Irish Whiskey / Whisky

The Waterford distillery has reached back in to the history of whisky making in Ireland to produce this heavily peated whisky, made from locally grown barley at the Fenniscourt farm, and dried using local peat (38ppm). The peat reek leaves an unmistakable fragrant smokyness, and the spirit and wood surrounding this with tones of pear skin, malted biscuits and marzipan. A farmy quality comes through, alongside dry BBQ rub spices, bog myrtle and a cherry & gooseberry jam note.

Created from a barley varietal that was originally introduced in 1959, this new limited edition Waterford was made from Hunter barley, grown at Donoughmore farm to the Northwest of Waterford. The effort to bring this almost extinct barley strain back to life was extraordinary, produced from the only known sample, housed at the seed bank of the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine.

On the nose, expect Earthy, dry soil, lemon sherbet, red apple skin, dry bark, barnyard, petrichor, rolled barley, baked salt, chalk. To taste, Orange cake, dry savoury spice, cloves, porridge with prunes, wood char, citrus oils. The finish is dry greenness with a gentle spice.

The next edition of Waterford's Gaia whisky has arrived, bringing together six local farms producing certified organic Irish barley. Waterford's tracability is on full force here - the farms, barley varietals and more are carefully recorded to be shared with consumers as part of their Teiroir project. Head distiller Ned Gahan's tasting notes describe a vibrant and fresh aroma of orange peel, bread crusts and a medley of sweet scents from marshmallow to butter milk. To taste, there is a drying aspect of white pepper, toast and salted peanuts, with cherries and cocoa powder as well as a note of wine gums.

Waterford's Cuvee is the result of the distillery's project to produce whisky entirely from 25 single farms of locally grown barley. This whisky is distilled and matured individually, then married together in what founder Mark Reynier describes as the 'definitive expression' of Waterford. This has been a long-awaited release and we are delighted to have this iconic Irish whisky on the shelves. The head distillers observations are as follows.

Nose: Red apples, fresh dry soil, breadcrust, green foliage, lavender, digestive biscuits, oranges, barmbrack, over ripe banana skin, a summer flower bed, fresh mint, coffee cake.

Taste: Clove sweets, white pepper, oily, grapefruit, lemon zest, dark chocolate, dry toast, cherries, granola bar, dried herbs, aniseed, green olives, 3 peel marmalade.

Finish: Pepper up front with oily spiciness that softens, starts dry but then gets mouth-watering & lingers where I close my eyes and relax!

The rather cheekily named 'Red Head' from Writer's Tears is a triple distilled Irish whiskey that has been matured in a selection of Oloroso sherry butts, giving the whisky a distinctive hue and richer and more full-bodied flavour.

Distilled and matured for 12 years at the Midleton distillery in County Cork, Yellow Spot gets its name from the casks that are marked with a daub of yellow paint by the bottlers of this whisky, Mitchell & Son. The Yellow Spot is richer than Green Spot, offering up grassy, peppery and spicy notes with a classic backbone of Irish sweetness and light fruit.

Black Bush is truly a legend among whiskeys-the result of dedicated care and craftsmanship perfected over the centuries. The secret lies in our choice of the single malt whiskey which has been matured in carefully selected Oloroso sherry casks and blended with our delicate grain whiskey to give black bush its intriguing flavor, as distinctive as its name.

One of the iconic whiskies of Ireland, the Bushmills 10 year old is a single malt whisky, produced entirely from malted barley and distilled in copper pot stills. This is a rounded, creamy and fruity whiskey, with a gentle sweetness of pears and peaches, joined a by subtle spice in the finish.

One of 500 bottles worldwide, this special edition cask strength bottling from the independent family owned Dingle Distillery, is a marriage of carefully selected Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Port casks. The distillery uses three pots stills to distill a traditional, triple distilled Irish Pot Still style. Single Pot Still whisky is peculiar to Ireland, the result of a malt tax imposed in 1785, distillers at the time began to mix malted and unmalted barley successfully outwitting the taxman and giving birth to this classic Irish form of whisky.The stills themselves are rather short for Ireland, but with boil balls which increase reflux, and lighten the spirit.

The selection of a mixture of fortified wine casks and Ex-Bourbon barrels has yielded a wonderful balance of fresh fruit and creamy vanilla, alongside and rich and deep dried fruit element.

This release from Grace O'Malley has been finished in rum casks for six months. The nose offers fruits, fudge and ripe banana. The palate develops into a creaminess of cooked fruits and roasted cereals. The finish is long and sweet. 

This brand new whiskey was selected and bottled by the Hinch Distillery, made from triple distilled pot-still whiskey, Ireland's rarest and most traditional style. To taste, there is a herbacous and biscuity quality, offering a classic zesty citrus flavour. More tart and fruity flavours continue with an undercurrent of spices, oats and a creamy quality.

Part of Jameson's 'Whisky Makers' series, The Distiller's Safe is head distiller Brian Nation's creation that showcases the purity of the distillery's spirit. It has a soft, barley sugar sweetness, with notes of apricot, cinnamon and melon combining to deliver a gentle mouthfeel with a zesty finish.

This small batch release from Jameson is pure pot still whiskey that offers a richer, more robust style of whiskey to the core expession. Matured in flame charred American barrels and toasted Sherry casks which produces a rich and luxurious dram that has fantastic depth and a wonderfully smooth finish.

This blended Irish whisky has notes of malt, almonds, dark chocolate and gentle spice. The palate develops into notes of citrus, spice, cracked pepper, and subtle sweetness. It has a well balanced finish which is long lasting and rounded.

This Irish whisky from Powers has gentle fruit and spice notes. The nose offers cinnamon, clove, white pepper, apples and pears. The palate develops into notes of green peppers, orchard fruits, vanilla and toasted oak. The finish is oily with rich barley, toasted wood and honey flavors.

One of Ireland's most famous whiskey's, the Redbreast 21 year old is a traditional pot still style, triple distilled. The nose starts with tropical fruits and a dusting of spice, moving into notes of nuts and dried fruits. These notes carry though the palate and are joined by notes of vanilla, toasted oak and gentle spices to give a creamy mouthfeel. The finish is long with notes of oak and spices.

This Irish whiskey is a combination of malt and grain whiskies has been matured for at least 10 years in American Bourbon casks. It has then been finished in Barbados rum casks. The nose has notes of peach and butterscotch, which opens up to a refreshing palate of apricot jam, banana and vanilla ice-cream. notes of creamy cereal and baking spices are found on the finish.

Slane is a new blended Irish whiskey, put together by the team behind the new distillery situated at Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland. Three different cask types including virgin oak and seasoned barrels from Kentucky and sherry casks from Spain, have been used to mature this whiskey, introducing perfumed notes of vanilla, fresh oak and butterscotch, flowing into flavours of raisin and spice. Though the current source of the whiskey is not from Slane distillery itself, this maturation method is key to their new production which started in 2017.

Named after an area behind the Teeling distillery in Dublin, this new expression is triple distilled and made from heavily peated barley, matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sauternes casks. The nose opens with BBQ smokey aromas, along with cloves, butterscotch and orange peel. To taste, apple-wood smoke and honey join flavours of poached pear and grilled pineapple. An exciting new whisky from Jack Teeling and family.