Hyde 10 Year
$109.99
The whisky is named for Ireland's first President, Douglas Hyde. This 10 year old Irish single malt whiskey has been matured 10 years in Ex-Bourbon and finished for 6 months in Ex-Oloroso Sherry Butts. Bottled at 46%, this whiskey has won a number of awards.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: floral, loads of vanilla, marzipan and silky caramel tones and polished oak shelves; candied fruits and Christmas cake, mom's orange heavy mince meat pie in a buttery crust warm from the oven.
Palate: round, soft, chewy and silky; loads of big juicy barley, more vanilla and some lovely toasted oak notes; creamed honey leads to melon, orange and some darker fruits; candied fruits and Christmas cake are still there and build with some firm spice; a touch meaty, like a mom's mince meat pie right out of the oven!
Finish: rich, coating and long; although the creamy vein continues to the finish, it is the darker elements (fruits and spices) that dominate.
Comment: this is a lovely malt, loads of character and depth; Irish whiskey is in the middle of being reborn, and whiskies like Hyde are doing their part in its surge!
From the Producer: "HYDE Single Malt Irish whiskey is made from 100% malted Irish barley, distilled at a single location. It is made in small batches on a traditional copper pot still. Then matured for over 10 years in flame charred, first fill, ex-bourbon casks from Kentucky in the U.S.A., before finishing for a further six months in either a Sherry or an Oak cask."
"The flamed bourbon casks initially add a sweeter vanilla and caramel flavour, followed by the toasted sherry casks which add a nutty, spice, dried fruit, and toffee character to the final dram. Sherry oak casks are far more expensive but our view is that they are worth it for the richer character they add to our final HYDE whiskey. (Oloroso Sherry cask cost €800 each. Bourbon Casks cost just €80 each!)."
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Delightful peaches & cream, vanilla, barley malt softness, with citrus, sweet, honey, caramel, chocolate, orange, lemon, banana, & infused with spices.
Taste: Wonderfully smooth yet complex, creamy yet fruity with notes of caramel and Manuka honey, apricot, plum, and a silky malt texture.
Finish: Rich, Spicy, & Oaky. It lingers in the mouth with a long rich finish.
About the Hyde Family: The Hyde family have a long tradition of being involved in the Irish drinks business. From 1640 until 1962 the family ran a tavern located just outside the picturesque town of Bandon in West Cork. The Hydes sold traditional Irish Whiskey and draught stout straight from wooden casks, tapped by hand with a mallet and brass tap. The drink business runs through twelve generations of the Hyde family tree. At one stage in 1916, their grandfather, granduncle and grandaunt were all publicans in Bandon. Today, Alan and Conor Hyde are the first generation not to own a tavern, but they continue the family tradition by producing some of Ireland’s finest whiskey."
Maltbarn Irish Malt 2001
$229.99
A 14 year old Cooley Irish single malt from Maltbarn, bottled at 48.3% from a Bourbon Barrel; 167 bottles!
Jack Ryan 15 Year Irish Single Malt
$119.99
This is a 15 year old single malt produced at an undisclosed Irish Distillery. It is aged in ex-Bourbon casks and then finished in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks - hence the name 'Bourdega' (Sherry casks coming from a Bodega in Spain). From a small batch of 2500 bottles. The Jack Ryan Irish Whiskey line is produced for Ryans Beggars Bush Pub in Dublin. The Pub has been around for 200 years and owned by the Ryan family for over a century.
46% ABV
Whisky Agency Eiling Lim Irish Malt 1989
$529.99
This Cooley single malt is a colaboration between The Whisky Agency and Eiling Lim, distilled in 1989 and bottled after 27 years. Only 177 bottles produced from a single barrel and bottled at 45.0%. More details to come... Sold for 710 Euros at Auction!
Andrew's Tasting Note Coming Soon, sample dependent... ;)
90pts Serge at Whisky Fun: "Back to the fruit bombs, I suppose… Colour: straw. Nose: can you name at least thirty tropical fruits? Well done, they’re all in there. Especially pink bananas and tangerines! A touch of spearmint too. Mouth: well, we’re still in the same very fruity territories. Passion fruits for sure, grapefruits, mangos, a little chlorophyll, Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gums… Plus a little green tea, and perhaps a tiny bit of Jaffa cake for good measure. I don’t think I’ve met another whisky that’s as splendidly fruity as these Irishs in recent times, given that those old Benriachs and Lochsides and early new Clynelishes are all gone, gone, gone. Right, perhaps not all Littlemills (more about those soon on WF). Finish: medium, fresh, fruity, easy. Easiness is an asset in this context. Grassier aftertaste. Comments: this one’s up there too. The others had just a little more knack."
Blackadder A Drop of the Irish 60.4%
$149.99
A cask strength single cask Irish whiskey by Blackadder, under their Drop of the Irish line. Probably Cooley, but we don't know for sure. 60.4% from a single hogshead. One of 286 bottles, only a dozen are coming to KWM!
Hyde 1916 Irish Whiskey
$65.99
A greater than 6 year old Irish Single Grain (why don't they just say 6 years old... ?) matured in Ex-Bourbon Barrels. The whiskey is likely sourced from the Cooley Distillery.
Dunville's Old Irish Whiskey PX
$91.99
This is a stunning new Irish Whiskey, bottled by Echlinville Distillery. The whisky is finished in Pedro Ximenez casks and bottled at 46%.Best Irish Single Malt under 12 Year, World Whisky Awards 2015 & 2016.
Kinahan's 10 Yr Single Malt Whiskey
$95.99
A new to Alberta Irish Single Malt Whiskey, bottled at 46% after maturing in American oak for a minimum of 10 years. The whisky is probably from Cooley distillery. 86pts Whisky Advocate magazine.
Producer Description: "Our Single Malt expression has been matured in hand selected American oak barrels for a minimum of 10 years. Inspired by generations of the Kinahan family craftsmanship, our malt master carefully samples the aged whiskey, cask by cask, selecting only the classic character that is unique to the original Kinahan’s L.L. whiskey."
About Kinahan's: "Kinahan’s whiskey was founded by Daniel Kinahan in 1779. Generations of the Kinahan family ensured it became renowned for its unique taste and character. In 1807, Charles Lennox, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was so impressed with this whiskey that he ordered all barrels at the Kinahan family cellars be kept exclusively for his private use, marking each cask with “L.L.” This mark still adorns each and every bottle."
Kinahan's Small Batch Irish Whiskey
$69.99
This blended Irish whiskey is bottled at 46% after maturing in American oak. The youngest whisky in the bottle is 6 years old. 85pts Whisky Advocate.
From the Producer: "Crafted in small batches, using only traditional methods, it is carefully matured in two types of American oak casks for a minimum of six years. The matured whiskey is then skilfully blended to deliver the unusually mellow, malty, full flavoured character, which made Kinahan’s L.L. so popular for over a two centuries."
About Kinahan's: "Kinahan’s whiskey was founded by Daniel Kinahan in 1779. Generations of the Kinahan family ensured it became renowned for its unique taste and character. In 1807, Charles Lennox, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was so impressed with this whiskey that he ordered all barrels at the Kinahan family cellars be kept exclusively for his private use, marking each cask with “L.L.” This mark still adorns each and every bottle."