Tag Archives: Irish

Nurnberg’s St Paddy’s Night – Kilbeggan, Jameson, Glendalough, Bushmills, Connemara

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We went all out this time – Irish music, a hearty Irish stew, and absolutely 100% an assortment of Irish whiskies! It was a merry evening that really ‘upped’ the ante for future Nurnberg Whisky Explorer gatherings!

So what did we explore whiskey-wise?

  • Kilbeggan 43% – A friendly Irish pub kind of dram!
  • Jameson Triple Triple 40% – A pleasant accompaniment
  • Glendalough Single Grain Olorosso 42% – Interesting to try
  • Bushmills 10 year 40% – Ye old standard
  • Connemara peated single malt 40% – A bit “blah”

Let’s begin with a pub crawl dram…

Kilbeggan Single Post Still Irish Whiskey 43% ~Eur 32

  • Nose – Fresh, clean, simple yet inviting, floral, honey with a light citrus twist
  • Palate – Toasted cereal, nutty – mostly almonds, creamy, smooth and sugary
  • Finish – Light and pleasant

What can we say? It was a perfect appetizer dram. Easy to drink, very approachable, and uncomplicated.

A step up from the standard Kilbeggan, this expression is from a single pot still. Nice stuff.

Jameson Triple Triple 40% ~Eur 32

  • Nose – Caramel, cooked fruits – a generic melange impossible to distinguish the different elements, very very sweet
  • Palate – Much more character than expected from the nose. Now distinct berries could be discerned, some citrus and cloves
  • Finish – Milk chocolate, dusting of cinnamon

A triple cask of ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry, and ex-Malaga, this is a wee step up from the normal Jameson fare. The combination created a dram which was sweet and sweet and sweet. Our verdict? A pleasant accompaniment when you don’t want to be distracted by your dram.

Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Bourbon and Olorosso 42% ~Eur 29

  • Nose – At first fumes – which isn’t so surprising for a young grain… then it settled down
  • Palate – Salty nuts, quite mineral, white pepper, spice yet also soft, it reminded me a bit of pancake batter, a hint of rose – like a light rooafza
  • Finish – Smooth with nutmeg

One only single grain of the evening, it was a welcome departure. Whilst others spent more time with the other Irish offerings, for me this was the one to return to…

Bushmills 10 year 40% ~Eur 28

  • Nose – Fresh hay, green apple
  • Palate – Juicy white wine grapes, malty, milky, like a fruity crisp with cream
  • Finish – Dry

Overall it held its own, reminding us why the Bushmills 10 year is a standard.

Connemara peated single malt 40% ~Eur 25

  • Nose – Green tea, iodine and seaweed
  • Palate – Grassy, grape juice, peat but not so heavy
  • Finish – Smoking at the end with cinnamon

Don’t laugh, but my notes were so scant, closing with just two words: Boring. Unidimensional. And now sigh…

Unfortunately, I did not take any photographs of our AMAZING dinner! For the carnivores there was a rich Irish stew. And for the vegetarians a delicious tangy spicy chili sin carne. Yum! Way too delicious and completely spoilt us!

Curious and interested in joining a Nurnberg Whisky Explorer event? Just find us on Meetup!

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Irish Eyes – Green Spot, Yellow Spot + Redbreast

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Tonight I was all set for our Mumbai Whisky Club’s monthly tasting … and as our host’s wife now regularly travels to Ireland, I had visions of sociable whiskies dancing in my head with a palate primed for pot still drams!

Alas our sampling was unavoidably postponed to next week… but I just couldn’t shake that Irish mood… So decided it was high time to revisit the joys of Irish pot stills!

A lot is said about the distinctive character of pot still whiskies – that they have a spicier character that comes from their way of blending malted and unmalted barley. Experts say it is this mash rather than the pot itself that qualifies a whisky as being a pot still whisk(e)y.

Here are a few Irish post still whiskeys we’ve sampled over the years…

Green Spot NAS 40%

  • Nose – Creamy caramel, tarka, fresh green apples – tart and sweet combine
  • Taste – Black peppercorn and rose sherbet, bringing together both sweet and spice
  • Finish – Chewy, warm with a little spice, yet not as complex as Yellow Spot
  • Add water? With water becomes lighter with a delightful toasted nut finish – delightful.
  • Our verdict? While Green Spot more than holds its own, it brought back memories of the superb Yellow Spot. Value for money and an excellent example of what a single pot still can produced.

First sampled November 2013…

Yellow Spot 12 year 46%

From Ireland, a single pot still Irish whisky produced for Mitchell & Son of Dublin, matured in bourbon, sherry and Malaga casks.

  • Nose – Fresh and sweet with hints of a complexity to come, sweet spices and fresh hay
  • Palate – Initially a blend of sea salt and honey, it rounded out with creamy chocolate to fruit, supported by a woody toasted robustness
  • Finish – Particularly superb!
  • Our verdict? – Complex, with a gorgeous flavour that lingered… It has garnered some very well deserved praise from Jim Murray (and us)! An exceptional whisky that hit all our favourite counts for a wonderful malt.

First sampled June 2013 and again Dec 2015…  Redbreast 12 year cask strength 57.7%

  • Nose – Burnt rubber, bold, fruit cake chock full of raisins, dates, nuts, apples
  • Taste – Follows through with its promise, adding cinnamon to the dried fruit and a roasted woodiness
  • Finish – Stays keeping you cosy warm, like Christmas time, curled up by the fireside sipping spiced mulled whiskey, creamy, fruity, toasty warm yumminess!
  • Add water? Even sweeter with spicy delight
  • Our verdict? Ooooohhhhh the Redbreast definitely caught our attention and appreciation! This is certainly one worth revisiting.

First sampled November 2013… I later tried the standard 40% and must say, this cask strength one is by far my preference!

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