teelings small batch and 2 glasses for €35. Hoping it's nice

Citizen Six · 23-06-2022 3:35pm

Did a recent tasting with Powerscourt Distillery. Decent selection with 6 of their whiskeys. 8,10,14 and 18 year old, as well as a distillery select and an Estate Series Issue No. 2.

The 8 wasn't bad, the 10 year old wasn't as nice as the 8 and was all grain as far as I can remember (didn't take notes).

Distillery select had stout barrel ageing, and was enjoyable. A lot of people really liked the Estate Series, which was finished in an Amarone cask, but it wasn't to my liking. A little bit thin on the pallet I thought.

The 14 and 18 year old were nice. Had a few more of the 18 year old at the end to confirm it was my favourite!

The 18 year old will be discontinued when they run out of the current supply, but they are still ageing the liquid and will be released as a 21 year old later on.

Unknownability · 23-06-2022 10:20pm

Slightly off topic, but hoping you can be of assistance.

I've bought my friend in America a gift of a bottle of Whiskey value is between (€2-3K).

Has anyone experience of sending a bottle of Whiskey to America? Or able to point me in the right direction?

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

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