NEW BRANDS FOR ST PADRAIG

 NEW EXPRESSIONS FOR ST PATRICK’S DAY

Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional date of demise of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, Irish traditional music sessions and dances (céilithe), and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services and historically the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.

The Saint Patrick's Day custom of "drowning the shamrock" or "wetting the shamrock" is historically popular. At the end of the celebrations, especially in Ireland, a shamrock is put into the bottom of a cup, which is then filled with whiskey, beer, or cider. It is then drunk as a toast to Saint Patrick, Ireland, or those present. The shamrock is either swallowed with the drink or taken out and tossed over the shoulder for good luck.

WATERFORD - THE CUVEE Irish Whisky| 70Cl | ABV 50% | €80.00

Their distillery, the technological marvel we call the Facilitator, enables them to create elite whisky – farm by farm, terroir by terroir. State-of-the-art equipment marries with ancient knowledge locally grown Irish barley with extended fermentations, unhurried distillation & an array of exceptional oak. It has provided a unique library of Single Farm Origins – each expressing its own identity, its own voice.

Product Description

The Cuvée is the new flagship Whisky from Waterford. Inspired by a splendid Chateaux in Bordeaux, Waterford has applied the same methodology and blended together 25 of their Single Farm Origin Single Malts in one bottling. By blending such singular spirits together, with each expressing its own identity, Waterford has created a dynamic assemblage and genuine innovation for the category. This has resulted in a whiskey showing notes of red apples, lavender, digestive biscuits, oranges, fresh mint, coffee cake, with a distinctly oily, textured palate delivering grapefruit, lemon zest, dark chocolate and cherries with an extraordinary length of flavour.

Waterford rigorously applies the ancient terroir methodology to today’s verdant landscape of Ireland, home of the world’s finest barley to reach the apogee of this radical philosophy.

Their distillery, the technological marvel we call the Facilitator, enables them to create elite whisky – farm by farm, terroir by terroir. State-of-the-art equipment marries with ancient knowledge locally grown Irish barley with extended fermentations, unhurried distillation & an array of exceptional oak. It has provided a unique library of Single Farm Origins – each expressing its own identity, its own voice.

This unprecedented spectrum of flavours must now reach its crescendo: they have celebrated & explored the singles; now they produce their more immersive concept album. For layered together in this cerebral fusion of flavours, these component Waterford whiskies come together, culminating in our ultimate experience: textured, complex & compelling.

The Cuvée, a synthesis of Single Farm Origins, an enigmatic gestalt, a glittering milestone in their journey. The definitive Waterford Whisky. Their LodeStar.

The Cuvée is best enjoyed neat or with a few drops of water to allow the cereal notes and viscous texture to open up. Bottled in Waterford’s iconic blue bottle, this new whisky is adorned by an eye-catching label designed by Leah Hewson, one of Ireland’s leading visual artists.

Appearance: Golden sunrise with intense oils.

Nose: Red apples, fresh dry soil, bread crust, green foliage, lavender, digestive biscuits, oranges, barmbrack, overripe banana skin, a summer flower bed, fresh mint, coffee cake.

Palate: Clove sweets, white pepper, oily, grapefruit, lemon zest, dark chocolate, dry toast, cherries, granola bar, dried herbs, aniseed, green olives, three-peel marmalade.

Finish: Pepper up front with oily spiciness that softens, starts dry but then gets mouth-watering & lingers where I close my eyes and relax!

DISTILLERY	WATERFORD
Description	The Cuvee Irish
Year Bottled	2021
Alcohol ABV	50%
Cask Strength	Yes
Cask Wood Type	American & European Oak
Single Cask	No
No Bottled	40000
Packaging	Original Box
Bottler	Distillery
Country  Origin	Ireland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
Carton	Cardboard
HTFW Cat. No.	LP14843

 WATERFORD - LUNA BIODYNAMIC SINGLE MALT 2018

3-Year-Old Whisky | 70cl | ABV 50% | £89.95

Waterford Luna is the world’s first whisky made from biodynamic barley. We’re born with our own science lab: our taste and our sense of smell. When something smells and tastes good, it’s for a reason; in the case of great-tasting barley, it is because it contains nutrition. The most flavoursome nutrient-dense foods contain a complex array of minerals that come from being fed by a good, nutrient-rich soil – a living soil. Ergo, soil nutrition equals flavour. The world’s greatest winemakers get it – so it’s easy to understand that, should one respect barley, great whiskies can be made in this way too.

Waterford Luna 1.1 is a landmark Whiskey and the World’s first Single Malt distilled from Ireland’s only biodynamic barley. The bottling is the latest in Waterford’s Arcadian Series. Biodynamic agriculture goes beyond the ordinary ecological mindset and draws upon ancient lore to make crops more flavoursome and vibrant. Lauded by many of the world’s legendary winemakers, Waterford has worked with three Irish growers who have applied these unusual agricultural practices to growing barley.

DISTILLERY	WATERFORD
Description	Luna Biodynamic Single Malt
Vintage	2018
Year Bottled	2021
Age	3 year old
Alcohol ABV	50 %
Cask Strength	Yes
Cask Wood Type	French Oak
Single Cask	No
Number Bottled	21000
Packaging	Original Box
Bottler	Distillery
Country of Origin	Ireland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
HTFW Cat. No.	LP14844

Probably the largest collection of Irish Whiskey expressions one has never heard of, capturing the high ground of premium, single malt, single-origin, and certainly organic and biodynamic whiskies in the world! This is one of the many expressions that Waterford Distillery makes. One has to admire the absolutely obsessive, possibly pathologically OCD- in a charming way- that this group goes about making whisky. Using biodynamic techniques with heirloom barley varieties they seem to have thought out every other aspect of distillation, ageing, cask wood ageing, etc. to produce a stunning whiskey. One of the more interesting aspects is the careful selection of a variety of casks used in the ageing process, a mix of virgin American Oak, French Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Port, and Amarone cask, and the percentages used in the final blending.

Bottle: Beautiful! A deep cobalt blue slight inset for the label with a series of ridges toward the bottom gives it a sort of machine age or maybe deco overtones. The labels are a combination of silk screening and paper labels with a teal silver speckled background and raised silver lettering. The back label is a single piece of plastic film with 9 point lettering. Label contains a short narrative, the growers’ names, and the TÉIREOIR code which links to an exhaustive and lovingly detailed genealogy of that bottle. The stopper is an aquamarine glass stopper with a tightly rigid nylon gasket that gives a great seal without being too much of a challenge to open, and a silkscreen design. Overall a very carefully thought out and executed repository for a remarkable spirit.

Appearance: Very pale, almost watery gold. Natural colour, non-chill-filtered. Leaves a light film on swirling, an extremely thin and even coat with extremely fine legs and tears eventually forming.

Nose: Estery, high-toned, and brandy-like, with aromas of red cherry, pomegranate, Comice pears, and white flowers bolstered by those weird butterscotch baking chips and porridge. With water, it’s meatier and more sulphurous, with Sauvignon Blanc-like grassiness.

Palate: Slightly oily entry, glides over and coats the tongue in a seductive immersion to a dazzling but subtle carousel of flavours. Lots of red fruit comes through at first, with maraschino cherry and currants followed by nougat, almond croissant, cinnamon, and white grapes. Leather, char, and sweetness wrapped in a harmonious and continuous development of flavours. 

Finish: The finish falls off quickly, leaving the thin, slightly acidic flavour of white wine and a soft warming sensation. Water amplifies the sweetness and reveals more oily blanched almonds, buttery pear, pink peppercorn, and a hint of smouldering electrical work.

REDBREAST - LUSTAU EDITION IRISH WHISKEY

70cl | 46% |  £56.95

The 1980s was not a great time for whiskey, and Midleton Distillery shut shop for a decade. After a thorough revamp, Midleton Distillery relaunched Redbreast in 1991. After the success of the Redbreast 12 Year, the brand began to grow its core lineup.

In 2016, the Redbreast Lustau Edition hit the market. Bodegas Lustau is located within the “Sherry Triangle” of Spain. For 125 years, Lustau has produced some of the most renowned sherries on the market. It is privileged enough to make wines in all three cities of the triangle— Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

As much as limestone is important to whiskey made in Kentucky, the Sherry Triangle is covered by expansive albariza hills. Albariza, or white limestone, is perfect for growing grapes. The Redbreast Lustau Edition uses Oloroso sherry casks from Lustau’s Jerez location. Although the whiskey does not have an age statement, the Lustau Edition is initially aged nine to twelve years and then finished for another year with Lustau butts.

Oloroso sherry is known for dry and nutty with rich toffee notes. Lustau offers a broad range of Oloroso flavours. While Redbreast does not specify which sherry casks it uses for the Lustau Edition, the quality is impeccable. Compared to other Redbreast whiskies, the Spanish oak influence from the sherry casks and butts is discernible. With the Irish Whiskey resurgence, the Redbreast Lustau Edition is right there with other Oloroso-finished Irish whiskies.

DISTILLERY	REDBREAST
Description	Lustau Edition Irish
Alcohol ABV	46 %
Cask Strength	No
Cask Wood Type	Oak
Single Cask	No
Packaging	Original Box
Bottler	Distillery
Country of Origin	Ireland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Dumpy
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
HTFW Cat. No.	LP12536

Nose: Caramel glazed apples from the Irish pot-still aspect are given an injection of sherry character in the form of marzipan, juicy sultanas, dark fruits and clove-studded orange peel.

Taste: A creamy, velvety mouthfeel with rich fruit cake, toasted marshmallows and poached plums follow through onto the palate. Rounded out with flecks of milk chocolate, honey and candied orange peel.

Finish - Endless. Sweetness and assorted spices endure while Oloroso Sherry and Spanish Oak have the last word.

Overall: These impart a wonderful flavour to what is already a richly flavoured whiskey. If you like smooth, mellow and drink all-night whiskies, you’ll find it hard to do better than this, for the price.

DINGLE SAMHAIN MUSCATEL CASK IRISH SINGLE MALT WHISKEY

Depending on who you read, it can be said that the Irish actually started distilling whisky first and passed it on to the Scots and no one is quite sure why there's an e in whisk(e)y. The Irish were the kings of whiskey right up to 1905, as explained in these two links. One single distiller produced more whisky than all of Speyside put together. It was the Irish who wanted to name their spirit whisky, pushing aside whiskey as a pejorative noun. They lost a prolonged legal battle and the blend of grain with malt whiskies pioneered by the Scots was permitted the luxury of the appellation whisky. Scotland produced Scotch whisky and the Irish were permitted both whisky and whiskey. In 1960, all of the Irish aqua vitae had become whiskey.

For much of the 20th Century, Irish whiskey was in a sorry state, with only 4 active distilleries (Cork, Jameson's and Powers, who had all formed Irish Distillers and Bushmills in the North, who joined them in 1972).  A combination of Prohibition, Depression, Irish Independence (loss of the Commonwealth market) and the growth and popularity of Scottish producers had greatly diminished Irish market share. Originally producing quite rich and full-bodied whiskies, Irish whiskey reinvented itself during the late 19th and 20th centuries as a light, smooth and easy-drinking whiskey, partly due to triple distillation and the use of blended grain and malt.

Currently, Irish whiskey production is experiencing an explosion, with 29 distilleries either in the process of being built or actively distilling.  With this, there is an exploration of what Irish Whiskey can offer with modern distillers exploring the richer fuller style of Ireland's past as well as the more well-known style of it's bigger brands like Jameson's and Bushmills. 

Dingle Distillery is kicking off a new line of limited-edition whiskeys in their Wheel of the Year series. The first of these, Dingle Samhain Single Malt Whiskey, is finished in Muscatel casks.

The new Dingle Samhain Single Malt Whiskey was first matured in first-fill bourbon casks before a long finish (2 years) in first-fill Muscatel casks and bottled at 50.5% ABV. It is being released to mark the beginning of winter and the Celtic New Year. The Celtic Wheel of the Year is divided into eight periods, so the new Wheel of The Year series is set to launch eight editions, following the rhythm of the seasons, equinoxes, and solstices. Samhain is one of the four main seasonal fire festivals, named after the belief in the cleansing powers of fire.

Traditionally, after sunset, Samhain commenced with towering bonfires set ablaze in pairs and livestock was driven between them, believing that the smoke possessed cleansing powers. In ancient Ireland, farming was the epicentre of people’s lives and hugely dependent on the seasons, thus the turn of each season was celebrated with great reverence – and still is to this day.

Dingle Samhain Single Malt Whiskey was inspired by the ancient Irish celebration of Samhain. Celebrated in Ireland for over 2000 years as well as annually in Dingle and across the land, this release distils a core part of Irish heritage. This is the first whiskey in Dingle’s new Wheel of The Year series and is steeped in the traditions of times past that will be honoured and paid tribute to.

10,000 bottles of Dingle Samhain Single Malt Whiskey are being released to domestic and export markets, each priced at €85.

DISTILLERY	DINGLE
Description	Samhain Muscatel Cask Finish Irish Single Malt
Year Bottled	2022
Alcohol ABV	50.5 %
Cask Strength	Yes
Cask Wood Type	Moscatel Finish
Single Cask	No
Packaging	Original Box
Bottler	Distillery
Country of Origin	Ireland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
HTFW Cat. No.	LP17318

  GREEN SPOT - QUAILS' GATE PINOT NOIR WINE CASK FINISH

Irish Distillers, the makers of Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, recently partnered with Quails’ Gate Winery in Canada on the third installment in the Green Spot Wine Geese Series. They call it Green Spot Quails’ Gate. A statement from Irish Distillers notes this will be a limited-edition, single pot still Irish whiskey finished in Pinot Noir casks from Quails’ Gate winery and limited to one per customer.

The whiskey will join permanent expressions Green Spot Château Leoville Barton and Green Spot Chateau Montelena in the series, which the whiskey maker describes as a “celebration of Ireland’s historic contribution to the wine world, as tribute to the group of Irish families known as ‘The Wine Geese’ who left Ireland and set up wineries across the globe.”

A non-chill filtered release bottled at 46% ABV, Green Spot Quails’ Gate was released this month in the US, Canada, Ireland, France, UK and Global Travel Retail.

                           

Green Spot was originally produced exclusively for the Mitchell family who commenced trading in 1805 on 10 Grafton St. in the heart of Dublin city as purveyors of fine wines and confectionery. Seven generations later, the company is still in the wine and spirits business, under the stewardship of Jonathan Mitchell and his son Robert.

The Mitchell family expanded into whiskey bonding in 1887, whereby they sent empty wine, sherry and port casks via horse and cart to the local Jameson Distillery, which were then filled and returned to Mitchell’s cellar warehouse. There, the whiskeys matured for many years under bond until they were ready to be bottled and sold.

The Mitchells matured their whiskey in casks under the streets of Dublin in their network of underground cellars. When their fortified wine casks were filled exclusively with Jameson spirit from the old Bow St. Distillery, they were marked with a daub or ‘spot’ of paint which identified how long the barrels would be matured for. Blue for 7 years, Green for 10 years, Yellow for 12 years and Red for 15 years—hence the name Spot Whiskey.

Like many Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys, the Spot Whiskeys have faced tough times be it from the tragic days of the Famine in 1845, to the numerous Rebellions, World War I, Prohibition of the 1930s and of course World War II. However, it is to the testament of the Mitchells’ resolve and the pure love & loyalty of people to Green Spot that the whiskey bonder era style of whiskeys has fought on and has lived to tell the tale.

In the post-World War II era, what was once the world’s favourite style of whiskey, Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys were a depleted resource. To help continue their art, Irish Distillers was formed to help get the Irish distilleries back on their feet. With its formation, the then chairman Kevin McCourt ceased supplying whiskey to bonders. At the time, Mitchells had 10 years supply in bond and were close to running out when the decision to resupply Mitchells was made. It was another survival coup for the indomitable Green Spot.

Legend has it that Mr Mitchell had cleverly campaigned for more bonder whiskey by canvassing the powers that be in the various Dublin yacht clubs and intelligentsia hangouts at the time. Safe to say that when these loyal fans heard of the trouble they quickly helped turn things around and ensure the continued safe passage of Green Spot’s legacy. It was a happy result for all. And one that has led to the re-emergence of Green Spot as a global force in whiskey, the reintroduction of Yellow Spot and, of course, the combining of two famous Irish families to form Green Spot Chateau Château Léoville Barton.

Spot Whiskeys are quietly reassuming their role as Dublin’s finest underground and creative-thinking whiskeys. There are rumours aloft, however, as to future reintroductions of the old and famous Blue and revered Red Spot. But to reveal such information would be to test Lady Luck and the Whiskey Gods themselves. Nonetheless, the Spot whiskeys have never given up, waiting for that one day they will all be reunited: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and its modern ancestors such as Green Spot Château Léoville Barton. For each one truly brings something different to the table.

Quails' Gate Pinot Noir consistently delivers wines that combine ripeness and finesse. The growing season was perfect for producing a rich-flavoured Pinot Noir with wonderful acidity. The flavour was enhanced by a pre-fermentation treatment to enhance extra flavour colour, fermented separately on the skins and then matured in 100% French Burgundian oak barrels for 9 months. A medium ruby-coloured wine, medium-bodied, with great acidity, dry, and a pronounced aroma featuring so much; forest floor, concentrated cherry, strawberry and raspberry, lavender and possibly cocoa. Flavours repeated on the palate. Great idea, finishing whiskey in these casks…It shows! 

DISTILLERY	GREEN SPOT
Series / Description	Quails' Gate Pinot Noir Wine Cask Finish Irish
Year Bottled	2023
Alcohol ABV	46 %
Cask Strength	No
Cask Wood Type	Pinot Noir
Single Cask	No
Packaging	Cardboard Tube
Bottler	Distillery
Country of Origin	Ireland
Stopper	Cork
Bottle Type	Standard
Bottle Size	70cl
Neck Level	Full Level
HTFW Cat. No.	LP17632

 Official Tasting Notes

70 Cl | 46% ABV | £69.95 | € 79.75

Nose: Vibrant oak fused with notes of ripe cherry and fresh, juicy raspberry, elevated by the wine seasoning, while balanced with the Green Spot’s signature aromas of apple and sweet pear. Earthy, woodland spices lend themselves to the deep and complex characteristics found interwoven amongst the sweet vanilla and red wine bouquet.

Palate: Silky and sweet mouthcoating texture at first, while the wine’s soft tannins gradually begin to show their presence. Notes of dried cranberries and red apple add to the expanding array of fruits in this wonderfully complex whiskey with clove spice and grated nutmeg balanced by the seasoned oak and crisp barley.

Finish: The toasted wood and pot still spices slowly fade, with the fruits and red wine seasoning taking the final bow.