Pandemic or Recession, the Blair Boys never shirk a challenge

 Pandemic or Recession, the Blair Boys never shirk a challenge 

The Blairs Boys never shirk a challenge. Their family owned country inn near Cloghroe has, like many restaurants, been ambushed and battered by pandemics and rising costs, yet Duncan and Richie have come up fighting, still cooking and serving the good stuff, seasonal comforting food these bleak December days.

But leave your bleakness at the door, as they do. Lots of smiles and chats in here as regulars know. And of course they have craft beer, a full menu of it. Indeed, they were one of the pioneers (not the kind with the badge) of local beer, matching it with their local produce. On the current list, brewers such as West Kerry, Blacks of Kinsale, West Cork Brewing and 9 White Deer are highlighted.

The Stag Gluten Free Stout by 9 White Deer has been a big hit here over the years and was one of our drinks during the visit. The other was their Kölsch, a summer favourite of ours. Not summer now but the Blairs fire was warm and the beer went down a treat. Also spotted the new 9 White Deer Export Stout 7.4% (Stout Aged in Blackwater whiskey casks in West Waterford) and that came home with us. We were advised to hold on to it for a while!

We had arrived just as they opened at 1.00pm last Thursday and so did quite a few others and Christmas was very much in the air when a large group of customers came together. And there was plenty of warming food to choose from.

Starters included Soup of the Day with Potato Flatbread; Tartlet of Ardsallagh Goats Cheese, creamed leeks and a beetroot chutney; and Garlic Wild Mushrooms with potato flatbreads. Our pick, available in small and large portions, was the West Cork Whiskey Wings with a Cashel Blue dip and potato flatbreads. Superb flavours from a warming dish ideal for the zero degree weather outside in the valley.

Mains on offer included Roast Half Chicken with all the trimmings including roasties; Angus Beef Burger with cheese, gherkins and house sauce and with skin-on wedges; Roast stuffed loin of Timoleague Pork with all the trimmings with roasties of course!; a seasonal Veggie Pie, topped with Cheddar cheese mash; Thai Green Chicken Curry with steamed rice.

My pick was the Cottage Pie of ground beef topped with creamy mash and a side salad, another comforting warm blast against the cold! But I think, on the basis of a spoon or two, that CL was the winner here with a tempting looking Fisherman's Pie of fresh fish topped with smoked Hegarty’s Cheese and dill mash. It looked tempting mostly because, unusually, the chunky fish pieces were floating around an island of the tasty mash. Something different but very satisfying indeed. Just like everything else on the menu, this was comfort food at its best, perfect for the weather this time of year.

This one came home!

Finished off with a chat with the brothers and wished them luck for the months ahead. But those two know you make your own luck where the main ingredient is hard work. Their loyal local customers know that too and, combined, that’s a solid foundation for whatever pestilence or economic woe that may (or may not) lie around the corner.

The Whiskey Bulletin. Review of new West Cork 7-year Single Malt plus news from Powerscourt, Cork Whiskey Fest,Blackwater Distillery, Killowen

New Whiskey Review

Plus news from Powerscourt, Cork Whiskey Fest,Blackwater Distillery, Killowen

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West Cork 7 Year Single Malt 46% ABV

Chalk this down as another good one from the West Cork Distillery in Skibbereen.

This, one of the darker ones, has quite an inviting nose, subtle notes of almond and red berries. It boasts a marvellous palate, really easy to enjoy, packed with agreeable fruit sensations (including citrus and almond), hints too of its years in sherry cask, smooth malt and just a little, if lively, spice. And there’s no let-up, nor let down either, in the long and pleasant finish. An immediate thumbs up for this smooth fruity whiskey from the west which was finished in bourbon casks.

Expect to pay around €60.00 

This is the first aged Pot Still from Ireland's largest independent distillery! West Cork Distillers was formed in 2003 by childhood friends, John O’Connell (left), Ger McCarthy and Denis McCarthy at a time when it made very little economic sense to do so. "The early years were far from glamorous, operating in a room at the back of Denis’s house in Union Hall with two small stills we bought from a schnapps producer in Switzerland. In 2014 we moved to a new distillery in Skibbereen

We currently operate out of a 12.5 acre site on Marsh Road.... With distributors across the globe, our award winning West Cork Irish Whiskey is now sold in almost 70 countries. Case sales have risen considerably every year for the past six years and our staff has grown to over 80 people, with the majority based locally in West Cork.

We want to make Irish whiskey accessible. We will continue to expand our operation but maintain our Irish ownership and stay true to our West Cork heritage. The opening of the new distillery makes us the largest, wholly Irish owned distillery in the country. Meanwhile, more jobs, new products and additional warehouses are being added to meet rising demand."

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press releases

And they have other tempting options also.

More info here

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press release

Cork Whiskey Fest

BLACKWATER DISTILLERY MASTERCLASS

WHEN: SATURDAY MARCH 25, 2023 @12:00PM WHERE:CORK CITY'S VICTORIAN QUARTER More details here ************** press release Killowen Distillery have nurtured many different expressions of poitín since their first days of distilling, unfortunately these beautiful products are too often in short supply. Thankfully Killowen have now created a core product in larger 70cl bottles, most fitting of the current poitín revival.   ‘Pangur – The White Cat’ is fun, dynamic, colourful and versatile with flavours spanning from sophisticated whiskey aromas to beautiful mescal notes, this poitín is a fitting response to Ireland’s unique, culinary beverage. As whiskey’s mummy, this is a beverage category we should all be very proud of. Pangur draws its inspiration from the fun ancient poem ‘Pangur Ban’ written by a man from here, on a remote German island in the 9th Century about his relationship with his little furry friend - we will let you guys enjoy the fun history search.   Pangur is a 50/50 combination of two spirits, one from either side of Carlingford Lough, the combination offers both potstill spice and notes of mescal creating a beautiful spirit perfectly suited for finishing in some well sourced oak in Killowen Distillery.   The three Pangurs we have include:  Bourbon wood rested offers notes of citrus fruit, and similar to mescal a hint of smoke and light earthiness Stout wood rested offers some of the above but this time with chocolate, creamy and a silky texture PX wood rested dried fruit notes of fig and raisin layered on top of the afore mentioned citrus Just to note: current legislation forbids the mention of the words ‘cask’ or ‘ageing’ in marketing material for our native spirit poitín, something we hope will change in the future. Pangur is currently being released into the wild this week onwards, just ask any quality local off licenses North or South to get a bottle in stock, it will also be available from our online partners. RRP: €48.95 & £39.95 **************

The Irishman The Harvest Single Malt and Single Pot Irish Whiskey. Killowen/Blackwater Poitín Combination. Cork's Cask nets another cocktail award.

There's more than one Irishman! 

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+ below, Killowen/Blackwater Poitín Combination

Cork's Cask nets another national cocktail award.

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The Irishman The Harvest Single Malt and Single Pot Irish Whiskey 40% ABV

Widely available at about €40.00.

Here’s the introduction from producers Walsh Whiskey: The Irishman. Premium Irish Whiskey. Exceptional character. Championing Irish Single Malt. The recreation of age-old recipes to create unrivalled expressions. For a new generation of whiskey enthusiasts.

Blackwater Distillery Tasters Club 2021/2 Up And Running

The Blackwater Distillery Tasters Club 2021/2

The Blackwater Distillery Tasters Club for 2021/2 is up and running, the latest double featuring a Star Anise Gin and an intriguing Pear-itif Liqueur. 

When you sign up you get two unique spirits delivered by courier every two months. “Perfect for a great night in,” says Blackwater founder Peter Mulryan. And the night gets even better if you tune in to their night of fun (every 2 months to coincide with your delivery) on Facebook where you’ll get all the tips and ideas and demos you need to make the best of your two spirits.

And those spirits are not repeated during your 12 months membership. We got some terrific doubles in 2020/1. Some of the gins featured included Windfall Spiced, Jaffa Cake (very popular), Christmas Pudding and Blood Orange. 

I was very taken with the other spirits, including the Raspberry and Rosehip Vodka, the Cranberry Vodka Liqueur, and Love Potion #5 (created by @miss_susanboyle). The first class blackcurrants from Des Jeffares featured in two of the drinks, two really excellent bottles, the Wexford Cassis and the Wexford Blackcurrant Gin. All the bottles are 20cl.

Blackwater's Peter Mulryan

So this October’s other spirit is the Pear-itif Liqueur. On the launch night, Peter introduced recent recruit Sylvia from Italy who is responsible for this beauty.  She was back in Italy on holidays and still thinking about the job! “I was looking to use an autumnal fruit and then I saw a pear based Grappa and that was the initial inspiration.” Team-work and hard work followed in the distillery before Sylvia and Blackwater came up with Pear-itif which is 20% abv.

When your packet comes, you also get information cards, one giving a “Perfect Serve”, the other giving details of a cocktail, in this case entitled Perfect Apear-itif, and you’ll see a demo, by John Coleman, as well. The pear drink has a nose of stewed fruit, pear drops on the spicy and fresh palate and a long and luxurious finish.

The Star Anise Gin, at the usual abv of 40%, comes with a little pack of Star Anise, of course, to garnish your cocktail which is called Anise-tini, again demonstrated on the Facebook event. The perfect serve for this gin is is to try it with a splash of organic apple juice topped with soda over ice. And you are advised that this is a mixing gin, strong, forward and spicy - drink it long with tons of ice and tonic, garnished with pink grapefruit. By the way you can check all this out on Facebook here.

Cocktail demo

Peter says the club is “the perfect treat for the bold and adventurous among us who love gin and trying out other exciting spirits from our micro-distillery in rural Ireland”. The December box is next and it is a Christmas themed box that will be ready very soon.

You can join the exclusive club here today. There are three options: 12 months (€199), 6 months (€110) and a once off for €39.99. Over to you! 

Cheers on beer, spirits and wine. #210403. With White Hag, Beara Distillery, Wine Australia, Ballykilcavan, Kinsale Mead, Rascals, Blackwater Distillery

Cheers on beer, spirits and wine. #210403. 

With White Hag, Beara Distillery, Wine Australia, Ballykilcavan, Kinsale Mead, Rascals, Blackwater Distillery

The White Hag Comes Up

 With A Magic Mist.  Juicy stuff

The ‘Juicy’ style was only recently recognised by the Beer Judge Certification Program in the United States, as a result of the emergence of more and more New England IPAs (NEIPAs). Juicy pale ales (also known as hazy pale ales) fit into the NEIPA category at an official level.

Magic Mist is highly aromatic with a soft bitterness that explodes with tropical notes of mango, citrus, and passionfruit, followed by subtle hints of orange and strawberries.

More here

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Beara Distillery

We here at Beara Distillery have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to perfect this black cask blend whiskey

A unique blend that we hope our loyal customers enjoy just as much as we do

It is now on the shelves of SuperValu Castletownbere and Kenmare and will expand to your local SuperValu and off-licences 

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Australian Wine

Australian Wine Discovered is a free wine education program offering flexible courses, tools and resources spanning over topics including key Australian regions, varieties and themes. Learn more: wineaus.co/edu

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Ballykilcavan Farm & Brewery Announce Joe O'Driscoll as Head Brewer.

Start of a new era today (1st Mar 2021) as Joe takes over as Head Brewer. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. Since Joe joined us, he's brought a huge amount of passion, energy and creativity in his role as innovation brewer, so it's brilliant to know that the future of the brewery is in great hands.

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Kinsale Mead OnLine Talk and Tasting

Want to learn more about the story behind Kinsale Mead and the fascinating history of mead and honey? Join our online mead talk and tasting on Saturday March 13th at 8pm live from the meadery oak bar with Kate and Denis.
How does it work?
Order your tasting kit before end Sunday March 7th at https://www.kinsalemeadco.ie/product/online-talk-tasting-m/ We will email your tasting link and ship your tasting kit to your door so you can sip along with the Mead Makers live online from the comfort of your sofa. Details here.

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One of your favourite beers is making a return 🍺

Thanks to Rascals!

Well it’s certainly looking like bag o’cans weather out there this week. Mind you, lads going round in shorts and flip-flops? Ah come on. You’ll catch your death.
Here are some new beers to fill your bag with: Betty's dry-hopped New Zealand 4.5% Helles lager and Bruce's hazy New Zealand 6.2% IPA. The former is a bright lager with a crisp, refreshing finish, offering gooseberry and lime flavours and aromas. The latter is a full-bodied IPA with ripe tropical fruit, citrus peel flavours and a perfectly balanced sweetness.

You can get a full case of 12, a mixed case of 12, or even mix either with one of your fave Rascals core beers in a box of 12 or 24. We’ve even put Bruce and Betty into 5L mini kegs. You’ve options galore! €1 from every order in March will be donated to My Lovely Horse Rescue. You can read more about the initiative here.

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Blackwater Distillery 

Irish Mammies are the salt of the earth so why not treat your mother to a bottle of Blackwater Gin. To celebrate this Mother's Day Sun 14th March we are treating your amazing mother to a FREE box of decadent Lily O'Brien's chocolates with every bottle of gin purchased*. Check out our E-Store to avail of this fantastic offer.

Cheers on beer, whiskey and wine. With O'Briens Wine, Franciscan Well, Waterford Distillery, Wines of the World, JJ Corry, Blackwater.

Cheers on beer, whiskey and wine. #212702.

With O'Briens Wine, Hopfully, Treaty City, Franciscan Well, Waterford Distillery, Wines of the World, JJ Corry, Blackwater Distillery.

NEW CRAFT BEER RELEASES At O'BRIENS WINES

This week Paul Barry takes a look at some new craft beer additions to our fridges in O'Briens. We have some great new beers to liven up dreary February with two Irish breweries joining our range this month. Each bringing a line-up of great core range beers, not just great beers for February but all year round!

Hopfully Brewing

 

Hopfully are a Dublin based gypsy brewer, meaning they contract brew in other breweries, that was set up in 2017. All their craft beer cans feature artwork from up-and-coming artists. Their mission as they see it is to “create a series of craft beers that introduce distinctive flavours and give emerging artists a platform to showcase their work.”

Treaty City began in the spare room of a two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver, Canada. Here, husband and wife team Stephen and Treasa perfected some of their recipes on a home brewing kit before deciding to make the move back home and set up a full-scale brewery in Limerick city. This month Treaty City launched a new craft beer can range.

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 Franciscan Well Bar's Online Easter Beer Fest

Online Event

Apr 2 at 3 PM UTC+01 – Apr 3 at 9 PM UTC+01

Price: Free · Duration: 1 day

Public  · Anyone on or off Facebook

"We couldn’t not run our Easter Beer Fest two years in a row....so we've moved it online....all information to be announced soon! #WatchThisSpace"

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TERROIR-DRIVEN: THE WATERFORD WHISKY PODCAST We have been accused of many things, but being short of insightful content is not one of them. When we say we bring the same intellectual drive, methodology and rigour as the great French winemakers to single malt whisky, what does that actually mean? In our new podcast series, award-winning whisky communicator Barry Chandler has unfettered access to the Facilitator and our people, as well as those behind our landmark peer-reviewed study on terroir in whisky. In addition, Barry interviews a number of people from around the whisky community to get their insights on the processes and perceptions of terroir in the wider world. He breaks down each step of the production process from growing the barley to bottling the whisky so that you, the curious whisky connoisseur, can see what the possibilities are when a distillery chooses to obsessively explore that prime raw ingredient of single malt whisky: barley. Subscribe now on your preferred platform of choice to follow all episodes. SUBSCRIBE ON SPOTIFY SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS

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Wines Of The World Exquitite Mixed Cases

Are you more of a white wine lover or red wine lover?

 

Did you know we have mixed cases of our top selling white and red grape varieties?

 

Checkout out below our top 3 whites - Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay and the top 3 reds Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.
 

Each case an exquisite mix from Around the World!

Check Them Out Here

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Behind The Gates: J.J. Corry St. Patricks Day Live Virtual Tour 🍀

This year, we wish to invite you behind the gates of the J.J. Corry Farm for a LIVE virtual tour on Sunday 14th March at 8PM GMT / 3PM EST. Guided by our Founder and Whiskey Bonder, Louise McGuane, we will take you through our library of whiskey flavours in our Rackhouse, a detailed behind the scenes look into our Bonder's Blending Room (the room where the magic happens), followed by a live Q&A session with Louise in our 17th Century Barn and Tasting Room. Tickets available now. Places are limited. Sláinte!

Buy Now ************ Blackwater Distillery are proud to support the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival for the third year in a row and are very excited at this year's line up of films. To celebrate we have a fantastic prize to giveaway which includes an online festival pass to over 60 films and a Blackwater goodie bag which includes a bottle of our Blackwater No.5 and Wexford Strawberry Gin along with 2 highball glasses. Details on their Facebook page here