The Whiskey Bulletin. Review of new West Cork 7-year Single Malt plus news from Powerscourt, Cork Whiskey Fest,Blackwater Distillery, Killowen

New Whiskey Review

Plus news from Powerscourt, Cork Whiskey Fest,Blackwater Distillery, Killowen

**************

West Cork 7 Year Single Malt 46% ABV

Chalk this down as another good one from the West Cork Distillery in Skibbereen.

This, one of the darker ones, has quite an inviting nose, subtle notes of almond and red berries. It boasts a marvellous palate, really easy to enjoy, packed with agreeable fruit sensations (including citrus and almond), hints too of its years in sherry cask, smooth malt and just a little, if lively, spice. And there’s no let-up, nor let down either, in the long and pleasant finish. An immediate thumbs up for this smooth fruity whiskey from the west which was finished in bourbon casks.

Expect to pay around €60.00 

This is the first aged Pot Still from Ireland's largest independent distillery! West Cork Distillers was formed in 2003 by childhood friends, John O’Connell (left), Ger McCarthy and Denis McCarthy at a time when it made very little economic sense to do so. "The early years were far from glamorous, operating in a room at the back of Denis’s house in Union Hall with two small stills we bought from a schnapps producer in Switzerland. In 2014 we moved to a new distillery in Skibbereen

We currently operate out of a 12.5 acre site on Marsh Road.... With distributors across the globe, our award winning West Cork Irish Whiskey is now sold in almost 70 countries. Case sales have risen considerably every year for the past six years and our staff has grown to over 80 people, with the majority based locally in West Cork.

We want to make Irish whiskey accessible. We will continue to expand our operation but maintain our Irish ownership and stay true to our West Cork heritage. The opening of the new distillery makes us the largest, wholly Irish owned distillery in the country. Meanwhile, more jobs, new products and additional warehouses are being added to meet rising demand."

**************

press releases

And they have other tempting options also.

More info here

**************

press release

Cork Whiskey Fest

BLACKWATER DISTILLERY MASTERCLASS

WHEN: SATURDAY MARCH 25, 2023 @12:00PM WHERE:CORK CITY'S VICTORIAN QUARTER More details here ************** press release Killowen Distillery have nurtured many different expressions of poitín since their first days of distilling, unfortunately these beautiful products are too often in short supply. Thankfully Killowen have now created a core product in larger 70cl bottles, most fitting of the current poitín revival.   ‘Pangur – The White Cat’ is fun, dynamic, colourful and versatile with flavours spanning from sophisticated whiskey aromas to beautiful mescal notes, this poitín is a fitting response to Ireland’s unique, culinary beverage. As whiskey’s mummy, this is a beverage category we should all be very proud of. Pangur draws its inspiration from the fun ancient poem ‘Pangur Ban’ written by a man from here, on a remote German island in the 9th Century about his relationship with his little furry friend - we will let you guys enjoy the fun history search.   Pangur is a 50/50 combination of two spirits, one from either side of Carlingford Lough, the combination offers both potstill spice and notes of mescal creating a beautiful spirit perfectly suited for finishing in some well sourced oak in Killowen Distillery.   The three Pangurs we have include:  Bourbon wood rested offers notes of citrus fruit, and similar to mescal a hint of smoke and light earthiness Stout wood rested offers some of the above but this time with chocolate, creamy and a silky texture PX wood rested dried fruit notes of fig and raisin layered on top of the afore mentioned citrus Just to note: current legislation forbids the mention of the words ‘cask’ or ‘ageing’ in marketing material for our native spirit poitín, something we hope will change in the future. Pangur is currently being released into the wild this week onwards, just ask any quality local off licenses North or South to get a bottle in stock, it will also be available from our online partners. RRP: €48.95 & £39.95 **************