Category: Irish Whiskey Page 2 of 4

Waterford The Cuvée Whisky

On 11/29/2021

Terroir has been a hot topic in whisky chats again lately, especially since the launch of Waterford The Cuvée Irish single malt whisky. Two weeks ago, I wrote about the Cooladine Edition 1.1 release. This whisky is from Mark Reynier’s new Irish distillery, where the main focus is on the barley.

They meticulously document the barley, the weather, the soil conditions and a host of other factors that influence the growth of the barley.

It makes for fascinating reading for someone who grew up in the city. The barley from each individual farm is distilled separately and allocated to a country. SA has the Cooladine and Knockroe releases.

In 2021, inspired by the terroir of France’s wine-making region Bordeaux, Waterford launched its flagship single malt, The Cuvée Irish whisky. For this release, they applied the same methodology as the famous wine-making region to create something unique. Cuvée is a fancy-sounding word that indicates the liquid, the whisky, is a blend.

Also Read: Teeling Irish Single Malt Whiskey

Head Distiller Ned Gahan blended together 25 individually distilled single farm origins whiskies. These whiskies cover a broad spectrum of natural flavours defined by Ireland’s soils and micro climates.

The whisky is bottled in Waterford’s distinctive blue bottle and features a label designed by Leah Hewson, one of Ireland’s leading visual artists.

Waterford The Cuvée single malt Irish whiskey is a flagship bottling and will be available globally. The cask composition is a big percentage first fill US and virgin US, and also some premium French and Vin Doux Naturel.

Waterford The Cuvée Whisky Review

Waterford The Cuvée single malt is bottled with no chill-filtration and no colouring.

COUNTRY: Ireland

ABV: 50%

COLOUR: Gold

NOSE: Honey sweetness, peaches, apricots and white oak. Bits of vanilla, biscuits, with green pine and mixed fruit. Subtle but complex and lovely.

PALATE: Freshly baked oats crunchies (a classic SA cookie) with honey sweetness. Cinnamon and vanilla with bits of creamy chocolate and malt. Fresh summer fruit with cereals and hints of white pepper and lemon. Smooth and drinkable. Water brings more oranges and pectin to the front.

FINISH: The honey and pepper spicy notes alternate in the finish. Bits of drying oak and lemon. Clean and fresh.

RATING: EXCELLENT

Layered and complex and even at 50% ABV, it is very drinkable without water. Add water carefully as it brought a lot of pectin to the forefront. The malty and honey notes were very similar to the Cooladine release I tasted not so long ago. An exciting release to have in your collection, especially if you like something novel.

The beautiful blue bottle stands out on the shelf. It is now available in South Africa through Navigate World Whisky, and it retails for around R1 495.

Also Read: Dunville’s PX Cask 12 yo Whiskey

Sample disclosure: I received this whisky sample from Navigate World Whisky. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts about the whisky.

Waterford Cooladine Edition 1.1 Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 11/08/2021

In Irish Whiskey

Two weeks ago, I wrote about my first real-life whisky tasting with the Joburg Whisky Club and Candice Baker from Navigate World Whisky. We tasted quite a few delicious drams, including the Linkwood 8 yo whisky. Another delectable release that I tried that evening and promptly went out to buy was the Waterford Cooladine Edition 1.1 Irish single malt whisky.

Terroir has been a controversial word in the whisky industry for many years. In 2015, Mark Reynier started his Waterford Distillery project to experiment and fully understand the concept of terroir in whisky.

The Waterford Distillery is located in a converted former Guinness brewery in the southeast of Ireland. Mark was previously at Bruichladdich, where he started experimenting with the concept, but Waterford allowed him to explore it more extensively.

Terroir is how a particular region’s climate, soils and aspect (terrain) affect the taste of the food. The dominant belief in the whisky industry is that wood makes the whisky. Maturation in oak barrels is often attributed to providing 70% or more of a whisky’s flavour. However, at Waterford, the focus is on the barley.

The distillery works with 72 Irish farms, all located in the same region as the distillery. The barley is grown in 19 different soil types and everything is meticulously documented in a digital logistical system. Each farmer’s crop is harvested, malted, fermented and finally distilled separately. Effectively, this creates 40 different new-make spirits each season.

Also Read: Dunville’s PX Cask 12 yo Whiskey

Cooladine Single Farm Origin Whisky

The single farm origin whisky is then allocated per country. Only Waterford Cooladine and Knockroe barley is used in the limited edition whisky for South Africa. The back of the bottle has a code.

When you enter this into the Waterford website, it tells you EVERYTHING you could ever want to know about where the whisky and the environment the barley was grown in.

The land farmed by brothers William and Pat Doyle at Cooladine in County Wexford stands close to old Quaker burial grounds west of the River Slaney. These free-draining, fertile fields derived from the famously productive Clonroche soils are shingle to clay-rich marl, mainly from the Ordovician shale bedrock.

Barley variety: Overture barley
Yeast Type: Mauri Distillers yeast
Harvested: 16 August 2015
Maturation period: 4 years, 28 days
Bottled: November 2020
No of bottles: 5,076 bottles

Waterford Cooladine Edition 1.1 Whisky Review

However, it is not only the terroir that is important. Waterford Distillery also focuses on the wood policy, using only American and French oak to age their spirit in.

COUNTRY: Ireland

ABV: 50%

COLOUR: Golden liquid sunset

NOSE: Grain sweetness, green barley, freshly cut pine wood with toffee and red apples. Subtle and elegant. Bits of spice with hints of pepper and cloves.

PALATE: Summer spices with ginger and coriander. Condensed milk and vanilla custard with bits of black pepper and barley. Lovely smooth, and balanced. Hints of sultanas, toffee and lemon. Smooth and balanced. Water smooths out the alcohol heat and makes it a bit lighter drinking. Oily with a full body mouthfeel.

FINISH: Honey sweetness with malt.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Waterford Cooladine Edition 1.1 single malt is a delicious all year round whisky. Complex enough to be momorable, but still easy to drink. It has the sweetest finish I tasted in a whisky in a long time. The initial palate is quite spicy, then the sweetness moves forward and continues on the finish. Perfect for my sweet palate.

In SA, it retails for around R 1 495, and I bought mine from Navigate World Whisky. I can’t wait for the Cooladine 2.1 Edition to be released to compare them next to each other.

Also Read: Redbreast 12 yo Whiskey

Teeling Single Malt Irish Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/09/2021

In Irish Whiskey

I am exploring the last of my Teeling samples, a single malt whiskey from Ireland, and it is time for the Teeling single malt Irish whiskey. I wrote about Teeling whiskey for the first time in 2015 when I captured my tasting notes for the Teeling Small Batch whiskey.

In 2020 I got the opportunity to taste a few more releases from this inventive Irish whiskey brand. The Teeling Distillery of today was officially opened in 2015. However, the family’s distilling history in Ireland stretches back to 1782; Walter Teeling set up a craft distillery on Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties area of Dublin.

But unfortunately, as the economy turned, Irish whiskey fell on hard times, and the last still ran dry in 1976. Today the new Teeling distillery is only a stone throw from where Walter set up his distillery in the heart of Dublin.

To generate a profit while their own whiskey mature, they have been buying casks from other Irish distillers and selling it under their own brand.

The Teeling single malt whiskey has spirits matured in five different wine casks; sherry, port, Madeira, white burgundy and cabernet sauvignon. It is made from 100% malted barley with a range of different ages, including malt whiskey distilled in 1991.

In SA, this release retails for around R 790, and last time I checked, WhiskyBrother Shop had some stock.

Other releases in the range include the Teeling Single Grain and the Teeling Small Batch Irish whiskey. Teeling whiskey has no added colour, and it is not chill-filtered.

Teeling Single Malt Irish Whiskey Review

COUNTRY: Ireland

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Gold

NOSE: Wood and fruity sweetness. Filled with sweet, ripe melon and lemon. Bits of dark chocolate and warming spices. A lovely inviting nose.

PALATE: A balanced mix of milk chocolate, toasty oak, white pepper and malt. Hints of warming cloves, cinnamon, ginger and malt. Hints of cherry lozenge and butterscotch. Medium body and very smooth. Some peppermint crisp chocolate in the background. Elegant and delicious! Add water carefully. Water dulls the flavours a bit.

FINISH: Long and lingering with dry oak and sweetness.

RATING: EXCELLENT

A well-balanced dram. The combination of wood, chocolate and spices are wonderfully warming. Just perfect for winter. It was my favourite of the three Teeling releases that I tried. The single malt is light but not delicate.

There is a chewy, oily quality to the mouth. Although Teeling used five different casks, none of the casks overwhelms the others. Each brings something unique, and they all fit together well. However, it was better to drink without water.

Also Read: Redbreast 12 yo Whiskey

Redbreast 12 year old Irish Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/24/2021

In Irish Whiskey

I tasted the Redbreast 12 year old single pot still Irish at a whisky show a year before Covid and bought a bottle on the spot. I am not the biggest Irish whiskey fan, but the 12 year old convinced me to explore more. So it got added to my collection, and it is time for me to explore it a bit further.

Redbreast is a single pot still Irish whiskey produced by Irish Distillers at the Midleton distillery in Cork. Single pot still Irish whiskey is made from a mash using both malted and unmalted barley. It is then triple distilled in copper pot stills. Scottish whisky only uses malted barley. This style of whiskey is unique to Ireland.

Redbreast was originally produced by Gilbey’s, a Dublin spirits merchant using distillate sourced from Jameson’s Bow Street Distillery. In the 1980s, the brand was purchased by Irish Distillers, the producer of Jameson.

Other Redbreast releases available include Redbreast 12 year old Cask Strength, Redbreast 15 year old, Redbreast 21 year old, Redbreast Lustau Edition (matured for its final year in Bodegas Lustau sherry casks) and Redbreast 27 year old whiskey.

The first official mention of “Redbreast” only dates back to 1912, when Gilbey’s referred to the sale of “Redbreast” J.J. Liqueur Whiskey 12 year old. “Redbreast” was a nickname given to one of the whiskeys by Gilbey’s chairman at the time, who was an avid birdwatcher, in reference to Robin Redbreast.

Irish Distillers relaunched the brand in 1991. Midleton distillery also produces Jameson and Tullamore Dew whiskey. The Redbreast 12 year old whiskey is aged in first-fill Olorosso sherry casks and ex-bourbon barrels.

Also Read: Dunville’s Three Crowns Peated Whiskey

Redbreast 12 year old Irish Whiskey Review

CONTRY: Ireland

ABV: 43%

COLOUR: Yellow gold

NOSE: Sweet ripe red fruits sprinkled with toasted nuts, banana and pears. Vibrant and fresh. Hints of vanilla, spice, and freshly baked sugar cookies.

PALATE: Fruity sweetness and toasted oak. The Redbreast is luxurious and creamy with hints of marzipan, lots of fruit salad sweetness and roasted nuts. A balance of wood and red berry sweetness mixed with bits of pepper and ginger.

Add water carefully. Only a drop or two is needed. The water can quickly tone down the fruity sweetness too much.

FINISH: Long and creamy sweetness, lemon rind and pepper spice.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is a lovely late summer afternoon sipping whisky. Not the most complex dram, but memorable and fruity. The sherry casks shine through on this release, and from here on, it just gets better.

The Redbreast 12 year old whiskey is an excellent start to the range, and I have tasted both the Lustau and the 15 year old whiskey, and the delicious taste expansion continues in the older releases.

Also Read: Bushmills 16 yo Whiskey

Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 03/22/2021

In Irish Whiskey

Today I look at a single grain whisky from Ireland. The Teeling Single Grain Irish whiskey was first released in 2013. It is the second release that I try from this innovative, unconventional brand. The first release I tasted was the Teeling Small Batch whiskey.

I was fortunate to be invited to a Zoom tasting where Jack Teeling, Marc from WhiskyBrother&Co and Luke Knox took us through a tasting of three Teeling releases.

Also Read: Waterford The Cuvee whisky

The Teeling Distillery of today was officially opened in 2015. However, the family’s distilling history in Ireland stretches back to 1782, when a chap called Walter Teeling set up a distillery in Dublin’s Liberties area. Today the Teeling distillery is only a stone throw from where Walter set up his distillery in the heart of Dublin.

The Teeling Single Grain Irish whiskey mash bill consists of 95% corn and 5% malted barley. It is triple distilled and matured exclusively in ex-Cabernet Sauvignon red wine casks from California for just over 5 years. There is also a Teeling single malt whiskey as part of the core range. Teeling whiskey has no added colour and it not chill-filered.

Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey Review

COUNTRY: Ireland

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Amber

NOSE: Notes of fruity sweetness and creamy condensed milk. Sweet ripe grapes with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. The nose is elegant, sweet, and clean.

PALATE: Tropical fruit salad drizzled with honey, freshly baked cinnamon rolls with bits of oak and warming black pepper. So smooth and drinkable, you don’t even need to add water.

FINISH: Long and lingering with warming pepper balanced with soft honey sweetness and oak.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Teeling Single Grain Irish whiskey is deliciously drinkable. It has a chewy mouthfeel with a warming finish. This is not the most complex whiskey, but that is what makes it so drinkable.

You can sip it anytime and enjoy it. It is quite a sweet release, and it works for my sweet palate. However, it is wonderfully balanced with some pepper heat and malty goodness.

This release is available at WhiskyBrother&Co and retail for around R670.00. I think that it is pretty affordable for something so delicious! If you like Irish whiskey and want to experiment a bit more, this is a wonderful release to try.

Also Read: Tullamore DEW vs Jameson Whiskey