“A foretaste of heaven”. Lakeview Estate Single Estate Irish Whiskey

 “A foretaste of heaven”

Lakeview Estate Single Estate Irish Whiskey 46%

View of the lake, and the gate to heaven, from the house. Pic from September 2021

“Tis a foretaste of heaven, I cannot say more

Of O’Connell’s famed home on the lower lake shore”.

So wrote Donal McSweeney c1890 in relation to the Killarney house known as Lakeview and its extraordinarily beautiful setting.

Now there’s another foretaste of paradise here on the estate, and it is spreading across the land and beyond. With Maurice O’Connell (a direct descendant of the famous Daniel O’Connell) and his wife Francesca at the helm, Lakeview is the base of Wayward Irish Spirits. This Lakeview whiskey is their first single estate. The barley was grown here on the Hilly Field and the whiskey matured here, much is still maturing here.

The warehouse where whiskey matures. The Hilly Field is visible to the left.

Briefly, that barley was harvested in late August 2018 and was malted by Athgarrett Malt (Nass) in January 2019 before being distilled by GND (Dundalk) the following March. Since then it has matured at Lakeview mostly in ex Premier Cru Bordeaux NEOC casks. Gently cut over a longer period of six months (their usual period is six weeks) to ensure integration and smoothness. No colour added, no chill filter.

Maurice O'Connell

Maurice O’Connell emphasises that this, their first pot still whiskey from their estate, “showcases the unique maturation conditions here in our 300 year old stone bonded warehouse…

Maturation Terroir exists - we say this whiskey tastes far beyond its young age..” This “Coming of Age Release" is limited to just 300 numbered bottles. 

The early tastings have mostly confirmed that this new whiskey tastes older than its actual years and I’m inclined to agree but I also think that it has much more to come - additional levels of depth and flavour, more complexity, even more smoothness - and that it will be well worth waiting for. A work in very promising progress.

On a windy Saturday morning a small group of us had a very casual tasting, some of us just sniffing. Fennel came up in the aromas, as did aniseed, and other more experienced tasters have spoken elsewhere of the same features.  Oh yes there is a little hint of smokiness in there too; ten per cent was finished in ex peated cask for 3 months as Maurice “felt the nose needed something”.

Happy group (l to r): Yours truly, Aileen, Maurice and Clare. Thanks to Brian for the pic.

 

Lakeview’s own notes indicate cherry aromas. There is quite a backbone of figs and other darkish fruits on the palate; for me, it was honey, having first appeared in the aromatics, that came on well in the mouth where the Lakeview is smooth and followed by a long finish.

The house at Lakeview.

The bottle design was inspired by a bottle of D’Orsay perfume that had sat in Lakeview House for decades, defying all attempts to open it (the glass cork having fused with the neck) before being recently opened by a combination of ice and fire, thought up and executed by Maurice and Francesca. The perfume still smells really good, if in a mid-century style, a bit cloying according to Maurice.

Today’s D’Orsay website says: Our body fragrances are designed for couples, echoing the first historic fragrance designed in 1830 by Alfred d’Orsay.

Wikipedia: Alfred D'Orsay and Disraeli were good friends in the 1830s–to the point that Disraeli (twice UK Prime Minister) asked d'Orsay to be his second, when it appeared that Disraeli would fight a duel with Morgan O'Connell, the son of Irish agitator Daniel O'Connell. D'Orsay declined… .

O’Connell’s previous whiskey (and more to come) are based on sourced spirit and you will find them under the Liberator brand. That bought in spirit is matured here on the estate in an old building, one of a group that form a square.

Lakeview in autumn

As you enter the courtyard, you will note Chinese characters over the door. Maurice tells us it means “House of Contentment”. It is something of a joke played by one of his ancestors on his less travelled relations as House of Contentment is a euphemism in parts of Asia for a brothel. 

There are many many stories of the O’Connell family and Maurice is always happy to recount some of them, as he did last Saturday morning, but I think he’d need a week at least to get through them all!

* For more (not the whole story!) on the O’Connells and Lakeview, see an earlier post from September 2020, here.

Also on this trip: New chef celebrates Cahernane House appointment with stunning 8-course menu, details here. 

Daniel O'Connell