@TheSpiritCellar David Coveney's Top 5 Irish Whiskies
- Mar 15, 2015
- 5 min read
By David Coveney
A Scotsman, an Irishman and an American walk into a bar. Shit's about to get real. Oh no wait, it's Paddy's day, only the Irishman is left standing.
Whisky, or Whiskey, depending what part of the globe you where born, is one of those wonderful spirits that never fails to spark debates, fights and has often broken friendships. Kings and Queens have fallen over this topic, wars have been won and lost and the fate of mankind is in it's hands.
Well those last parts aren't really true, but it can often feel that dramatic. Today, though, the Irish have won and I am happy to take you through some of their finest offerings, but first a bit of the blah blah that you may be interested to know.
Cast your mind back to 1000AD, when a small group of Irish monks returned home from travelling through the Mediterranean, no doubt sunbathing, eating luscious tomatoes and generally having a good old jolly. They brought with them knowledge of distilling perfumes and medicines which they soon adapted to make a spirit that wouldn't hinder your vision. Well not too much anyway.
Don't tell the Scotsman on the other side of the bar, yeah that one, the grumpy looking one nursing the Laphroaig you can smell from where you are, but whiskey was first recorded in Ireland in 1405. That's almost 90 years before it was recorded in Scotland! I know right, keep it down.
We jump forward now to Prohibition, that dark time in America where people where denied their fun. This put a lot of Irish producers out of business. The following Irish War Of Independence and Civil War helped kick them in the balls once again and others in the Commonwealth thought they where smelly and unattractive, so exports almost ceased. Thus putting most of the small distillers, and some of the larger ones, out of business completely.
Now, jumping forward again to a very different time, in 2013 the Irish Times reported that Irish whiskey had been the fastest growing spirit year on out since 1990. But how on earth had this happened? Well, people have come to love Irish whiskey for it's elegance. Most Irish whiskies are distilled three times, while most (but not all) Scotch is done twice. This gives Irish whiskey a smoothness and character that lends itself more to the cocktail world, wonderful British summer's on the terrace (eh?) and beautiful women lying on lawns in the country. This movement has helped to draw the entire whisk(e)y market away from those night caps by the fire and into a whole new era with a whole new generation of drinkers and followers.
So we now know Irish whiskey came before it's Scottish cousin and over the past 15 years has been waving it's middle finger across at the highlanders over the Irish Sea. I'm not sure they know that's England over there, but hey, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
One thing to bare in mind is that there is only a handful of operating distilleries in Ireland. But this latest resurgence has opened the doors to some small craft distillers who are not yet bottling but I cannot wait to taste what they have done.
I love Irish whiskey, not more than Scotch, well sometimes I do, but we can leave that for another day. So I think it's time I give you my top 5 from this brilliant category, as the wonderful Paddy's Day is almost upon us, and you will need something to wash down that breakfast Guinness.
Green Spot
Some see this fantastic whiskey as some what of a cult dram. Its revamped packaging looks great and has been one of my favourite spirits for sipping that I have found in the past two years. The initial nose shows clean and clear malt characteristics, which finish with a hefty waft of apple and pear. This is a classic Irish malt. Something not to be missed.
It slips down easily on the palate with a beautiful dryness and smoothness that is perfect to be enjoyed with a touch of ice.
Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Single Malt
Aged in four different woods including port, sherry and maderia, it is one of the most complex and richest Irish malts I have tasted at this price point. If you like that Lowland Scotch that everyone has trouble prenouncing (Awken... Ouchen... Auchentoshan- Phew! Nailed it) then you will certainly finish this in about an hour. The huge notes of toffee, vanilla and even tropical fruit shine through among the toasted wood and classic grassy character that you find within this brand.
I love this in an old fashioned, or simply served over ice with a twist of orange and a dash of sugar syrup if your in a rush.
Redbreast 12 Years
Redbreast 12 is the youngest expression of the range but offers an extremely well balanced and complex dram for the price. It hits you first on the nose where orange, caramel and hints of spice envelope around that classic Irish pot still character we all love.
When you finally get over that and get it in your gob, you find much more vanilla coming through with a touch of cardamom on the finish. It’s lusciously dry which makes this a perfect dram to enjoy over a spot of ice. If your dad allows you too of course!
Oh yeah, Jim Murray likes the stuff a lot too so if you don’t trust me…
Bushmills Single Malt 10 Years
One of the classic brands from the country, we’ve all heard of it and some snobs would brush it away but the single malt expression from Bushmills is absolutely fantastic. It does everything an Irish whiskey should do. It’s light, elegant and has a touch of sweetness that shines through both when nosing and when actually enjoying the thing.
Tinges of orange, vanilla and dried fruit can be found on the nose while an explosion of honey hits the tongue and there is a big blast of that Olorosso cask that comes through nicely.
I would serve this with a liqueur like Kings Ginger over ice or even some ginger wine if I wanted something a little dryer.
Midleton Very Rare
Now onto one of my favourite blended whiskies of all time. With only 50 casks produced each year and chosen by the master blender, it can vary year on out. But so far, in my experience, it has stayed consistently at the highest quality.
The 2014 vintage was the first version to be blended by new Master Distiller Brian Nation and was one of my stand-out whiskies of the year. This expression shows more wood than other years but has a lot of complexity throughout. There are floral undertones on the palate which finish with the recognisable vanilla notes that help hold the flavours long.
I wouldn’t even add ice to this, maybe a drop of water if needed, but however you choose to enjoy it, you will find that it truly is sensational.
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