When most individuals take into consideration Irish whiskey, they could say “gentle,” “fruity,” or in the event that they’re a whiskey nerd, “triple-distilled.” However it’s unlikely that anybody would say “smoky.”
Nevertheless, Silkie Irish Whiskey and its founder James Doherty try to alter all that. Doherty, who has deep roots in Eire’s County Donegal however grew up overseas, returned to the area with an outsider’s appreciation of its eccentricities. Amongst these is a smoky model of Irish whiskey (and its moonshine-like progenitor poitín) which was broadly produced in Donegal within the 19th century, largely by illicit distillers.
Based on Doherty, the impetus to discovered the primary authorized distillery in Donegal since 1841 got here when his grandmother handed down his grandfather’s recipe for poitín shortly earlier than her personal passing.
The True Style of Irish Whiskey
“It obtained me enthusiastic about what the ‘true’ style of Eire is, and the truth that what everybody is aware of as Irish whiskey in the present day is mostly a style of the Nineteen Sixties and onwards, as a result of it’s all hyper-consolidated,” Doherty says. “All of the distilleries closed down, and also you have been left with two: they’re each primarily based in cities, and with scotch having such a dominant place… [Irish whiskey] grew to become candy, simple, gentle and approachable. However it misses out on an enormous a part of the Irish character.”
To try to restore that character he based Sliabh Liag Distillers, which produces Silkie in addition to An Dúlamán Irish Maritime Gin, a savory gin made with seaweed. Silkie, which presently just isn’t distilled at Sliabh Liag however sourced from Eire’s Nice Northern Distillery, hearkens again to that earlier model by mixing double-distilled and triple-distilled whiskeys, a portion of that are peated.
“Irish whiskey is triple-distilled, gentle, silk-smooth and straightforward, and that’s actually the style of the final 40 years and the style of town,” Doherty says. “We got here at this with a barely totally different view, which was that in rural Eire whiskeys would all have been peated.”
Silkie Legendary and Legendary Darkish
Nevertheless, Silkie’s two core whiskeys, Silkie Legendary and Silkie Legendary Darkish, shouldn’t be mistaken for Islay-style barnburners. The peated part is modest in every expression—accounting for simply 4% of the mix in Legendary and 15% in Legendary Darkish—and is triple-distilled in every. Based on Doherty, this usually Irish trait makes all of the distinction.
“What that does to peated whiskey that double-distilled doesn’t do, is it leaves you with a dry smoky style. And also you don’t get the entire medicinal notes and ppm [phenol parts per million] and iodine that you simply get from an Islay, so it turns into a way more approachable technique to take pleasure in smoky whiskeys.”
In a one-on-one tasting with Doherty, his level grew to become clear. The Legendary, which comprises malt and grain whiskeys aged in sherry, virgin oak, and re-charred oak, is gentle and spherical with fruit-forward flavors complemented by a lazy, lingering notice of smoke on the again. Legendary Darkish, composed of malt whiskeys aged in sherry and ex-bourbon barrels in addition to a grain whiskey in virgin oak, is darker and richer with flavors of apple desserts, salted caramel, and spicy pipe tobacco. It presents a extra ahead and detectable smoke affect that’s nonetheless a longways from Islay’s one-two punch. In different phrases, it’s a gradual burner.
These two whiskeys will quickly be joined by a brand new sibling within the type of The Legendary Midnight, which stands out because the smokiest of all Silkies with 35% of its mix coming from a triple-distilled, peated single malt aged in ex-bourbon casks (the rest of the mix consists of single malts aged in sherry with a virgin oak end, Imperial stout casks, oloroso sherry casks, and pink wine casks). The primary cargo of Legendary Midnight is making its technique to California and is anticipated to be on Golden State cabinets in Could. The opposite 47 states that Silkie presently distributes in will quickly observe go well with.
Silkie is one thing of a good looking contradiction. It’s recognizably an Irish whiskey by character of its silky mouthfeel, fruity flavors, and mild presence on the palate, but commendably subverts expectations by advantage of its subdued smoke. When making an attempt to make sense of its general character, I saved coming again to an immediately memorable phrase Doherty dropped in our dialog.
“I’ve a selected ardour for soft-drinking exhausting spirits.”
