Irish whiskey is in a near constant state of evolution. Are there clues to where the country’s new flavour profile is headed?
There are so many young distilleries working to carve their name that it’s sometimes hard to capture a true sense of how the country’s flavour profile will be defined in the decades ahead. But there are strong indicators from some early pioneers and some rare experimentation from older brands that can teach us a lot. Here are three bottles of Irish whiskey that deliver a changing taste of Ireland right now.
Dingle Single Pot Still Batch 3
Dingle Distillery bottlings have been collectors’ items since they first launched this family-run business in 2012 and their early releases are already garnering great prices at auction. They produce an Irish Single Malt and a Single Pot Still in small batch releases. This is the 3rd release of the Single Pot Still and it’s a wonderful example of the passion and personality Dingle put into their whiskeys. Released in late 2019, this 3rd release has been on a longer journey than its predecessor, bringing an older, more complex, and sweeter pot still identity to this distinctively Kerry whiskey.
It’s bottled at 46.5% and is a marriage of bourbon and port casks. Expect that rich, oily texture of pot still infused with dark fruit and chocolate. It delivers a warm and long finish with toffee and ginger notes. Only 3,400 bottles of batch three were released and with batch four already on the shelves, the collectability of this edition is stronger than ever.
Bushmills Causeway Collection 1995 Malaga cask
Bushmills set a wonderful hunt for collectors when they launched the Causeway Collection in 2020. Selected by master blender Helen Mullholland, they comprise a series of 10 cask-finished single malts, each set for release in an individual country. The destinations include the UK, Ireland, China, France and Germany. Undoubtedly, the best way to hunt down the full collection is to travel to each country and buy them yourself. But, if that’s a stretch, you can of course buy them online. Pictured here is one of two bottles released for the Irish market only, and it’s an exciting one.
Bottled at cask strength of 53.5%, the 1995 Malaga Cask is a 25-year-old Irish single malt. It spent just under 11 years in oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels before being finished in Malaga wine casks for a full 14 years. Only 2,491 bottles of this rich elegant single malt were released. You can expect deep fruit flavours, spice and honeyed sweetness with lots of wood, vanilla and coffee notes.
Teeling Whiskey 24-Year-Old Single Malt
Teeling Distillery has amassed some 300 national and international awards since it opened its doors in Dublin’s inner city in 2012, but the one that caught the attention of the world was the one for this superb 24-year-old Irish single malt. Selected by a panel of international whiskey experts at the 2019 World Whiskey Awards, it took the title of World’s Best Single Malt. Securing its place at the top table of world whiskey, it saw off competition form the very best of Scottish and Japanese single malts, and in doing so, becoming the first Irish whiskey to take the title.
Bottled in 2016, the Teeling Whiskey 24-Year-Old Single Malt was originally matured for 21 years in bourbon barrels and then aged for a further three years in Sauterne wine casks. Reviewers describe its elegant and complex flavour as having layers of golden fruits, honey, white chocolate and hints of salt, that balance the natural sweetness of the malt. Bottled at 46% ABV, there were just 5,000 of these historic bottles in the small batch release.
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