St Pat's Day Whiskies - Tullamore, The Whistler (PX I Love You), The Dubliner, Slane [Tasted: #562 - #564]

St Pat's Day on March 17 has always seen a global celebration of all things Irish and this year is no different. As we all emerge from our prolonged hibernation, we may be wondering what's the best way to celebrate St Pat's Day. Perhaps we might need to re-kindle ourselves with traditional Irish beverages  - Irish whiskies, beers or ciders.

Of the three, the choice is clear for us. Without a doubt, our pick would be Irish whiskies.

To showcase the goodness of Irish Whiskies ahead of St Pat's Day, we joined William Lavelle from the Irish Whiskey Association, Rosie Keane, the Irish Consul-General to Sydney and a number of Irish Whiskey Distillery Reps to explore four Irish Whiskies as part of the Discover (Irish) Whiskies campaign.

To kick off the session, we were (virtually) serenaded by Dan Elliott, an Irish singer-songwriter from Cork, Ireland who had managed to welcome us to the session. He did so rather well, given no whiskies had been drunk at that time and clearly not by Dan as it was pre-breakfast for him.

An interesting fact that was shared at the start of the session was the fact that Irish Whiskies are now growing significantly globally. It was also not lost to me that the session started with William sharing reminding us that Ireland is in fact where whiskey distilling first started and where whiskey got its name. Here we are in 2022 and Irish whiskies continue to be one of the world's fastest-growing categories with significant growth in both emerging markets such as Africa and other mature markets.

As with most Irish whiskies, they are traditionally distilled three times. A distillation process designed to isolate and remove the esters and other impurities. Also, similar to the Scotch, all Irish whiskey is, by law, matured for at least three years, though there are now various methods used by distillers to mature their whiskies. The Whistler (PX I Love You), for example, is initially matured in ex-bourbon casks but finished in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for 9 months. Compare this to Slane, where after distillation, Slane matures their whiskies in 3 different barrels - virgin oak, seasoned Tennessee whiskey and Oloroso sherry before being blended.

The four Irish whiskies that we explored in the Discover (Irish) Whiskies session were Tullamore D.E.W, The Whistler (PX I Love You), The Dubliner and Slane.

Tullamore D.E.W (The Original)

Tullamore D.E.W just broke 18 million bottles last year, this follows the return of distillation back home in 2014. A tripled distilled and triple blended (single malt, single grain, single pot still) whisky, the original Tullamore D.E.W (DEW) is very fresh, grassy and clean. The palate is light to medium bodied with hints of apple and citrus on the palate and finish. It is quite light and fresh, an outcome of the triple distillation.

The Dubliner Bourbon Cask (40%, Dublin, Ireland, A$47.95) 

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The Dubliner distillery was opened in 2018 and is led by ex-Bushmills Master Distiller Daryl McNally. Their whiskies include the original Dubliner 10-Year-Old single malt, Whiskey & Honeycomb liqueur and a couple of beer cask matured whiskies.

There were actually two Dubliners we explored; the Bourbon Cask and a Whiskey & Honeycomb liqueur. I will go into the Bourbon Cask. 

Nose: The nose is light and crisp, there are apple and pear notes.

Palate: The palate is quite peppery at first but slowly opens up to the vanilla, honey and caramel notes. 

Finish: The finish is full of tannin but there are remnants of honey that is left behind.

Rating: 89/100 

Slane (40%, Boyne Valley, Ireland, A$54.95) 

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Slane Distillery was established by the Conyngham family, a family that is famously connected to the Slane Castle, located by the river Boyne. Brown Forman took over the Slane Distillery project in 2015 before ramping up production in 2018. It initially became popular in America but is now found widely abroad. 

Nose: The nose is light, smooth and creamy. There are apple, cereal and grain notes.

Palate: The palate is elegant, composed. There is vanilla and fudge on the palate with some pistachio in between. There is some heat but it is very much restrained.

Finish: Light, enjoyable and invites you to take another sip.

Rating: 90/100 

The Whistler "PX I Love You Single Malt Irish Whiskey" (46%, Boyne Valley, Ireland, A$89.99) 

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The Whistler P.X. I Love You Single Malt was one of the highlights of the four whiskies in the session. 

The distillery name is aptly named after Peter Cooney, not so much Peter himself but the notion of the whistling antic that Peter would do at the distillery. Peter Cooney, the co-founder and export director of Boann - the company that owns The Whistler would walk around the distillery all day - whistling. 

This particular bottling that we explored is a single malt Irish whiskey that is initially matured in ex-bourbon casks before being finished in ex-PX sherry casks for 9 months. The PX sherry and the influence this fortified wine’s casks had on the single malt Irish whiskey was excellent. The finishing in PX casks has given this particular whiskey, a lot of sherry influence. 

Nose: The sherry-cask finishing comes immediately to the nose. Lots of sweet cranberries, dried fruit, currants, citrus and port-like nose.

Palate: The palate is less sweet than the nose yet still quite fruity. There are dates, cranberries, and lots of vanilla coating the mouth and there is nuttiness and citrus as it lingers on.

Finish: The finish is relatively long and leaves a good drying heat.

Rating: 92/100 

As part of the Discover (Irish) Whiskies campaign, there are a number of articles that have been published- all centred around Irish Whiskies including a food pairing guide and Irish whiskey cocktails recipes. You can find those articles and guides here, Irish Whiskey - Depth and Diversity: https://www.ibec.ie/drinksireland/irish-whiskey/campaigns/depth-and-diversity

Cheers

Hendy

Thanks to the Irish Whiskey Association for having us as part of this campaign.

Pairing "World Whiskies" with Indian cuisine at McSorley's Hong Kong

With the immense popularity growth of whisky in Hong Kong in recent years, it's no surprise to see an increase in both dedicated whisky bars (when we started covering the Asia scene for example, there was no Club Qing or Ginger - now two of HK's best whisky bars), as well as existing bars increasing their focus on whisky.

Much loved McSorley's Ale House fall into the latter camp, with their new SoHo location in Staunton St, Central. The traditional Irish pub is increasing their focus on whisky (all whisk(e)y, not just Irish), and plans to do so with a regular calendar of events.

We went along to a recent event - a tasting of 4 "world whiskies" (which actually ended up being 7), paired with four Indian dishes. Indian cuisine may not seem like the most obvious to pair with whisky, but we applaud the bar's bravery in exploring this front (and as we discovered, it actually worked well). 

Whisky Ambassador Jessica Kwok was our host for the night, kicking things off with a brief introduction into the new whisky nights concept at McSorley's, as we all enjoyed the welcome cocktail - a mixture of Tullamore D.E.W, ginger syrup, soda and bitters. Much like the laid-back, relaxed nature of a traditional Irish pub, McSorley's SoHo is looking to keep their whisky nights informal and fun, but with a sizeable list of quality whiskies.

Jessica explained that given the group is already well-known for their Indian menus, they figured why not try to pair that with their new whisky aspirations...and without further ado, we jumped into the first pairing - Bulleit Rye with vegetable samosa. I've always enjoyed Bulleit Rye, but with a 95% rye mashbill, there's no denying it's a spicy whisky. Pairing that with vege samosas resulted in, well, a spicy pairing. A tasty one though.

Next up was Teeling Single Grain paired with Butter Chicken. This worked quite well too, with the whisky making the chicken seem sweeter, and the sauce more perfurmed.

Of course, it wouldn't have seemed right if there was no Indian whisky, and so our third course saw Amrut Single Malt (see our distillery tour here) paired with fish Makani. This was by no means a bad pairing, but neither the whisky nor the dish really seemed to elevate or substantially alter the notes in the other.

For a brief interlude before our final pairing, Jessica broke out her personal bottle of Breckenridge Bourbon, a young whiskey from the Rocky Mountains. Whilst I was sceptical at first (having tasted a lot of young, generic Bourbon over the years), I was pleasantly surprised with this - a delicious Bourbon with notes of toffee, oak, vanilla cream and red apples.

Back to the food, and our last pairing - Famous Grouse "Smoky Black" paired with tandoori chicken. Jessica explained that they'd tried this dish with various Laphroaigs and Bowmores, but found the toned-down, subtle smoke in the Famous Grouse worked best as a pairing, and to be fair, it did work well, with the charred smoke of the chicken and the subtle smoke of the blend mixing nicely, and creating what I thought was the best pairing of the night.

Indian may not seem like the natural choice when looking for food to pair with whisky, but in this case, it was a fun and interesting experiment that produced some enjoyable combinations. Well done to McSorley's, and we're looking forward to their future whisky events (including one soon with The Lost Distillery Company).

Cheers,

Martin.

WIN TICKETS to an afternoon of Irish Whiskey “Tasting & Toasting” with Tullamore D.E.W’s Global Brand Ambassador John Quinn

TimeforWhisky.com has partnered with Irish distillery Tullamore D.E.W who are offering one reader the chance to win 2 x tickets to an afternoon of Irish whiskey tasting with Irish whiskey expert (and Tullamore D.E.W’s Global Brand Ambassador) John Quinn, who’s currently visiting Australia from the distillery in Ireland. The prize also includes 2 x bottles of Tullamore D.E.W Irish Whiskey. The competition is open to all Australian residents, though the winner must make their own way to/from the venue in Sydney.

The tasting, to be held at Sydney's The Potting Shed (within the Grounds of Alexandria) on Friday 27th June at 4:30pm will see guests tasting a number of Tullamore D.E.W whiskies, including those unavailable in Australia such as the Cask Strength “Phoenix" and highly acclaimed four cask 10 Year Old Single Malt. From our own tasting a few months ago, the Cask Strength “Phoenix” is a fantastic dram, and we personally can’t wait to try the single malt. This won’t be any normal tasting, however, as the tasting will see John “deconstruct” Tullamore D.E.W into its key three elements - Pot Still Whiskey, Malt Whiskey and Grain Whiskey, tasting whiskey direct from distillery stocks! The tasting will also include an opportunity to create your own unique Tullamore D.E.W from these elements.

The Irish pride themselves on a good toast, they toast to love, to honour, to good health and a full life. It’s all a part of their nation’s lilt for language, an art form tinged with that famous Irish wit and master of the verbal. In Irish True style, John will offer up a traditional Irish Toast to accompany each of the 4 Tullamore D.E.W whiskies on tasting.

In addition to soaking up John’s immense knowledge, unique sense of humour, wit and passion for whisky/whiskey the winner and guest will have the chance to ask John anything they wish to know about whisky/whiskey and leave with a better understanding of how to taste and appreciate Irish whiskey.

John's visit also marks the announcement of a new Irish whiskey distillery in Tullamore, Co Offaly.  Due to start production in September 2014, the distillery will bring Tullamore D.E.W. whiskey production back to its roots, in the heart of Ireland for the first time in 60 years.

Enter the competition for a chance to join TimeforWhisky at this unique tasting event by following the simple instructions below. Hope to see you there!

How to enter:

You can enter via one of two ways:

1. Simply post a tweet, making sure you include include @TimeforWhisky and the hashtag #TullamoreDEWComp, explaining what Irish whiskey means to you. 
2. Post a comment on this blog entry, explaining what Irish whiskey means to you. 

It could be one word or you could write an essay - be as creative as you like, but you only have until 11:59pm AEDST on Tuesday 24th June 2014, so get in quick! The winner will be selected by Tullamore D.E.W, and the competition is subject to the Terms and Conditions below.

Cheers, 

 - Steph & Martin.

Terms and Conditions

1.      Information on how to enter & prizes form part of these terms & conditions. Any entry not complying with these terms and conditions is invalid.

2.      Entry is open to all residents from Sydney, Australia. Entrants must be 18 years or over (“Eligible Entrant”) and the winner must provide proof of age to confirm that they are 18 years of age or over. Employees of the Promoter, the Promoter’s associated companies, the Promoter’s agencies associated with this competition and their immediate families are ineligible to enter.

3.      The promotion starts at 12:01am Friday 20^th June 2014 & closes at 11:59pm AEDST on Tuesday 24^th June 2014 (“Promotion Period”).

4.      To enter, follow these steps:

You can enter via one of two ways:

Simply post a tweet, making sure you include include @TimeforWhisky and the hashtag #TullamoreDEWComp, explaining what Irish whiskey means to you. 

Post a comment on this blog entry, explaining what Irish whiskey means to you. 

5.       Entry is limited to no more than once per calendar day. Every entry made by the Eligible Entrant during the Competition Period must be different.

6.      This competition is a game of skill and chance plays no part in determining the identity of the prize-winner. Every valid entry received will be judged on its merit. The judge will award the prize to entry it judges to be the best.

7.      The prize is valued up to $800 recommended retail price (“RRP”) and includes: two tickets to an afternoon of tasting and toasting with Tullamore DEW Irish whiskey and two bottles of Tullamore DEW Irish whiskey

8.      The prize event will be held on the 27^th June 2014 at 4:30 PM to 6:30PM. The tasting date cannot be changed, and the winner must be able to attend on this date in order to accept the prize.

9.       Judging will be completed at the Promoter’s Agency at 32 Grosvenor Place, The Rocks, NSW 2000, by 5pm Wednesday 25^th June 2014

10.   The winner will be notified via telephone call and / or writing within 24 hours of the prize draw via phone and / or email

11.     Prize values are correct at time of publishing blog post but no responsibility is accepted for any variation in the value of the prize. Any additional costs outside the event tasting are the responsibility of the winner. Additional costs might include travel, accommodation and any meal outside of the tasting event.

12.    The Promoter's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

13.    If any prize remains unclaimed by 12:00PM AEST on Thursday 26^th June 2014, despite the Promoter’s best efforts to contact any prize winner, then subject to any written directions given by a relevant lotteries or gaming authority the Promoter may conduct an unclaimed prize draw at the same time and place as the original draw on that date to award an unclaimed prize. The first valid entry drawn will win the prize of the highest value and the prize draw will continue until all unclaimed prizes have been awarded. The name and postcode of any winner of such a draw will appear at www.timeforwhisky.com

14.    Each entry becomes the property of the Promoter.

15.    Subject to the approval process required by any relevant gaming or lotteries authority, in the event that any prize item is unavailable despite the Promoter’s reasonable endeavours to procure, the Promoter reserves the right to substitute a different prize item of equal or greater value.

16.    If for any reason this Promotion is not capable of running as planned, whether caused by infection by computer virus, mobile phone failure, line drop out, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other cause beyond the control of the Promoter which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or integrity of the Promotion, the Promoter reserves the right in its sole discretion, (subject to any written direction given by a relevant Regulatory Authority), to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Promotion. The Promoter may in its sole discretion disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process.

17.    The Promoter is Tullamore DEW ABN: 59 142 683 145 trading as William Grant & Sons of Level 21, Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW 2060