Two Excellent German Wines from Wines on the Green at the Celtic Whiskey Shop

Two Excellent German Wines

 from Wines on the Green

at the Celtic Whiskey Shop

Never associated Dublin's Celtic Whiskey Shop until a week or two back when I noticed an online "quiz" with bottles of wine for the winners. So I entered and won these two lovely wines from Baden's Fritz Waßmer. Then I looked a little closer at the Celtic website and saw that the full name is Celtic Whiskey Shop & Wines on the Green. And there is a huge selection of wine available there. Well worth looking at!

 Fritz Wassmer Weisser Burgunder Baden 2019, 12.5%, €19.00

This German Pinot Blanc is barely coloured, making it easy to spot some micro-bubbles clinging to the glass (it’s not sparkling!). By contrast, the aromatics are quite rich, with citrus prominent. A touch of apple in there as well. Citrus, pear and apple also feature on the rich palate, even a hint of almond there too, before a lip smacking dry finish (the label is marked Trocken).

This lovely well balanced wine is excellent on its own but, boasting that decent acidity, is quite capable of holding its own at the table with the likes of soft cheeses, salads with cream dressings, flaky fish (eg cod) and vegetarian dishes. Serve at 8-10 degrees. 

Weisser Burgunder is the German for Pinot Blanc which originated in Burgundy and you’ll also find some excellent examples in Alsace. They grow quite a bit of it in German areas such as Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen and around Baden where our Fritz Wassmer is one of its leading fans. He’s not bad at the Pinot Noir either!

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Overall though, despite being grown in many countries, Pinot Blanc is, according to Grapes & Wines, “one of the wine world’s genuine Cinderellas..”. Alsace, where Meyer-Fonné makes the outstanding Vieilles Vignes, is perhaps where you’ll find it more often than elsewhere. Grapes & Wines also hint that the grape may find an English home, particularly in Kent and Sussex where “lovely examples” have already been produced.

Fritz Wassmer Spätburgunder Sommerhalde Bombach 2017, 13%, €63.50 

Big. And beautiful!

Colour, at first glance, is more or less typical of the Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) grape: a mid-ruby. When held against the white background, it is even lighter, close to a rose. Aromas are quite intense, red berries and darker bigger fruit like plums and cherries, plus a touch of pepper. The palate is surprisingly bright and light, beautiful almost tart flavours of cherry and cranberry and spice. Intense yet elegant with an amazing harmony (fresh acidity, smooth tannins) all the way to the lengthy finish.

The producers say: Since founding the winery in 1998, Fritz Waßmer has pursued his own wine style: independent, finesse-rich and profound wines. He is passionate about Pinot Noir and his special affinity to Burgundy, the cradle of Pinot Noir, is reflected in his daily work as a winemaker.

The Sommerhalde Bombach is located in the eastern part of the Breisgau region, with a southerly aspect, directly bordering the Black Forest. The wines benefit from the strong sunshine and the nightly cold air currents moving over from the Black Forest. The noticeable day-night difference in temperature promotes a slow ripening of the Pinot grapes with finely balanced harmony and fruit aromas.

Germany, you may be surprised to learn, is the third largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world, with only the USA and France ahead. Source: Grapes and Wine.

This is quite a wine, Very Highly Recommended. It comes in impressive bottle, much heavier than usual, so be careful when filling or topping up your glass. Note also that the dimple in the bottom (also known as the punt or kick-up) is much deeper than usual. There is a perception (and it has some weight behind it) that the bigger the punt, the better the wine. You may read more on the subject in an article on the Curious Wines website here. 

Irish Whiskey Awards Results. Power's John Lane the big winner.

Great to see the Powers John’s Lane, one of my favourite whiskeys coming out on top at the Irish Whiskey Awards last night. Thanks to the Celtic Whiskey Shop, you can see all the winners below....

Celtic Whiskey Shop & Wines on the Green 27-28 Dawson Street Dublin 2 Ph. +35316759744 www.celticwhiskeyshop.com Irish Whiskey Awards Results,  This year the Irish Whiskey Awards were hosted at the Old Jameson Distillery on Bow Street and was attended by producers, bars and whiskey enthusiasts all over Ireland. The night consisted of whiskey cocktails, a tour of the distillery, the all important awards and of course far too much whiskey! Please see our list of winners below... Best Irish Single Pot Still  Powers John's Lane Powers John’s Lane was an instant hit when it was first released in 2011 so it’s no surprise that it was a firm favourite with a lot of our judges this year, despite having some very strong competitors in this category. John’s Lane was intended to faithfully recreate the old style of whiskey once made in Dublin, it's one that Irish whiskey lovers keeping coming back to. It is comprised mostly of a robust, heavy pot still spirit and is predominantly aged in ex-bourbon casks with a little sherry cask ageing. Gold Medals went to: Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest & Powers 1817 Release Tasting notes: Colour: Bronze. Nose: Distinct cocoa and mocha overtones on the nose with hints of dried apricots orange peel and marshmallow.                         Palate: Crisp and mouthwatering with a spice laden palate, a touch of bittersweet fruit, marmalade and toffee apples. The finish becomes more chocolatey with some dusty oakiness making an appearance. Powers John's Lane Regular Price €63.99 Best Irish Single Malt (12 Years Old and Under) Tyrconnell Madeira Cask Originally released as a limited edition but proved to be so popular that it was made a permanent part of the Tyrconnell range. Flavours of barley sugar, chocolate, and toffee has made it a clear winner in this category. Gold Medals went to: Teeling Brabazon Bottling Series 2 & The Whistler Single Malt Aged 7 Years Tasting notes: Colour: Golden yellow. Nose: Harmonious and warming. Aromas of milky coffee, dried apricots, roasted nuts and creme caramel.                Palate: Smooth, rich and extremely well rounded. Plenty of soft malty flavours, a touch of spice and dried fruit nuances. Very well balanced, one of the most successful Madeira finishes we have tried. The fruit flavours persist all the way to the finish. Tyrconnell Madeira Cask Regular Price €77.99 Best Irish Single Malt (13 Years Old and Over) & Overall Best Irish Whiskey Winner Teeling Revival Single Malt Volume IV Teeling’s new revival release was hugely popular with our judges this year and when you taste it, it’s easy to see why. The ex-Muscat barrels used for a finishing period of around 12 months have added some citrus and floral notes, as well as a ripe fruits and spice towards the finish. Gold medals went to: The Irishman 17Year Old & Tyrconnell 16Year Old Producer's tasting notes: Colour: Golden. Nose: Subtle floral notes, aroma of peach, pineapple, and satsuma mandarin.             Palate: Ripe fruits and spices, with an hint of vanilla and cream which moves onto a dry finish with tannins and lingering wood.  Teeling Revival Single Malt Volume IV Coming Soon! Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of less than €60) Jameson Black Barrel The second time this whiskey has won Best Irish Blended Whiskey under €60. The heavily charring of 1st fill Bourbon casks gives this whiskey notes of butterscotch, vanilla and dark chocolate. The remainder of the casks used are 1st and 2nd fill bourbon barrels which add some balancing sweetness to the blend. Gold Medals went to: Irishman Founder's Reserve & Slane Irish Whiskey  Tasting notes: Colour: Deep gold with some copper tinges. Nose: Intensely fruity with characters of apricot, kumquat, and fruit cake. A hint of bitter, dark chocolate and truffles. Palate: Spice and dried fruits, mixed peel, apricots, marshmallow and burnt caramel. The palate ends with a spicy, bitter chocolate finish. Jameson Black Barrel Regular Price €47.99 Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of more than €60) Jameson Maker’s Series – The Cooper’s Croze Another win for Jameson and a well-liked whiskey with our judges this year. Named in honour of Jameson's Master Cooper, Ger Buckley, this whiskey clearly showcases the diversity of barrels used and the importance of cask maturation through using Ex-Bourbon, Sherry and Virgin oak barrels to create balance.  Gold Medals went to: Jameson Maker's Series - The Blender's Dog & J.J Corry 'The Gael' Producer's tasting notes: Colour: Pale gold. Nose: A subtle flower petal-perfume develops into rich ripe fruits, while some charred oak and cedar wood bring balance and complexity. Palate: The initial impression is from the sweet vanilla of the American ex-bourbon barrels. This brings added depth to the rich fruits typical of the ex-oloroso sherry butts. A pleasant touch of hazelnut and toasted wood complement the pot still spice Jameson Maker's Series The Cooper's Croze Regular Price €69.99 Best Irish Single Cask Cill Airne Cask PX The Celtic Whiskey Bar’s very own Cill Airne Cask PX came out on top for the Best Irish Single Cask.  This whiskey is bottled exclusively at the Celtic Whiskey Bar & Larder and has been finished in a Pedro Ximenez Sherry cask for one year. Very limited, only 70 bottles. Gold Medals went to: Irishman Founder's Reserve Marsala Cask Finish & Cill Airne Cask Oloroso. Tasting notes: Colour: Dark Amber with a tawny centre. Nose: Aromas of toasted oak, rich sherried raisins, marzipan and roasted walnuts can be expected.  Palate: At first there are flavours of Christmas cake, dried fruits and warming spices of clove and cinnamon. The palate ends with a sweetness clinging to your cheeks like treacle and has a velvety finish.  Cill Airne Cask PX Only Available for Purchase In-Store at Celtic Whiskey Bar Best Irish Cask Strength Tullamore D.E.W Phoenix The second time this whiskey has won Best Irish Cask Strength Whiskey. This triple distilled blend of all three styles was a clear winner amongst our judges. The Oloroso Sherry cask finish gives this whiskey some very distinct sherry and toffee notes, perfectly balanced with creamy pot still spice. Gold Medals went to: The Whistler Single Malt 7 Year Old Cask Strength & Writer's Tears Cask Strength 2017. Tasting notes: Colour: Bright Gold. Nose: Warm and spicy initially, then rich, toffee, vanilla notes become evident. The characteristic leafy, malty notes of Tullamore D.E.W. are enriched with deeper, toasted oak aroma and a hint of sherry nuttiness. Palate: The higher strength tingles on the tongue leaving a spicy pot still flavour. Addition of a little water releases layers of caramel sweetness, delicate floral notes and oak tannins. Tullamore D.E.W Phoenix Regular Price €77.99 Best Irish Single Grain Glendalough Triple Barrel It was a close call as a lot of the judges were very impressed on the quality of this category, but a new release from Glendalough won the title for Best Irish Single Grain. Our tasters felt that the Glendalough had more depth and character than your average grain whiskey! Gold Medals went to: Method & Madness Single Grain & Glendalough Double Barrel Producer's tasting notes: Colour: Amber. Nose: Wine influence jumps right up front with a raisiny sweetness followed by notes of young malt, vanilla, toffee, pear heavy fruit and a light earthy bit of sawdust and a light floral note. Palate: Similar with the nose the raisiny winy sweetness jumps out first followed by a sweet graininess, apricots, vanilla, fruit, young malt and again that light earthy bit of sawdust. Glendalough Triple Barrel Coming Soon! Other Winners Include: Best Irish Vodka: Dingle Vodka Gold Medals went to: Straw Boys Vodka & Woulfe's Irish Vodka Best Irish Gin: Dingle Gin Gold Medals went to: Brennan's Old House Irish Gin & Thin Gin Best Irish Liqueur: Merrys Salted Caramel Gold Medals went to: Merrys Toffee Buttermint & Merrys Pumpkin Spice Best Irish Poitin: Ban Poitin Gold Medals went to: Straw Boys Poitin & Mad March Hare Poitin Best Irish Barrel Aged Beer: Dot Brew Cab Sauv Session Gold Medals went to: Boyne Brewhouse Imperial Stout & Dot Brew Cab Sauv Grain Rye Best Irish Whiskey Bar Leinster: The Dylan Whisky Bar, Kilkenny Gold Medal went to: Bowe's, Dublin Best Irish Whiskey Bar Munster: The Folkhouse, Kinsale Gold Medal went to: Dick Mack's, Dingle Best Irish Whiskey Bar Connacht: Garavan's, Galway Gold Medal went to: Sonny Molloys, Galway  Best Irish Whiskey Bar Ulster: The Duke of York, Belfast Gold Medal went to: McCauls, Cavan Best Irish Whiskey Bar International: Seamus O'Dowdens Irish Pub & Shebeen, Vermont Gold Medal went to: The Dead Rabbit, New York Best Irish Whiskey Bar: Garavan's, Galway

The Whiskey Experience in Killarney. Whiskey Galore. Food Too.

The Whiskey Experience in Killarney

Whiskey Galore. Food Too

Here, in a bright room in Killarney, you are surrounded by whiskey. Hundreds of bottles line the shelves. Maybe a 1,000 different types, from Ireland, Scotland, United States and the rest of the world. What do you want?  Aromatic? Complex? Fruity? You’ll surely find it here in the Irish Whiskey Experience in New Street.

But you might be better to visit the website first and go through the listings. You’ll find about 35 pages, 20 bottles per page, new ones, old ones, extremely expensive ones, and thankfully many less expensive ones. Make a short list before calling to Killarney!

Once a major player

And if you know nothing about whiskey, well they’ll teach you. Lots of masterclasses daily, for the expert, for the enthusiast, for the newbie! Oh, by the way, you’ll also be fed here in the Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder  where they have quite a decent menu, from morning 'til night!

We booked ahead on the site and after a warm welcome were soon seated with the menus, both drink (some excellent craft beers, local gins, and wines also available) and food. After putting in the food order, I began to look at the spirits, the whiskey in particular.

I remember hearing down in the distillery in Midleton that one of the best, if underrated, whiskeys in their vast portfolio is the Jameson Crested and that, at €5.65, was my first choice. I really enjoyed that very pleasant soft whiskey, full bodied, packed with vibrant flavours and spice, a lovely balance of oak and wood, a long warm finish and a winner for me. This is a blend of course of pot still and grain whiskeys.

My next was also a blend. The Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Special Reserve has been aged (for between 12 and 15 years) in both Bourbon and Oloroso (Sherry) barrels and cost €6.95 per glass (35.5ml). Again this was spicy and smooth and very enjoyable but I must say I preferred the Crested Ten. 

So It just goes to show that you should be guided by your own preferences, certainly not by price! And remember it is individual preferences that keep our local master distillers in form. If everyone went by price, it would soon put a stop to much of the enthusiasm and innovation among the individual distillers, the men and women who give us a wide and exciting range of choice.

Better tell you about the food offering. They start here in the morning with scones and blaas and so on. Then some nibbles, soda bread, various cheese offerings, and more. As the day goes on, small plates and plates come into their own.

Part of the bar

We enjoyed a couple of small plates. I choose the Quinlan’s Smoked Salmon salad with a buttermilk dressing (7.95). Kerry based Quinlan have a great reputation for their salmon and this was excellent. CL too had a lovely salad: St Tola’s Goat cheese with roasted beets, toasted almonds, chives (10.25).

St Tola

Then we moved on to the plates, a little bit more substantial, but I’m sure you can have two small plates if that’s what you want. Anyhow, her next salad wasn't as good, not dressed at all. That came with Wild Atlantic Fishcakes (12.50) and Irish Rapeseed mayonnaise.

I had better luck with a traditional dish that you rarely get out these days: Lamb Liver, with streaky bacon and slathered in a delicious onion gravy and served with sourdough toast (14.95). This was absolutely delicious. 

Delicious liver dish!

Desserts are available, mainly an excuse to try out various drinks with Kenmare ice-creams! And there’s Irish Coffee of course. Next time!

The Whiskey Experience has been open since March and is a great addition to the town. It is bright and comfortable, family friendly too I noted on the night, and the staff are helpful and friendly. A visit is recommended.

The Irish Whiskey Experience

Celtic Whiskey Killarney Bar & Larder

93 New Street

Killarney

Co. Kerry

(064) 663 5700

Facebook: @CelticWhiskeyBarLarder

Web: https://www.celticwhiskeybar.com

See also:
Climbing Torc Mountain
Valentia Sky Walk. Islands in the Sun
Crag Cave. Underground in Kerry

Teeling Single Malt. Dare to be different!

Teeling Single Malt

Dare to be different!
Teeling Whiskey Single Malt 46%

Teeling Whiskey, The Spirit of Dublin, say they “dare to be different”. And yet the first words that came to my mind when first tasting their Single Malt are “This is Whiskey!”.

The words are, of course, a compliment. For this smooth and beautifully crafted spirit is not just of Dublin but of Ireland, the character of hand selected casks bottled just for you. And me! And no doubt this flavoursome Irish spirit is a distinctive gem that will travel well and far.

There is a leather feel to the label but read it as well as feel it and you’ll see that the tradition and experience of the Teelings, which, at least in recent centuries, mirrors the Irish whiskey story (should that be stor-ey?) where quality is the consequence of skill and time and not just the rushed result of some accountant’s bottom line.

It is made from 100% Malted Barley and consists of a “vatting of five different wine casks (Sherry, Port Madeira, White Burgundy and Cabernet Sauvignon). It is bottled at 46% ABV with no chill filtration, allowing for all the natural flavours… to be retained.” No argument. Take just one sip and slip into agreement!

The nose is vibrant and inviting. The palate is an agreeable melange of fruit flavours and spices and the long finalé offers sweet harmony and a dry denouement as you deliciously slip from paradise promised to the realisation of whiskey heaven. The Spirit of Dublin indeed!

I've been talking this up to virtually everyone I meet. Someone asked: What would you match it with? I said, thinking of cool, Miles Davis.

Perhaps not my best one-liner. That, IMHO, came after a nosy tea-lady badgered two males (including me) as to who was wearing the expensive aftershave in the office. My buddy cracked under her persistence. “Which one?” she asked. “Joop” was the reply. She turned the heat to me. “Couldn't afford that,” I said. She kept at it, so I admitted to using a cheap copy. “What’s it called?”. “Duplicate,” I said.

Teeling Whiskey is fairly widely available, including at airports. Bradley's of Cork are selling it while Dublin's Celtic Whiskey Shop also have it.
See also: Teeling Whiskey Distillery Visit