We might start by saying that the as soon as stagnant class of Irish whiskey continues to be a font of creativity because it will increase in reputation, however with the fragile nature of timing—St. Patrick’s Day and all—you’re in all probability desperate to discover a worthy bottle on your personal enjoyment. With that quest in thoughts, we’ve rounded up a recent crop of Irish-made whiskeys under, together with one very certified non-Irish whiskey. Sláinte!
Limavady Single Barrel Irish Whiskey
The identify Limavady is previous—courting again to 1750—however the label has solely been lately resurrected. Its second coming is a single barrel product, triple-distilled from 100% malted Irish barely and aged in ex-bourbon barrels earlier than a end in former PX sherry casks.
Its nostril presents earthy, malty grain with soil up high and a barely sherried sweetness under. On the palate it’s heat and creamy, starting with earthy malt and raisins earlier than choosing up biscuits and toffee within the center. The end is all creamy vanilla, oak, and the darkish, sherry-sweet flavors of a dessert wine with a touch of plum. It’s performed off by a tasty end that has peaches, plums, and pears in a form of dark-sweet sherry sauce with spice—consider it as a fruit salad packed in sherry.
Limavady has the lightness of a conventional Irish whiskey however combines it with the easiest of what sherry and bourbon barrel affect can do.
46% ABV / $49.99
Clonakilty Distillery Single Batch Double Oak Whiskey
The Clonakilty distillery was based in 2018 in West Cork and sits on Eire’s southwestern coast. The juice that goes into their Single Batch Double Oak is aged in ex-bourbon casks and completed in each European oak casks and ex-red wine STR casks, in a warehouse solely a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean.
That coastal affect is felt from the primary sniff, which reveals a candy, barely mineral nostril touched by sea salt and ocean spray, and additional fortified by crisp fruit flavors together with apples and berries.
It’s gentle and exceedingly delicate on the palate, starting with fruit notes that flip to berries and cream on the middle accompanied by vanilla and banana. The push of heat berries and bananas is blended with sea salt and oak on the finish, creating the oddly satisfying taste of ripe berries rinsed in sea water. The end sees sea salt enhanced by oak and performed off by toffee, caramel, and ginger, very like biting right into a salted caramel.
Clonakilty’s Single Batch Double Oak is one other light-bodied Irish whiskey with fruit flavors, however the introduction of its mineral character and later spicy creaminess creates a distinction that’s onerous to beat. I used to be in no way shocked to find that it pairs effectively with chocolate.
43.6% ABV / $40
Waterford Single Malt Irish Whiskey Biodynamic Luna 1.1
This single malt from Waterford, launched in November 2021, occurs to be the primary whiskey constituted of biodynamic Irish barley. After distillation, the terroir-driven whiskey is aged in a mixture of first-fill American oak, virgin American oak, French oak, and casks that had previously held French vin doux naturel (naturally candy wine).
Consequently, it’s acquired a candy, earthy nostril with loads of farm to it. It’s vegetal, perhaps even funky, however freshened by a touch of peppermint.
On the palate, that recent peppermint proves greater than only a trace: it’s strong and refreshing, including a spearmint high quality that’s coupled to the deep stone fruit sweetness of apricots, peaches, and plums. All that stone fruit sweetness is contrasted fantastically with a vegetal warmth that remembers jalapeño peppers, mixing on the center with spicy ginger and the ever-stronger spearmint. The latter is elevated to wintergreen chewing gum on the finish, the place it’s joined by spice and chocolatey malt.
No deep dive into biodynamic agriculture is important to take pleasure in Luna. Simply know that it’s candy, earthy, and energetic, like consuming a stone fruit orchard, soil and all.
50% ABV / $125
Egan’s Conviction
A brand new entry to the label’s core assortment, Egan’s Conviction is a wedding of single malt and single grain Irish whiskeys, every of which have matured for a minimum of 10 years earlier than they’re mingled and completed in XO cognac casks.
It’s a creamy nostril up high with candy grains and vanilla, deepened by orchard fruits under. It’s candy and spherical on the palate with large flavors of peach, plum, and apricot, thickened by a bready contact of tapioca. On the center we’re hit by vanilla custard and flan, then crème brûlée because it grows toasty and woody for a end that pits oaky wooden spice towards wealthy vanilla bean.
Egan’s Conviction is a whiskey that is aware of what it’s about, and misses no time increasing and contrasting on these core flavors to scrumptious impact.
46% ABV / $100
Egan’s Legacy Reserve IV
Drawing the Egan’s Legacy sequence to a detailed, the fourth and last installment is an 18-year-old single malt that was beforehand aged in bourbon barrels earlier than a end in Moscatel de Valencia casks from Spain.
Its nostril is perhaps greatest described as malty and bready with loads of grape should and soil, balanced by a floral vein with flower petals and fruit skins. It’s extremely delicate on the palate and begins off with a mixture of fruit and flowers: assume honeysuckle and a contact of potpourri. On the again, we’re met with the tart, acidic, and barely bitter tang of unripe stone fruits, which is touched by the minerality of sea salt and recent honey on the conclusion.
46% ABV / $200
Glendalough 7-Yr-Outdated Mizunara Cask-Completed Whiskey
This new expression from Glendalough is just not the primary time that the Wicklow-based distiller has aged its juice within the uncommon Japanese mizunara oak. They’d beforehand launched a 13-year-old miznuara end, and as soon as bought a 17-year-old mizunara end as a part of their connoisseur sequence. However not like these one-offs, the seven-year-old will probably be an ongoing expression, launched in two small batches twice per 12 months.
It has a candy, tropical nostril loaded with honeycomb and peaches. As for the palate, it {couples} a weighty, malty basis to shaved coconut, pineapple, and peaches, that are pleasantly ambushed by sandalwood spice and darkish chocolate on the end.
In sum, Glendalough 7-Yr-Outdated Mizunara Cask-End delivers pronounced mizunara flavors whereas fulfilling the basic, fruit-forward template of an Irish whiskey.
46% ABV / $100
Killowen Bonded Experimental Collection Jamaican Darkish Rum Cask
Killowen Jamaican Darkish Rum Cask is a part of the maker’s newly launched Experimental Collection, which sees their signature mix of malt and grain whiskeys completed in a wide range of casks earlier than being bottled at cask power. On this case, the juice has been additional matured in barrels that after held Jamaican rum.
Fittingly, its nostril is wealthy, fruity, and darkish with high notes of coconut, banana, and tobacco. Its palate is loaded with tropical fruit, significantly coconut, but in addition kiwi, limes, and the just-below-ripe taste of inexperienced bananas. These flavors are greeted by juicy pineapple on the center, which grows astringent on the again earlier than assembly a spicy end loaded with black pepper and ginger spice, and in the end fulfills the sooner olfactory promise of tobacco leaf blended with wealthy leather-based.
The top consequence? A daring, wealthy rum lover’s concept of an Irish whiskey.
52% ABV / $80
J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey The Gael
The Gael, which was launched stateside this previous summer time, is the label’s flagship mix. It’s the brainchild of J.J. Corry founder Louise McGuane, who’s on a mission to revive the almost-lost artwork of Irish whiskey mixing. Within the case of The Gael, that mix is 60% malt and 40% grain combine composed of Irish whiskeys starting from seven to 26 years of age, matured in ex-bourbon and sherry casks.
Its nostril presents raisins, vanilla pudding, and heat oak, and the palate is crisp and clear with loads of fruit. It begins with lime, inexperienced apple, and the sunshine tartness of just-underripe citrus; these flavors thicken to wealthy vanilla and sherried fruits because the palate progresses, hitting snappy ginger and peppercorn on the end.
It’s a crisp, zingy Irish whiskey that maintains the fragile lightness and vivid fruit flavors Irish whiskeys are prized for, however provides appreciable worth through its heat, sherried richness on the end that units up a outstanding distinction and justifies its standing as a high-end sipping spirit.
46% ABV / $80
Teeling Single Pot Nonetheless Chinkapin Oak Whiskey
This new, restricted version launch from Teeling sees their triple-distilled single pot nonetheless aged in virgin Chinkapin oak, which isn’t native to the Emerald Island however Central and Jap North America. It has a fruity, oaky nostril fortified by peaches, apples, plums, and pears, plus the heavy, moist and above all woody aroma of a forest after rainfall, and lastly a contact of bready malt.
It’s smooth on the palate with an instantaneous rush of orchard fruits adopted by the extra astringent flavors of kiwi and lime backed by a bready, caramelized sweetness recalling banana bread. That sweetness is tacked to faint butterscotch, which is infused with ginger, cinnamon, baking spices, and a strong smack of oak on the conclusion.
It’s not dissimilar from the usual Teeling Single Pot Nonetheless, which leads with fruit and a lightweight butterscotch contact, but it surely builds on that profile with rather more depth whereas including wealthy oak and woody spices.
50% ABV / $99
Slane Particular Version
Slane Particular Version is a restricted launch marking the 40th anniversary of the eponymous music competition held on the Slane Fort grounds (the competition lengthy predates the whiskey, which was launched in 2017). It differs from the flagship, triple-cask whiskey in that it makes use of the next quantity of latest American oak casks within the mix (which additionally consists of virgin oak and sherry) and is bottled at a barely increased 90 proof.
That increased quotient of latest American oak is felt on the nostril, which leads with vanilla and caramel earlier than slipping into ripe fruits and malt. It’s initially smooth on the palate with juicy fruit flavors together with apple, pear, plum, and raisin. It receives a shock burst of baking spices towards the end (which in tandem with a biscuit word, had me considering of a spiced pear tartlet) earlier than partaking with the sherry-influenced flavors of treacle syrup and prune juice at its richly darkish and candy end.
It’s the acquainted taste profile of the unique Slane triple-cask, however with a bit extra oomph—which I’ll fortunately settle for.
45% ABV / $36.99
Kentucky Owl St. Patrick’s Restricted-Version Bourbon
Because the identify implies, Kentucky Owl St. Patrick’s Restricted-Version Bourbon is just not an Irish whiskey. Nevertheless, it’s not only a bourbon with a inexperienced label slapped on the bottle, both. It’s a mix of Kentucky straight bourbons between 4 to 11 years of age which were blended by J.J. Corry’s personal Louise McGuane.
The result’s one thing that’s recognizably a bourbon—one whiff of its nostril dominated by oak, vanilla, brown sugar, and apples is sufficient of a sign—but it surely additionally feels like an Irish whiskey. How? It’s decidedly fruit-forward, beginning with apple slices, brown sugar, and vanilla pudding, main into fruit leather-based, brown sugar, baking spices, and candy treacle syrup. Its end is spicy and candy, chock-full of daring fruit flavors.
In comparison with the unique Kentucky Owl, it’s fruitier, juicier, and lighter—in different phrases, a bit extra like an Irish whiskey.
50% ABV / $135
