Irish Whiskey, namely from the Walsh Whiskey Distillery was the subject of last Monday nights @TweetTastings hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire.
Walsh Whiskey was founded in 1999, initially to create a better Irish Coffee and eventually leading to re-creating a Whiskey recipe to celebrate the golden era of 19th. century distilling in Ireland. They rapidly became a leading player in the revival of Irish Whiskey.
Since then, Walsh Whiskey, have gone from strength to strength. They officially opened their €25 million distillery at Royal Oak, County Carlow, Ireland in June 2016.
The distillery produces all three styles of Irish whiskey; pot still, malt and grain from its two production lines using both pot stills and column stills. The Walsh Whiskey Distillery is one of the largest in Ireland, with the capacity to produce 8.2 million bottles of whiskey a year.
Walsh Whiskey’s The Irishman and Writers Tears brands are currently sold in over 45 countries. By 2019 this will have increased to over 100!
On the night the Whiskies sampled from the Walsh range were:-
- Writers Tears Copper Pot
- The Irishman Single Malt
- The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Caribbean Rum Finish
- Writers Tears Cask Strength
If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view the tweets by searching for the hash tag #WalshWhiskey on Twitter.
So, what did I think?
Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!
Tasting Notes – Walsh Whiskey Writers Tears Copper Pot (40%)
A blend of single malt and single pot still whiskeys; 60% malt & 40% pot still. Triple distilled, non-peated and matured in American oak bourbon casks.
A gold Medal winner at the International Spirits Challenge in London and one of the highest rated Irish Whiskeys in Jim Murray’s Iconic “Whiskey Bible”. “Altogether a very unusual Irish Whiskey , a throwback to the last century where spiced Pure Pot Still whiskey was married with Floral Single Malt” – Jim Murray. It has also been added to Ian Buxton’s publication “101 Whiskeys to try before you die”.
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Nose: Apples with some sugary vanilla. Quite floral with some oatiness thrown in. Very definite mintiness coming through with a little toffee and some spicy cinnamon. Palate: Smooth and light with apples and floral flavours. Creamy vanilla custard with a smidge of mint! Finish: Spice oils and oak balanced with fruity sweetness and a dry kick at the end. Overall: A great whiskey with plenty of nosing aromas and flavour. |
Tasting Notes – Walsh Whiskey The Irishman Single Malt (40%)
Matured in a combination of bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry butts. Triple distilled, it won Whiskey of the Year and Overall Spirit of the Year at the London Spirits Competition 2018.
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Nose: Crisp apples and malty oatcake biscuits – very nice! Sherry and a hint of those famous bananas the tweeters are talking about! After a while I’m getting a little tropical fruits with some fudge. Palate: Luscious sweet fruits with some chocolate plus hints of cereal and grapefruit. Finish: A fiery end with some tanin dryness and cereal – punchy, but in a good way! Overall: Spicy and sweet with impressive fruit aromas and flavours. |
Tasting Notes – Walsh Whiskey The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Caribbean Rum Finish (46%)
Produced using the original signature blend created by distillery founder Bernard Walsh, which is comprised of 70% Single Malt and 30% Single Pot Still. Finished for 6 months in The Chairman’s Reserve rum casks from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia.
Winner of Best Irish Single Cask of the Year at the Irish Whiskey Awards 2018.
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Nose: Rum soaked wood and plump raisins – lovely! Very fruity with apples and a tropical cocktail but this dram takes a while to develop … vanilla fudge comes through as a finale. Palate: Rich and sweet with LOADS of tropical fruits and apples. Only a hint of rum for me I’m afraid but it’s incredibly tasty all the same! Finish: Some peppery spice that duels with the fruity sweetness admirably. I also got a real burst of yummy dark chocolate right at the end! Overall: Not as rummy as I expected (and hoped for) but this is more than made up for in some great tropical fruits flavours and warming spice! As an experiment, my fellow tweeters and I paired this up with some dark chocolate – an experience I’d highly recommend – chocolate alcohol heaven! Are we allowed to have so much fun on a Monday night?! |
Tasting Notes – Walsh Whiskey Writers Tears Cask Strength (53%)
A rare vatting of aged Single Pot Still and Single Malt Whiskey’s. Triple distilled and matured in bourbon barrels and limited to just 5,175 bottles.
Cask Strength was a Gold Medal winner in “The Premium Irish Whiskey Category” at The Whiskey Masters.
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Nose: Fresh apples and waxy sweetness with some wood in there as well. There’s chocolate and tropical fruits but it seems reluctant to give up all it’s secrets straight away! The chocolate gets creamier as time passes … Palate: WoW! A chocolate and tropical fruit spicy hit! Creamy chocolate and tropical fruitiness. Finish: Adding H2O smooths things out a lot – there’s chocolate, apples and vanilla with a punchy spice that not even water can tame! Overall: Chocolate, tropical fruit and a spicy conclusion. What is there NOT to like? Very enjoyable indeed and if you add some water you can enjoy it all over again! |
My Favourite On The Night
Out of the 4, I think it’s got to be the Writers Tears Cask Strength followed closely by The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Caribbean Rum Finish. The Cask Strength has such lovely chocolate flavours and two individual palates when you dram it neat or with water – double your fun and gorgeous with it!
Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for a great sampling evening and the team at Walsh Whiskey (@WalshWhiskey) for sending the samples and without whom!
My fellow Tweeters were:-
@TomsWhisky @TheWhiskyphiles @Whiskylassie @ScottNelson @Whisky_And1 @NikkiHayes1969 @brawspirit @SpiritAndWood @FiShoop @WhiskyUnplugged @simonrees73 @iheartwhisky @Marc_Whiskey @thatsdramgood @whiskeytalk2U @daveoc1980 @LaCaveDeCobalt @Girl_Whisky @dram_gazette @MrSingleMalt @whiskydram_ @MaltMusings @wetwewhistle
Walsh Whiskey is available to buy from:-
And other great retailers!
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