Irish whiskies for St Patrick, one day early


March 16, 2024

A few Irish whiskies for St. Patrick, one day early

We don't do this every year, but we do have some Irish to taste and why not do this on St. Patrick's Day? Well, on the day before St. Patrick's Day, since we reserve Sundays for malternatives. Let's see what we have… (picture AI)

Teeling 'Crystal Malt' (46%, OB, single malt, American Virgin Oak, +/-2023)

This little NAS was partly distilled from 'Crystal' malt, a method that entails somewhat crystallizing the sugars of the malted barley by heating it more intensively, akin to a roasting that will caramelize the sugars to varying degrees. It seems that this technique was discovered by chance but it also seems to be much used in the world of brewing (thank you, Conor). Colour: golden. Nose: I am quite taken with this simple yet very expressive nose, abundant in softness, exotic fruit, lemon tart, meringue, then lemon balm and wormwood. However, it's quite difficult to pinpoint what comes from the virgin oak and what comes from the crystal malt. Not a big issue... Mouth: the same profile, with an abundance of acidic and fairly sharp citrus enveloped in vanilla and lemon tree honey. Also present are acidic apples, a touch of nougat and toffee, and herbal teas... It's really quite pleasing, albeit young and a bit... let's say precocious? Finish: medium length, almost identical profile. Green apple and fresh wood in the aftertaste. Comments: a great deal of simplicity in this very charming young and spirited Teeling.
SGP:651 - 85 points.

Dingle 'Single Pot Still Batch 5 Cask Strength' (59.5%, OB, single pot still, bourbon, 1000 bottles, 2022)

The low-strength (well, 46.5%) 6th batch had been excellent in January (WF 85) despite an immoderate use of Tawny Port. Now this one's pure bourbon… Colour: vin blanc. Nose: Incredible, we're not far off the Teeling even if it's not quite the same Irish style, which would tend to prove that the Teeling's style mainly came from the use of very active American oak. Ah, there's nothing like empirical discoveries, is there? Anyway, we have lots of lemon, grapefruit, and green apple again, not forgetting rhubarb. With water: much smoother, with white chocolate, shortbreads, Italian lemon biscuits, a little thyme tea... Mouth (neat): exactly the same ultra-fruity side dominated by citrus and green apples. Cream eggs, ready for Easter. With water: it softens again, with the arrival of a bit of coconut milk, marshmallows, and Haribo sweets, chamomile... Finish: quite long, lemony, fresh, very pleasant. Comments: It really does seem like a twin brother to Teeling's Crystal. Very nice.
SGP:651 - 85 points.

Cooley 8 yo (58.5%, The Whisky Blues, single malt, batch #3A, 390 bottles, 2022)

Funny label, possibly a tribute to the good Douanier Rousseau. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: totally on bonbons. A family pack of Haribo's jellybeans, babies, crocodiles and fruits. Oranges, raspberries, pineapples, lemons etc. plus more and more rose petals and lychees. This is almost becoming some gewurztraminer. With water: back on barley syrup and apple juice. Some fresh banana. Mouth (neat): marc de gewurztraminer blended with limoncello. I'm serious. With water: all-vitamin fruit juice plus quite some raspberry liqueur. And gewurz, rose jelly, Turkish delights and all that. Finish: same. Comments: more a fruit bomb than most fruit bombs. Pretty insane in that respect. Perhaps not my preferred style but excellent for sure.
SGP:741 - 83 points.

Cooley 8 yo (54%, The Whisky Blues, single malt, 1st fill bourbon barrel, batch Ref.TWB01, 181 bottles, 2023)

Will this be the same? Colour: gold. Nose: more on teas, small herbs, woodruff for example, sage, marjoram, also oils (colza), also meadows honey, then more fresh fruits, melons, peaches, apples… But we're nowhere near the utterly crazy #3A as far as fruit go. With water: some sweet barley, lemon cake, carrot peelings, other sweet roots... Mouth (neat): oh yes, very good, very fruity but balanced, more in the style of 'B.' Pineapple, pear, candied sugar, apple... A very pleasant sensation on the palate. With water: the same, very good, a little sweet but not overly so this time. Acacia honey and those very sweet clover flowers we used to suck on as kids. Finish: soft, of medium length. On honey and flower nectar, which is pretty much the same thing, we agree. Comments: this young Cooley is quite magnificent. Beauty after the fruity beast.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Cooley 21 yo 2002/2023 (56.5%, Spirits Hunter for HNWS Taiwan, single malt, barrel, cask #2229, 210 bottles)

Whenever there's some kind of golden dragon on a label, you can be sure it's not a bottling for Liechtenstein. Colour: light gold. Nose: the beauty of good age, with more flowers, less straight fruit, anything barley coming to the surface, pastry, oils, ointments… Love these wee whiffs of violets, we've currently got a lot in WF's garden by the way. That's why we can tell, ha. With water: a little fresh mint, lovage, rosemary… That's perfect. Mouth (neat): more proof that age matters, friends. Sure it's still some kind of fruit bomb (pink grapefruits, passion fruit) but these various honeys, dried fruits and soft oils just do wonders. Some pink pepper coming through too, together with the expected cinnamon and even tiny sprinkles of saffron and turmeric. With water: a wee earthy side now, lovely. A little mango chutney perhaps, or slightly salted mangos… Finish: long and spicier. Not a fruit bomb at all anymore. Comments: more age, more complexity, more points (in most cases, because indeed there are exceptions).
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Just to make sure…

Cooley 21 yo 2001/2023 (55.8%, The Whisky Fair, single malt, amarone cask)

Of course, the fact that it's an Amarone cask is quite worrying (why did our friends do this? Did they sell these bottles to pizzerias?) but on the other hand, I don't see any rosy colour here, so the treatment may be anecdotal. Colour: straw (h.u.r.r.a.y.) Nose: no crushed strawberry or raspberry liqueur, rather exotic fruits, banana, fresh croissants, mango, dragon fruit, rosehip and hawthorn tea and a hint of cherry beer (Kriek). Every time I tell my Belgian friends I like Kriek, they make fun of me, the rascals. With water: again, back to barley and malt – and even hops. Very nice. Mouth (neat): well, I think this Amarone story was a joke. Here indeed is a fruit bomb, but we remain balanced, with fresh fruit salad, honey, fresh herbs (coriander), pink grapefruit… With water: the same, it's very good, very fruity, fresh and lifted, on grapefruit and cherry, with honeyed notes. Finish: same. Nice length. Comments: I preferred the 2002 a little, it was a tad purer, but this 2001 is also great. Despite the Amarone.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

PS: nothing against Amarone as such, naturally, and yes we go to pizzerias.

Irish 18 yo 2002/2021 'Saudade' (50.2%, malt grain & cane, single malt, bourbon barrel, 265 bottles)

Awesome artwork. The distinguished Singaporean bottlers are quoting Portuguese writer Francisco Manuel de Melo, who once mentioned 'A pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy'. That, indeed, reminds me of quite a few spirits we tried over the years. Colour: white wine. Nose: utter barley-y purity. Fresh apples, greengages, sunflower oil, grist, fresh baguette. It's down to the millimetre, as old Napoléon would have said. With water: apples of all kinds. Isn't there an Irish saying about apples and doctors? Mouth (neat): are we totally sure it isn't rather a coastal Scottish malt? Very high class. With water: fresh fruits coming out, but with much distinction. Precious peaches and wild strawberries. Finish: medium, delicate, fruity but without excess. Could be B. indeed but they also make such styles at Midleton, if I'm not mistaken. Could be Cooley too. Comments: my favourite this far. And I'm also very pleased to have discovered Francisco Manuel de Melo! That's whisky for us, it broadens our horizons (we agree, not all whiskies do). So, B.?
SGP:651 - 90 points.

The Cedar Tree 21 yo 2002/2023 (52.8%, The Whisky Cask Company, single malt, Tree of Life Serie, Demerara rum cask, 305 bottles)

Just more poetry, as it appears. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it's beautiful, it's pure, it's close to the previous one, the rum seems to behave well (frankly it was scary), we find fresh bark, peach skins, blood orange, some hints of roses, apricots and melons, prickly pears, and frankly, a Bushmills aspect. With water: no, wait, there's now a basaltic side, petrol, varnish... That's the rum. Mouth (neat): the rum becomes very present, we enter the 'trans' spirits territory, neither whiskey nor rum, or maybe both. Philosophically, I'm not too keen, but I must admit that the rum, which is increasingly dominating here, was undoubtedly of high quality. A Versailles? Pine resin, lemon, cherry stems, blood oranges... Well, I'm afraid this might be excellent. Maybe they've found something... With water: getting better and better. Bananas dipped in engine oil, oranges infused in olive oil, mangoes covered in tar... In short, we're having fun. Finish: finally, here's that famous cedar wood. The rest is top-notch, with oranges and diesel fuel. Well, I imagine. Comments: a madcap blend, very clever and well-executed. The question is 'could they produce a few thousand identical bottles at The Whisky Cask Company?' I'm a bit ashamed to give such a score to such an improbable blend. Of course not!
SGP:652 - 90 points.

Well, it's not the eve of St. Pat's every day, let's continue…

The Pine Tree 21 yo 2002/2023 (53.4%, The Whisky Cask Company, single malt, Tree of Life Serie, PX sherry cask, 360 bottles)

PX? I'm not sure I don't prefer the Demerara, all things considered... Colour: dark amber. Nose: walnut cake and marmalade, with hints of gunpowder and chicken broth. With water: it goes towards bay leaf and, wait, dried seaweed? Mouth (neat): by Zeus, it reminds me of old officials. I'm talking about B. Caramel, mustard sauce, butterscotch, treacle toffee, crushed pepper, coffee-kirsch, candied chestnuts, more pepper, a lot of clove, metallic touches, copper, old silver cutlery... With water: it's rounded out, on currants and dried figs. Finish: long, on Alsatian beerawecka and spices. Comments: frankly, these two Irish whiskeys by our Swiss friends at The Whisky Cask Company are extremely vexing. Hoppla, excusez…
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Do we have room for one more? But of course…

Great Northern 5 yo (58.2%, The Whisky Blues, single malt, batch ref #TW802, 1,266 bottles, 2023)

A very pretty label, even if it might not be the most jovial of all. We're in Dundalk, at the new, or rather, newish distillery of John Teeling. Colour: white wine. Nose: a fresh and immaculate Irish with fresh bread, fresh bananas, a bit of paper and unleavened bread, apples, plums... In short, it's a very 'natural' malt. With water: bubblegum! And all sorts of cakes... Mouth (neat): fruity yet full-bodied, like a pear and lemon cake. It's not complex but it's excellent. With water: just very good. Ripe pear and a small glass of Red Bull. Sorry for mentioning this absolute horror of the modern world, we'll try not to do it again. Finish: good length, very fruity but balanced. Comments: not a very obvious personality, but it's very good, it seems that the Irish are now definitely preempting the very fruity style in the realm of single malts.
SGP:651 – 86 points.

It seems that the Irish pure/single pot still whiskeys are on the verge of being overshadowed by single malts, don't you think? I hope Midleton is doing well. We'll try to sample a few before St. Patrick's Day 2025.

Anyway, Angus has been kind enough to add two very interesting tasting notes to this little Irish session...

Shimmering Silk 11 yo (50%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 1st fill bourbon barrels and 1st fill PX hogsheads)
Colour: coppery orange. Nose: maybe it's the colour, but I find it quite orangey and marmaladey. Some chunky wood spices as well and then some rather nice notes of tinned peaches and flower nectars. I even find it goes a little towards tropical things like guava jam with a little time. Very nice, although we do feel the oak threatening a little… with water: wee hints of cocoa and freshly brewed coffee, also some herbal teas. Mouth: indeed, very spicy, but I actually find the jammy fruits all rather juicy and easy, which keeps the oak well enough in check. More tinned peaches, some impressions of youthful cognac and some pine wood. With water: again a tension between spices and fruit. Quite a bite more dried and crystallised fruits now, including some lemon rind and sweet cereals. Finish: on the shorter side, but still nicely on marmalade and a glimmer of tropical fruits. Comments: very easy, and the scariness of the wood never quite materialises as feared, in fact the fruitiness is a nice surprise. Just the finish is a tad lacking.
SGP: 641 - 84 points.

Teeling 28 yo (46.6%, OB, cask #6756, sherry, 2019)
Some of these old Irish can work extremely well in the right sherry cask in my experience… Colour: pale amber. Nose: gorgeous tropicality! Really precisely on guavas, mango, passion fruit and papaya, a nose that recalls old 1960s Longmorns and Bowmores. Also helped by this very mineral and pure, quite old-style sherry profile that also involves a saline edge and nicely leathery and hessian touches. Mouth: a little more about the sherry cask here, but there's no quibbles when it's such a clean and excellent old school type of sherry. All on roasted coffee beans, pickled walnuts, bitter dark chocolate and these wee gamey and balsamic touches. Still some nice hessian notes and some fruits but rather more dark fruits such as prunes in armagnac this time. If I had one complaint, I would say we're missing some of those lovely exotic qualities from the nose. Evolves with some wonderful notes of lemon, verbena, dried mint and treacle - perhaps in time it does become a tad more tropical once again, with crystallised tropical fruits. Finish: medium and nicely earthy, chocolatey, a little peppery and with some dark and exotic fruit notes (dried mango!) in the aftertaste. Comments: the nose was totally luminous, and the palate only just dangerously excellent. But the holistic pleasure factor is extremely high! To deploy a Sergism, if you don't mind, I would say this is highly 'süffig'…
SGP: 751 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Irish whiskies we've tasted so far