Jack Ryan 12 Year Old
$124.99
This whiskey is a tribute to 100 years of the Ryan Family at their famous Beggars Bush pub on Haddington Road, in Dublin’s Ballsbridge. Bottled at 46%, this 12 year old Irish single malt is sourced from casks produced at the Cooley distillery. Matured in Ex-Bourbon barrels.
About the Producer: "There’s been a pub on the site for at least 200 years. Thomas Ryan became proprietor in 1913, the eve of World War and of Ireland’s independence. He was a traditional vintner and whiskey man – sourcing, maturing, finishing and bottling his own Ryan’s Malt, a firm favourite among discerning locals in The Bush and the other Ryan houses.
"Thomas handed on the pub, and Ryan’s Malt, to his son Jack, born to the trade. Jack maintained the whiskey tradition into the ’40’s, when the near demise of the whole Irish whiskey business forced a pause.
"The Ryans still own and run The Bush, and have revived the family’s whiskey tradition. The Jack Ryan Beggars Bush 12 Year Old Single Malt won an Irish Whiskey Award in 2014. The Centenary 15 Year Old Single Barrel Cask Strength was released in 2015, and more small batches of premium single malts are planned; watch out for the Jack Ryan 15 Year Old Single Malt – The Bourdega."
Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Whiskey
$79.99
One of the many newer distilleries on the Irish Whiskey scene is the Shed Distillery, which was founded in 2014. The Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is triple distilled with a grain combination of malted barley and Irish Barra Oats. The resulting spirit is aged in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso casks.
What is Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey you ask? It is whiskey made using a combination of malted and unmalted barley. Why do this, you ask? Why, to dodge taxes, of course! The Malt Tax came into being in Ireland for a short time starting in 1785, enforced by the (insert expletive said in your best Irish accent here) English. The Irish, being Irish, decided that they didn't need to use malted barley for the entirety of the mash used to distill whiskey and started adding portions of unmalted barley. Necessity being the mother of invention, this eventually became a legitimate style of whiskey-making that is now not just celebrated but codified into law in Ireland with the Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey classification.
From the Producer
"Every precious drop of Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey has been triple distilled at the Shed Distillery using Malted Irish Barley, Un-malted Irish Barley and Irish Barra Oats. Aged in Sherry Oloroso and Kentucky Bourbon casks with no added colour and no chill filtration, this 43% Single Pot Still has been proudly distilled by our Head Distiller, Brian Taft."
Waterford Biodynamic Luna 1.1
$114.99
This 3 year old Waterford Single Malt is billed as the world's first Biodynamic whisky. The barley was grown on a number of farms and the spirit was matured in a mix of First Fill Ex-Bourbon, Virgin American Oak, Bordeaux, and Vin Doux Naturel casks.
From the Producer
"Eccentric to some, regenerative to others, biodynamic agriculture goes beyond the ordinary ecological mindset. Drawing upon ancient lore of lunar cycles & exotic preparations, it seeks to charge soils with vitality & barley with vibrancy. Practised by the most visionary & curious, we too are intrigued about the most natural flavours we can capture in spirit. For this landmark whisky, distilled from Ireland’s only biodynamic barley, we invoke the goddess of the moon for our most esoteric & evocative bottling."
Composition
35% First Fill ex-Bourbon
17% Virgin American Oak
26% French Wine Barriques
22% Vin Doux Naturel
Glendalough 7 Year Mizunara Finish
$125.99
Japanese Mizunara Casks: So hot right now! They can magically be used to finish any whisky and make it more expensive in the process. This single malt whiskey was initially matured in ex-Bourbon casks before a period of finishing in Mizunara oak. The result is at least 7 years old and bottled at 46%.
Glendalough Distillery was founded by five friends in 2011. It was the first craft distillery to come online in Ireland in the modern era, and heralded the upcoming boom of distillery and brand growth Irish Whiskey would soon undergo. Glendalough Distillery resides in a valley within County Wicklow, about an hour's drive south of Dublin. It has been owned by Mark Anthony Brands since 2019.
Producer Description
"As the first Irish whiskey distillery to use the rare and exotic Mizunara, we had very much ventured into the unknown. Bringing Irish single malt and Japanese oak together went far off the beaten path, literally.
The volcanic northern-most island of Japan, Hokkaido is where we found Mizunara, the most sought-after oak in the whiskey world which we use to age our 7yo Irish Single Malt.
The trunks of these uniquely beautiful trees are prone to growing twisted and are notoriously difficult to cooper due to its porousness. However, therein lies its saving grace, whiskey can seep deeper into the wood extracting more flavour from this unique cask."
Turntable Dingle Collaboration
$117.99
This Collaboration Drop from Turntable Blending House features a drop of the Irish. Well, a bit more than just a drop - just over 40% of the whiskey in this bottle hails from Dingle Distillery of Ireland. Here are the notes on the blend, which is bottled at 52% ABV:
- 41% Dingle Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey matured in ex-Oloroso Hogsheads
- 16% Balmenach Scottish Single Malt matured in 1st Fill ex-PX Puncheons
- 12% Blair Athol Scottish Single Malt matured in 1st Fill ex-Rye Barrels
- 18% Loch Lomond Scottish Single Grain matured in 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrels
Dingle Distillery was founded in 2012 by three friends near the town of Dingle, in County Kerry. The Distillery creates both Single Malt and Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, as well as vodka and gin.
Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old
$169.99
Previously dubbed the Johnnie Walker Platinum Label, this 18 year old was originally released globally in 2012. There are 14 to 16 malt and grain components in this Blended Scotch whisky, with Blair Athol, Glen Elgin, Mortlach and Cardhu doing the heavy lifting. Bottled at 43% ABV.
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: A wonderfully rich aroma, combining notes of rich, sweet fruit with hints of toffee and caramel.
Palate: A comforting mix of warming, malty cereal and smooth creamy vanilla, with fragrant notes of almond and tropical tangerine.
Finish: A lingering finish with hints of dark chocolate, citrus peel and a very light, aromatic smoke.
Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow
$69.99
The Glasgow Edition of Compass Box's Great King Street series is a more heavily sherried and peated blend than the original Artist's Series. The whisky has been created as a tribute to the style of blend popular in Glasgow during the 1930s.
The whisky is composed of 33% Lowland Grain with 67% malt from Islay, the Speyside and Highland. The whisky was matured in high proportion of First Fill Sherry and a mix of First and Refill American oak and a small amount of French oak.
From the Distillery: "In his 1930 book “Whisky”, Aeneas MacDonald teaches us that Glaswegians historically preferred fuller bodied and more flavour-packed whiskies than people in other parts of the world. So what better name for a whisky such as this? You’ll find here a rich vein of peaty-smokiness, underpinned by sherry cask-aged whiskies, full of dried fruit and wine character. The palate is full and round, with a sweetness typical of whiskies from our company."
About the label: "For decades, The Wellington Statue, outside Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art, has been cheekily topped by a traffic cone, something the local population has taken to heart as a symbol of their sense of humour. It has become one of Glasgow’s most iconic images, and graces our label for the Glasgow Blend."
Suntory AO Whisky
$109.99
Not exactly a new concept, but perhaps the most coherent and well-executed example of blends that cross international borders and waters. Suntory tells us this five-sided bottle is meant to represent "the most prestigious whisky regions in the world" by marrying whisky (and whiskey) from some the industry's true titans: Yamazaki (Japan), Hakushu (Japan), Cooley (Ireland), Jim Beam (America), Alberta Distillers (Canada), Ardmore (Scotland), and Glen Garioch (Scotland). Each is meant to ante up with its "unique history and climate." And if you're curious, the name 'Ao' means 'blue', referring to the oceans that tie the continents together.
43% abv
Maclean`s Nose Blended Scotch Whisky
$53.99
This high malt content Blended Scotch Whisky from Adelphi was created from a high proportion of whisky matured in sherry before bottling at 46%.
Producer Description
70% Malt / 30% Grain - 40 ex Bourbon ASB of Malt Whisky distilled in the West Highlands (2018) / 5 ex Bourbon ASB of Malt Whisky distilled in Campbeltown (2016) / 16 ex Sherry hogsheads of Malt Whisky distilled in the West Highlands (2018) / 21 ex Bourbon hogsheads of Grain whisky distilled in the Lowlands. (2017)