Whiskey Review Plus... Writers Tears, Copper Pot Irish Whiskey 40% ABV. Wayward Spirit Visit! New Irish release from The Single Malt Shop. Instil 38 Gold!

Whiskey Review Plus...  

Writers Tears, Copper Pot Irish Whiskey. Wayward Spirit Visit! New Irish release from The Single Malt Shop. Istil 38 Gold!

Writers Tears, Copper Pot Irish Whiskey 40% ABV

Don't stick your nose in to get the aromas - a "mistake" some wine aficionados make with spirits - just hover above the glass and they’ll come to you, apple, honey, malt and vanilla in this case. 

The attractive soft whiskey has been matured in charred Bourbon barrels and there are notes of the wood on the gentle palate. It is smooth and mellow, with mild spice and always a hint of the oak. And the finish is smooth and long. 

This is just one of five Irish Tears. The others are Double Oak, Red Head, Single Pot Still and Cask Strength.

They say: Writers’ Tears is a unique marriage of Aged Single Pot Still and Single Malt Irish whiskey. Distilled entirely from barley, both malted and unmalted, this is a truly special Irish Whiskey. Writers’ Tears is triple distilled, non-peated and matured in Flame Charred American Oak bourbon casks. An award-winning whiskey that has also been included in Ian Buxton’s publication “101 Whiskeys to try before you die”.

Writer's Tears Whiskey is owned and operated by the Walsh family in County Carlow. This approachable Copper Pot is widely available at around the 45 euro mark.

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Wayward Spirit Visit!

As part of the launch of Lakeview Estate Single Estate Irish Whiskey, we recently visited Lakeview on the shores Lough Leann in Killarney, a beautiful destination and a superb whiskey. If you haven't see the post, check out the details here

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press release

THE SINGLE MALT SHOP PROUDLY RELEASE A SINGLE CASK GREEN SPOT 10 YEAR OLD

After launching in May of 2021, The Single Malt Shop has quickly earned a solid reputation for being a global leader as an online whiskey store. Based out of Dublin, they have grown their distribution to dozens of countries worldwide.

A crucial element behind the shop's success has been their strong investment into exclusive single casks. Continuing this tradition sees them bring out their final Irish single cask of the year from the legendary bonders Mitchell & Son, Green Spot 10 Year Old.

This single pot still release is limited to just 192 bottles and its ABV is at the cask strength of 58% ABV. It was filled in May of 2011 in an ex Bourbon barrel where it remained for a decade.

What marks this wonderful bottling as particularly special, is that it will be the last third party single cask release that Mitchell & Son and their partners IDL will be doing.

Jonathan Mitchell, Managing Director of Mitchell & Son said, "It was a great honour for us in Mitchells that the Single Malt Shop is launching a single cask of Green Spot 10 year old whiskey.  Our original Mitchell's Green Spot was in fact also a 10 year old whiskey so it's very exciting to see it back again so many decades later.

I wish The Single Malt Shop every success with the launch of this excellent, single pot still release."

AGE: 10 years

BARREL: Ex-Bourbon

ABV: 58%

BOTTLES AVAILABLE: 192

PRICE: €340 for Ireland including shipping. International prices will vary according to local taxes and duties in destination countries. Click here to order.

AVAILABILITY: For a full list of countries The Single Malt Shop delivers to click here.

CASK NO: 88193, FILLED IN MAY 2011

NOSE: Medley of fruits ranging from sweet red apples, ripe honeydew melon to zesty citrus notes of lemon peel and mandarin. Baked apple crumble with dustings of cinnamon work with the vanilla and clove oil aromas that remain constant throughout, creating balance between the fruits, pot still spices and charred oak.

TASTE: Initial burst of pot still spices with delicate jasmine tea tannins and clove. Fruit notes of sweet pear and orange work in tandem with the vanilla and dried herbs, while the oak continues to evolve, adding woodland spices of cinnamon and nutmeg, accentuating the overall spice intensity.

FINISH: Lingering finish in which the oaks and fruits interweave amongst the fading spices, creating a harmonious finale.

ABOUT THE SINGLE MALT SHOP 

The Single Malt Shop is based in Dublin and owned and operated by The Single Malt Fund, the world’s first publicly listed Alternative Investment Fund for whiskey. Listed on the Nordic Growth Market in Sweden, The Single Malt Fund is fully regulated, offering investors a safe way to invest in the Water of Life. We invest in rare and limited edition whiskies from all over the world and make these available for sale via The Single Malt Shop.

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press release

istil 38 Superior Irish Craft Vodka wins two gold medals at Irish Whiskey Awards 

It may have only launched in April of this year, but istil 38 Superior Irish Craft Vodka has had an exceptionally positive year. With strong nationwide distribution around the country and two full time brand ambassadors, bars have been quick to take in all three of the brand's flavours to mix them into classic cocktails and new delicious creations. 

Co-owner and the brand's Creative Director, Pippa O'Connor Ormond now has another reason to celebrate with her team. Last week at The Irish Whiskey Awards, istil 38 won two gold medals for its Classic Irish vodka and its Vanilla Irish Vodka.

Pippa O'Connor Ormond, Co-owner and Creative Director of istil 38 

"I am thrilled that istil 38 Superior Irish Craft Vodka has picked up two such illustrious awards. We have always maintained that it is a remarkably well produced spirit that goes so nicely into cocktails. Now we have an official verdict from our industry's peers that has given us two gold medals from the highly acclaimed and totally independent Irish Whiskey Awards. I'll be celebrating tonight with an Irish Espresso Martini!" 

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A Quart of Ale± #132. On the craft journey with Blacks, Wicklow Wolf, Boundary, Backyard.

A Quart of Ale± #132

On the craft journey with Blacks, Wicklow Wolf, Boundary, Backyard.

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Blacks Stratasbeer Intergalactic IPA, 5.00% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Kinsale brewery Black’s announcement of this IPA invites you to “Blast through the Stratosphere into a whole new hop Universe..” And says it is “hopped to the high heavens with fresh Galaxy and Strata hops!”

Now let us come to earth and try it out! Colour is a straw/light orange, closer to clear than hazy, and it has a lovely white top. Aromas are not at all over the top. And those hops certainly add a supple backbone to the palate, yet again the flavours, like the aromas, are not over the top either, thankfully as far as I’m concerned. 

Flavours include the expected peach, passion fruit and citrus from the Australian hop Galaxy while the USA’s Strata reinforces that experience while also adding some herbal and even dank notes. Galaxy, often used in hop forward beers, is a key factor in many IPAs.

Very happy with this one, I’m glad to say. But how do you class this particular Kinsale IPA. It is West Coast, East Coast? Or Intergalactic, as they say!

With one hop from the US and the other from down under, it could well be of the Pacific style, that is beers brewed mostly with Australian and New Zealand hops (according to Mark Dredge’s just published book Beer: A Tasting Course). Colour and clarity certainly match the Pacific description and the ABV falls right in the middle of the style’s 3.5%-7%. Close but maybe not close enough.

Anyhow, let us not worry too much about the style. It is a well made and highly refreshing beer with a nicely judged hop kick all the way up to the finish. Blacks are back with a Stratospheric boom!

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Wicklow Wolf Locavore Winter 2022 Dry Irish Stout, 5.6%, 440 ml can Bradleys

“The latest edition in Wicklow Wolf's Locavore series is made from hops hand-picked by the Wicklow Wolf team. As always, this series is a beautiful expression of all Co. Wicklow has to offer. This release is a fresh-hopped dry Irish Stout. Promises to be wonderfully fresh and crisp!”

It is not the best of stouts but damn well close. The soft head has a tan  colour.  The aromatics are moderate but very pleasant indeed with a light toastiness and a slight hoppy bitterness leading the way. The smooth soft palate then reveals big flavours of roasted malt, a bigger presence than the hops, and there’s a streak of acidity in there too that helps keep it all in delicious harmony, smooth dry and clean into the finalé.

They have used the finest Irish ingredients:  Wicklow Harvest Mountain Water, Hops from the 2021 Harvest on their hop farm and hop garden at the brewery and their own malted barley and wheat which was grown in the field behind the brewery.

They say: “Locavore is a beer series that champions local ingredients, terroir and sustainability. Growing our own ingredients here in Wicklow is something that we are extremely proud of and you get to taste the fruits of the Wicklow landscape. You can follow the journey and story of this year’s Locavore Winter Dry Irish Stout by simply scanning the QR Code on the can.”

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Boundary Next Episode Helles Lager, 4.8% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Belfast’s Boundary Brewery are happy with their Helles: “We only started making lagers in the last year or so, but we absolutely love them - this is our first re-release of this German style Helles, NEXT EPISODE - it's clean, smooth, crisp, proper summer beer.” Art work is by John Robinson.

So there you are. Summer. Well I’m late again. But let us have a try - the heating’s on! It is amber coloured with a fairly short-lived white head. Aromas are mild, with malt upfront. And it’s also malty on the palate and clean and crisp as they say.

The German Helles , easily found in Munich, has a crisp finish similar to Pils. Cool and refreshing, this everyday beer goes well with salads, shrimp, or fish, an excellent session beer. That’s what Boundary were aiming for.

How To Pour A German Lager From A Can or Bottle*

1. Tilt the glass or stein at a 45 degree angle.

2. Place the tip of the bottle in the glass, and pour the beer quickly down the side.

3. Start to straighten the glass as the beer reaches the top to create a nice head of foam.

• from kegworks.com 

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Backyard Toasted Oat Export Stout, 7.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This is the second beer from Backyard, their first a normal strength stout. This is, they say,  “A classic export stout with added toasted oats. An extra smooth body with the dark malty flavours that you expect from an export stout.”

Colour is the expected black with a tighter than normal tan head. 

Aromas give the expected toasty malty sensation. And there’s more malty roast on the palate with citrus and floral notes from the Citrus hops, with little hint of the high alcohol. Smooth enough (the oat bonus) though, with a decent finish. 

Two of my favourite grapes, Verdejo and Pinot Noir, making beautiful wines

 Two of my favourite grapes. Verdejo and Pinot Noir making beautiful wines

De Alberto Verdejo Rueda (DO) 2021, 13.5% ABV,  €11.95 (was 15.45)

What could I expect from this organic Verdejo? The label hints included: aromatic, fruity, fatty, oily.

Straw is the colour, and there is a tinge of green. Aromas are intense and inviting, white fruit with notes of fennel.  Four months on lees has given it excellent body.  On the palate, it is balanced, is fresh from the start and, with good acidity and a streak of lime, intense all through to the lingering finish.

You’ll enjoy this one on its own or with poultry, fish and seafood. Wine Folly says it is a great food wine and palate cleanser and suggests fish tacos, lime chicken, carnitas, and seitan steaks (plant based meat substitute). Serve at around 12 degrees. Very Highly Recommended. Good value too by the way, more so when on offer.

Importers O’Briens tell us the Guttierez family have been producing wines in Rueda for five generations, in a stunning 350-yr-old winery, complete with a kilometre of subterranean ageing cellars. The Verdejo grape is king here and is one of Spain's top white wine varieties..

The producers say the 100% Verdejo wine is Certified Agriculture Organic and is made exclusively with grapes from Pago Monte San Martín, “located at the first settlement that today is our village, Serrada” and that the fruit has received “the most meticulous care and an expert winemaking”.

Virtually all the Verdejo in the world is grown in Spain and the vast majority of it in Rueda. It is the characteristic grape of the region but, according to World Atlas of Wine, up to the 1970s, the grape was used to make sherry-like wines; then Marqués de Riscal came in and used it to make fresh dry table wines and Verdejo hasn’t looked back since.

Surprised by the all-white synthetic cork, one that is reusable, recyclable and is made from LDPE (low density polyethylene). Easy to withdraw though with my normal corkscrew.

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Top Wines 2022. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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Domaine Begude Le Cerisier Pinot Noir Aude (IGT) 2021, 13% ABV, €16.95, O’Briens Wines

This cuvée, named after the majestic cherry tree at the entrance to Begude, has a cherry red colour. Indeed, this organic wine is packed with cherry flavours, some wild strawberry and raspberry also getting in the mix. It is light and pleasant, juicy too, with very soft tannins emerging towards the finale. Approachable, easy-drinking and Highly Recommended.

Serve at 11-14 degrees and enjoy as an aperitif. The producers say it is the perfect BBQ tipple, “a delight with steak and other red meats”, while importers O’Brien Wines add that, when slightly chilled, it is perfect with fish dishes. A versatile wine then, vegetarian friendly too, and excellent value also. Even more in my case, as I bought it for €13.45 in their August sale.

Surprising enough that you can get a fine Pinot Noir in the deep south. The organic vineyard is in the hills of Limoux, South of France. The growing conditions are similar to those in Burgundy and indeed, 80% of the vineyard’s production is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The long cool growing season here allows for well balanced, fruit driven wines that are underpinned with a natural freshness. 

This is one of a number of Pinot Noirs produced by Begude and the grapes are grown high in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. Fertilised using only natural manures and cultivated with the utmost respect for the environment.

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Best Value Wines 2022 Under €18.00. With Reviews & Irish Stockists. 

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Lunch at The Farmgate Cafe. Seal beag gairid. Sásamh mór.

Lunch at The Farmgate Cafe. Seal beag gairid. Sásamh mór.

Hadn’t been to the Farmgate Café inCork’s English Market with a while. After a warm welcome, I was studying the Menu and was struck straightaway by the fact that their commitment to supporting local has never wavered.

Back in January 2010, Kay Harte helped me entertain two Americans (one a blogger, the other a photographer, each then working for foodspotting.com) and one of the highlights of the conversation was when Kay described her potatoes as balls of flour! These potatoes were from Ladysbridge in East Cork and so too are the potatoes they use today.

You’ll see lots of local names on the menu such as Toonsbridge, Ardsallagh, Longueville, Shine’s Fish, Garryhinch Mushrooms, Barry’s Tea, Cockagee Cider, Stonewell Cider, Stag Bán beer and more. You’ll also see the English Market downstairs mentioned quite often because that vibrant pantry is where they source many of their ingredients.

At first glance, you may well think that the menu doesn’t change. Tripe and Drisheen is always on and I was thinking of the Lamb Stew (with those Ladysbridge potatoes) before I changed my mind and went for something else entirely.

And, as it turned out, my Risotto with those fabulous Garryhinch Mushrooms (organic), Ardsallagh Goats Cheese, and Toasted Hazelnuts was a very satisfactory plate indeed, beautifully balanced and nowhere near as heavy as some risottos, just perfect for lunch. Great flavour from the stock, the mushrooms and the cheese, along with a nice crunch via the nuts.

They usually have a couple of specials on the board and CL picked the Chicken and Mushroom Pie with Mashed Potato and Roast Vegetable, one of those ageless dishes that, once well cooked (as it was here), is the ultimate comfort food for these dreary November days (although this particular one was better than most!).

Dessert? Coffee? Yes please. Quite a list of sweet stuff including Tiramisu, Apple Tart, and smaller items such as Coffee Cake and Caramel Squares. Our pick was the Orange Cake with Yoghurt and Fruit Compote. This too was one of the best of its type, the cake beautifully moist with the yogurt and compote a delicious enhancement!

We skipped the starters but again you’ll have a good selection, small such as Smoked Almonds, warming such as Market Fish Chowder and a fine selection of sandwich like the Toastie with Loin of Bacon, Scamorza Cheese, and Onion Marmalade

Service is excellent here, you’ll enjoy the quite chat and the info (on the specials, for example) and the food is well presented. And you can wave your thanks to the chefs as you exit! And indeed, if you feel like taking home something for supper, they’ve got a lovely well-stocked stall downstairs where we usually stop for for their fresh baked soda bread (the white one sells out quickly!).

It was quite enough there last week. A November Tuesday is not a very busy day in restaurants. Still, with Christmas coming, you are advised to book the restaurant towards the weekends. The gallery side is walk-ins only. More info at https://www.farmgatecork.ie/

Farmgate Opening Hours

Tuesday - Saturday 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday and Monday - closed.

From the Farmgate Facebook page.

Gourmet Times Imminent In The Herbert Restaurant As New Head Chef Cormac Vesey Takes Over at Cahernane House Hotel.

Gourmet Times Imminent In The Herbert Restaurant As New Head Chef  Cormac Vesey Takes Over at Cahernane House Hotel.

These Winter Chanterelle mushrooms were excellent with the Dry Aged Beef.

Killarney and visiting diners are in for an exciting and tasty future. That was the message from Cahernane House Hotel last Friday when new head chef Cormac Vesey’s 8-course tasting menu gave a tantalising hint of what’s to come in the months ahead. 

New chef Cormac with Maurice O'Connell of Wayward Irish Spirits (right)

Venison

It went down a treat and drew praise all around the Herbert Restaurant for the new chef with many of those present looking forward to seeing how he integrates such delicious produce into the menus here. Cormac's focus is very much on food provenance and seasonal ingredients.

A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Ireland’s Blue Book, Cahernane House Hotel is already well known for its stunning food and classic Irish hospitality. Cormac's meal indicated that it will be even better in the future. 

Monkfish

It won’t be for the want of skill or the lack of effort. The detail in preparing these eight courses, the amount of attention to the small things and the amount of work in sourcing the produce (back-breaking when it came to foraging a large selection of mushrooms hiding among fallen Autumn leaves) was quite phenomenal.

Cahernane will inevitably have venison this time of the year and it was especially good when paired with a lovely red from the Rhone. And the well-paced meal just got better with a superb Poached Monkfish with an old vine Chablis and then the spot-on Dry Aged Beef with a Haut Medoc. 

Then onto the lingering sweet offerings, one featuring a Killahora Pom’ O Sorbet, another the very local Liberator Peated Whiskey, before finishing off with some delicious Petit Fours, all the while sipping the luscious Seifried “Sweet Agnes” Late Harvest Riesling.

Apple Terrine

No doubt that splendid meal made a big impression. Indeed, we had nothing but good impressions during our visit, starting with the long tree-lined drive from the Muckross Road down to the late 19th century building in its superb location near the lakes. 

Not your usual sauce decanter!
Decanter designed and made
by Irish tableware and cutlery
brand, Newbridge Silverware 

Just before dusk and just after sunrise, the native red deer pass slowly beneath your windows. In the nearby fields, horses and sheep and black Kerry cattle graze. Peace and quiet and just a few minutes drive from the town centre; indeed, you'd walk it in about 15 minutes.

Like all the rooms here, our Albericci* Room has been recently renovated. It is spacious, comfortable, beautifully decorated, with great views, well-heated too, especially the bathroom (hard to beat hot tiles and hot towels in the morning!). And of course it has WiFi and TV as well. All in all, the Cahernane is a great base for Killarney itself and for Kerry in general.

And if you are heading out for the day, you’ll need a good breakfast. And you’ll get just that in the Herbert Restaurant. Just like the night before, the morning staff were all friendly, chatty and efficient.

One of the Petit Fours

Here, everything is brought to your table. You may have something from the Continental Menu:  Juices, Fresh Fruit Salad with a Rose & Lime Syrup, Prunes & Earl Grey Infusion, Apricots with Cinnamon & Orange, A Selection of Charcuterie, Yogurt, Farmhouse Cheeses,

Cereals, and Breads & Pastries.

Or something cooked from the Hot Menu: Irish Oatmeal Porridge, Traditional Full Irish Breakfast, Smoked Potato & Fried Egg, Manor House Omelette, Salmon & Egg Bagel, Buttermilk Pancakes, Smoked Kippers, or the Eggs “Cahernane" special.

Lots of choice there! My picks were Apricots with Cinnamon & Orange and the Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Egg Bagel (something of a staple here). Both were superb and I was immediately fuelled for the day ahead.

That day began with a very enjoyable visit to the Lakeview Estate, home of Wayward Irish Spirits. Check it out here. 

* In or about 1940, Vincent Albericci, the former proprietor of the Continental Cafe, 23 Patrick Street, Cork, bought Cahernane House. The death of his wife Mary (Foley) in May 1945 may have caused him to withdraw from the business.

The 8-course menu at Cahernane 11th November 2022.

“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