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An Irish year in whiskey: Glen Melia picks his best Irish whiskey experiences 2024

Bushmills Distillery bushmills 16

As the network of new Irish distilleries continues to grow and thrive, Glen Melia, Sourcing Manager for the Single Malt Shop, spends a good deal of his time talking to producers and sampling what’s coming onto the shelves and bars of the world. 

Here are three of his highlights of the year, plus some of his favourite bottles.

Irish Whiskey

Bushmills 10 YO

48.00
39.02 (Ex. VAT)

Bushmills Distillery

At the start of the year, I finally accepted a longstanding invitation to a detailed tour and tasting at Bushmills, which required an overnight stay in the village. Getting shown all aspects of the old and new distillery set-up on a cold day in January was an exciting way to start the year. 

Being led to a private tasting of some lesser-known releases also warmed me up on that frosty day. The range of barrels used and the complexity of flavours that this Northern Ireland distillery can craft is exceptional. I’m already planning my next trip.

If you want to get to know this great Northern distillery better, then there’s no better place to start than with their 10 year-old single malt.

79.00
64.23 (Ex. VAT)

Whiskey Live 2024

Whiskey Live Dublin is always more of a social event for me. It allows me to chat to lots of great Irish companies and hear about their upcoming releases. I also get a great sense of what is popular in each of their markets. 

I particularly enjoyed sampling Hinch whiskey, especially considering the awards they won later in 2024. The Irishman range continues to grow, and I loved hearing about their world’s first tequila-finished Irish single pot still whiskey. Lastly, there was a visit to the folk from Mitchell & Sons to see the crowds gather to try their range of excellent whiskey. I’ve always savoured those crisp apple notes from Green Spot and, of course, that berry-sweet intensity of Red Spot.

Any of the Spot range bottles are terrific, but if I had to choose I’d suggest GreenSpot Chateau Leoville Barton.

Powerscourt Distillery

Many days in the summer as a kid were spent on family drives through the back roads of County Wicklow. So, a scenic drive to visit the distillery in the idyllic Powerscourt Estate was a real treat. The Fercullen range is one of the most successful of the more recently established Irish distilleries. 

Sitting in their atmospheric tasting room and hearing about the plans for rare and wonderful cask finishes planned for the next series of releases was like being let into a big secret. Knowing how popular their 2024 bottles have been, I now see how this will continue into 2025.  

To know I was just one of many visitors to have travelled across the Wicklow mountains to appreciate this exciting distillery was a great way to end the year.  

For a great start to what Powerscourt offers, try Fercullen 18, a wonderfully matured 18-year-old single malt.

For more Irish whiskey experiences and inspiration, visit our blog

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