So Many Whiskey Choices with Tiny Tipple

Many Whiskey Choices with Tiny Tipple

My Prize

Have you ever wanted to taste an expensive bottle of whiskey or brandy but couldn't justify the price? Tiny Tipple gives you the chance to try premium spirits from Ireland (mainly) and also from around the world at a fraction of the cost.

They operate from The Irishman's Bar and Lounge, Court Place, in Carlow. Enjoy a 50ml miniature of the whiskey of your choice, carefully hand bottled and wax sealed, in the comfort of your own home. Pick and choose your own whiskey flights to broaden your  whiskey palate or simply purchase as a gift for the whiskey enthusiast. More details here.

A while back I spotted a little competition on Twitter and won the four 50ml miniatures below. 

Waterford Sheestown 1.1 Single Farm Origin Single Malt 50% abv

Mid gold with amber tints is the colour of this single farm, single malt from Waterford. Aromas, pleasant and of moderate intensity, include clove and rich dried fruit. Spice, with clove again, features in the taste and there’s quite a citrus element as well, plus a little heat. There’s a long finish to this one, that clove still an actor, spicy too and warming.

A few drops of water increases the visibility of the “oil” clinging to the glass. It also opens up the fruit on the palate and marginally reduces the heat and the clove effect while the finish is still long and very satisfactory.

My first tasting of a Waterford. Very impressive.

You can get a huge amount of info on this whiskey on the Waterford website including that the barley was grown not in Waterford but in neighbouring Kilkenny in an area called Sheestown. Defined by a geology of limestone and sandstone, Sheestown is a rolling, lowland terroir of well-drained loamy soil with outcrops of gravel and drier hilltops. Philip O’Brien has farmed here for half a century, while his daughter, Maura, works at the distillery.

The barley variety is Irina. Much more info on the website!

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Teeling Whiskey Dublin Distilled Single Pot Still, 46%, 

Another 50ml bottle from Tiny Tipples, who say: The second release of the Teeling Single Pot Still (Batch 2). A highly anticipated whiskey that has been matured in a combination of virgin oak, ex-wine and ex-bourbon barrels. Bottled B2: 01/2019.

Teeling themselves: Discover an unconventional take on a classic Irish style of Whiskey. The first Whiskey to be distilled in Dublin in nearly 50 years, our Single Pot Still pays homage to a Dublin style made famous by the old, now closed, Dublin Whiskey Distilleries.Teeling Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is crafted using a uniquely Irish mash bill consisting of 50% malted and 50% unmalted barley that has been triple distilled and matured in a combination of American Virgin Oak, Bourbon, and Sherry casks.This is not how everyone makes Irish Whiskey – it’s the Teeling way.  That’s the Spirit of Dublin.

The nose is of moderate intensity, lightly floral and slightly fruity. And you notice the malt in the palate,  a joyful melange of grain, fruit, spice and creamy toffee. Spice and sweetness too towards the end before a dry finale. Very well balanced whiskey, very accomplished indeed.

A few drops of water has a marginal beneficial influence here.

On sale at around €55.00 per bottle

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JJ Corry The Gael Batch 3 Blend, 46% abv

This is the first release from the County Clare Bonders.  Bonders? During the ‘golden age’ of Irish Whiskey (in the 19th and 20th centuries), there were hundreds of distilleries. Most did not have their own brands of whiskey at that time, however. These distilleries made their new make whiskey spirit and sold it wholesale to the Bonders to age, blend and bottle. The bonders were the publicans, grocers and mercantile owners. 

Chapel Gate whiskey, whose operation is on the McGuane family farm in County Clare, aims to resurrect the lost art of the Irish whiskey bonder through their JJ Corry label.

Tiny Tipple  say this is a “fabulous bottle with great transparency on the label. A fabulous dram.”  Tiny Tipple are a great way of sampling more whiskey without having to buy a full bottle every time. All Tiny Tipples come in a standard 50ml hand filled wax sealed bottle. Some info on the Tiny label and more on their website.

Batch No.3 of Corry’s is an award winning blend of Malt and Grain whiskey. It is 50% Vatted Grain, 49.5% Vatted Malt and 0.5% Single Malt ‘Top Dressing’.They say it is “the perfect marriage of Irish Whiskey flavours. Comprised of some of the oldest whiskeys in our library of flavours, The Gael is the perfect representation of our fruit bomb house style with layers of complexity.” 

Aromas are pleasant, a mix of fruit (lemon) and spice. Very smooth on the palate, with white fruit and citrus in the lead. Good finish too, with apple notes, and probably a bit longer, I thought, than the medium claimed. I like this one a lot, especially the juicy and fruity palate. A full bottle will cost you €80 to 85.

• Wouldn’t normally be thinking of adding water to a 46% whiskey but a few drops here enhanced the smoothness. By the way, it doesn’t have to be a few drops (although that’s my way); at a recent online Dingle tasting, the distillery indicated to add what you like, that it is your whiskey!

The Busker Triple Cask Blend 40% abv 

Beautiful fruit (exotic) and vanilla seems to be the message from the aromatics in this inviting mid-gold coloured whiskey in The Busker series by the Royal Oak Distillery. It has been matured and finished in Bourbon, Marsala and Sherry casks. I’m now expecting something smooth and on the sweet side and I’m not disappointed at all.

It is smooth and rich on the palate and, yes, sweetish with chocolate and fudge in the mix, and a touch of cinnamon spice. The sweetness continues through the beautifully balanced finish.

With water…. No real change on the nose but there is some extra smoothness both in the mouth and in the finish. No great change but then this is a more or less normal 40% and hardly in need of water at all.