LET ' S TALK ABOUT WHISKY
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LET ' S TALK ABOUT WHISKY
by David Beaufort-Dysart
Hello , fellow whiskey lovers . ‘ So , what ' s the Craic ' with all the different styles of Irish Whiskey ? Let ' s go back to school !
• Blended Irish whiskey – a blend of single malts from the same or different distilleries .
• Single malt Irish whiskey - must be made from 100 % barley and from one ' single ' distillery , e . g ., last months ' Bushmills 10-year-old ’.
• Grain Irish whiskey - made from other grains , ( corn , wheat , rye , and barley .)
• Pot still Irish whiskey - uses both malted and unmalted barley , this element gives the whiskey some spiciness .
Following on from pot still , we have chosen my all-time favourite Irish whiskey that of Red Breast - not only my favourite Irish dram but also my favourite feathered friend , on the bird ' note ' let ' s sidestep for a moment and learn a few fun facts about ' the Robin ! Don ’ t forget Robin Red Breast Day is November 17th – get the Binoculars out and have a little measure of Red Breast by your side .
• Robins are very territorial their Red Breast is used to warn off potential invaders , bit like my partner Jane sampling my whiskey whilst I am away , I can be a little on the territorial side !
• Young Robins don ' t develop their Red Breast for several weeks after leaving the nest - this is to avoid them being attacked by their own parents .
Bird numbers are on the decline , for one our other friends ' Jack ' the Sparrow , however the Robin ' s numbers are increasing year on year so let ’ s toast to that !
Lastly my favourite interesting fact is that Robins are orange , however before the importing of this famed fruit around the 16th century this was not a colour so Red was as close as they could get !
Red Breast Irish whiskey
Produced by Irish Distillers at their Midleton distillery in County Cork , Midleton have a very strict policy when it comes to wood , they only buy in the finest American oak , the sherry wood oak butts are built especially and seasoned to order . I love the slightly spicy , creamy toffee notes you get from this whiskey !
Some other bottlings :
• Redbreast 12 Year Old , 40 %, aged in oloroso sherry casks and some ex-Bourbon barrels
• Redbreast Lustau Edition , 46 % ABV , aged for 9 to 12 years in traditional bourbon and sherry casks .
• Redbreast 15-Year-Old , 46 % ABV , aged in oloroso sherry and bourbon casks .
• Redbreast 21-Year-Old , 46 % ABV , aged in ex-bourbon and first fill oloroso sherry casks .
• Redbreast 27-Year-Old , 54.6 % ABV , aged in ex-ruby port casks .
• Dream Cask 32-year-old ( if you have a spare bottle please call me !)
• I am lucky enough to have some 21-year-old Red Breast however the contents are getting less and less !
Some of the awards the world class whiskey has :
Gold Outstanding Irish Whiskey - Single Pot Still International Wine & Spirit Competition
Master Irish Single Pot Still - Premium The Irish Whiskey Masters
Gold Irish Pot Still Whiskey 12 Years and Under World Whiskey Awards
Before we taste let us have a recap on how I taste , again try this method or ' go your own way '!
The Glass : ideally , I recommend you use a Glencairn glass , I ( and many ) see it as the official whisk ( e ) y tasting glass .
Pour and nose : Add 20-25 ml of whiskey to the glass , give it a gentle swirl then waft the glass from side to side under the nose ( smelling lightly is the key ) you need to get past the first hit of alcohol , then look for the character of your dram , try and focus on first impressions ; fruit ? floral ? woody ? smoke ? peat ?
Colour : Deep copper . Nose : Complex spicy and fruity with toasted wood .
Taste : Full flavour , silky smooth , balance of spicy , fruity , sherry and toasted notes .
Finish : Long , the complex flavours linger on the palate .
As W . C . Fields said , ‘ always carry a flagon of Whiskey in case of a snake bite , and furthermore always carry a small snake ’.
Until next time ... Slàinté
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