A brand new name: Dingle Single Malt 2016
Launched at the end of November, Dingle Single Malt is the first truly new Irish whiskey in 25 years and the result of a hugely popular distillery in Dingle, Co Kerry. I was lucky to be there when they opened the first cask earlier this year and can’t wait to pick a bottle off the shelf.
Price: €65
Irish whiskey of the year: Knappogue Castle 14-year-old Twin Wood
The overall winner at this year's Irish Whiskey Awards is Knappogue Castle 14-Year-Old Twin Wood. The first time that a single malt has taken the overall category, beating all other Irish whiskeys. Aged in two types of wood: bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks.
Price: €67 from Mitchellsandson.com
A connoisseur’s treat: Redbreast Lustau
Awards aside, Redbreast Single Pot Still is always a favourite but this new collaboration between the great sherry producer
in Jerez,
, and the
Distillery in Co Cork is one for the collection. Matured for up to 12 years in sherry or bourbon casks, it got another year in a first-fill sherry butt from Lustau in Spain.
Price: €69 from CelticWhiskeyShop.com
Revival: Power’s Three Swallow Release
Power’s isn’t celebrated half as much as it should be. Its original roots in Dublin are reflected in this revival of the old-style single pot still whiskey. Complex flavours, spicy undertones and sherry flavours bring this old staple right up to date. Catch up with the future with one of Ireland’s oldest and remind yourself why Powers has never gone away. Always one of my favourites.
Price: €47.50 from obrienswine.ie
The story continues: Teeling Revival Vol II (Calvados finish)
If you’ve been following the Teeling story as it retakes Dublin, then the Revival II with its wonderful Calvados apple brandy finish is something really worth adding to your collection. This limited-edition 13-year-old single malt is matured in former casks for 12 years with its final year in a Calvados apple brandy cask. This Irish-French marriage is a fantastic union.
Price: €115 from celticwhiskeyshop.com
