Beer of the Year 2022. The September Long List

My Favourite Beers of the Year 2022

Best of September Long List

Helles/Pils/Lager:

Hope Limited Edition No. 27 Munich Helles;  Third Barrel Counter Culture Modern Style Pils; Wicklow Wolf Toto Sorachi Italian Pils.

 

IPA:

Hope Limited Edition No. 28 Double Rye; Rye River Miami J;  Rascals X Yeastie Boys Krush Groove; Bradleys with Dot Nice One; Blacks Mango & Mosaic.

Session: 

Third Barrel Day Drinking Part Deux Citra Strata; Larkin’s Tiny Sesh IPA 4.0%,  Stone Barrel Boom Session IPA 4.5% ABV; Post Card Ha’penny Bridge Pale Ale, 4.2 ABV.

Belgian Style Pale Ale: 

Wide Street Sound by Design 

Pale Ale:

Lough Gill Sligo Bay American; Hope American.

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Contenders to end of August

September?????

August:12 Acres Pale Ale

July: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Summer 2022 Foraged Elderflower Saison

June: Wicklow Wolf Mescan Wit or Without You Belgian Wit

May: Wicklow Wolf Locavore Spring 2022 Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale

April: Whiplash True Love Waits Dry Hopped Pils

March: Lineman Schadenfreude Schwarzbier

February: Wicklow Wolf  “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout.

January: Whiplash Dry the Rain Double Decoction Dunkel

December: Lough Gill Mac Nutty Macadamia Nut

BLACKS BREWERY & DISTILLERY TO MARK 10 YEAR MILESTONE WITH €8M EXPANSION

press release

BLACKS BREWERY & DISTILLERY TO MARK 10-YEAR MILESTONE WITH €8M EXPANSION

-Planning Permission Has Been Granted For New 20,000 sq. ft Brewery, Distillery & Visitor Experience–

It was cheers all around as Blacks Brewery & Distillery was granted planning permission for a new state-of-the-art €8m complex overlooking Kinsale Harbour. This major expansion will create 15 new jobs initially, with more to follow as the development matures.

Comprised of a brewery, distillery and visitor experience with bar, this new complex will be built on the brown field site which was previously home to an old t-shirt factory. Prior to t-shirts, TVRs (high-end sports cars) were built here and before that it was a boat yard. Blacks are excited to add to this rich history, as they open the doors of this new venture in 2023, which will mark their 10-year anniversary.

Blacks Brewery & Distillery are trailblazers of the drinks industry, continuing to bring exciting innovations and Irish firsts to the market. Founded in 2013 by dynamic husband and wife duo, Sam and Maudeline Black, they took their place in history as the first co-located brewery & distillery in Ireland. 

Founders Maudeline and Sam Black

With one simple mission, to escape the mundane of the mass market, Blacks produce craft beers with passion, personality and lots of hops, while also pushing the boundaries of flavour when crafting their range of award-winning spirits, including Ireland’s first-ever spiced rum. Last year they also released a world’s first for Irish Whiskey with an 18-Year-Old Single Malt with Irish Rum Cask Finish being added to their already impressive portfolio.

Speaking in relation to this planning approval, founder Sam Black commented, “I cannot begin to explain the joy which the entire team here at Blacks are feeling right now. This expansion has been in the works for a number of years, and to finally get the green light to start building our new and improved home is amazing. We have been living the dream since 2013, and are so excited to let others experience this passion. 

Visitors will get a front row pass to our production process, getting to enjoy the picturesque sights over the Bandon River, but also the even more impressive views through the windows of our copper stills at our liquid gold and malt mashing in the production hall of the Brewery & Distillery.

“Not only will this new facility allow us to bring a wider variety of beers and spirits to our loyal Blacks consumers, but this complex is also a fantastic boost for our local economy here in Kinsale, both in terms of employment, but also tourism which has taken a hit over the last two years as a result of Covid-19.”

As members of Bord Bia’s Origin Green, sustainability is a core value of Blacks. Over the last four years Blacks have exceeded their sustainability goals for waste reduction, recycling and for the lowering of their power consumption. In this new development the team are committed to continuing their investment and drive in energy efficient technologies. An oak tree planting programme is currently being set-up that will see new oak trees being planted for every case of whiskey sold.

For investors who have always been attracted to the drinks industry, this new development comes with some exciting EIIS investment opportunities. These packages are being managed by Westboro Capital, and interested parties can request information via the Blacks Brewery & Distillery website - www.blackswhiskey.com/invest

For more information on Blacks new complex, investment opportunities, or their award-winning spirits and craft beer offers and exclusives, visit www.blacksbrewery.com or follow Blacks online at Facebook/BlacksOfKinsale, Instagram/blacksbrewery and Twitter @BlacksBrewery

A Quart of Ale± #94. On the craft journey with Wicklow Wolf, Guinness, Whiplash, Blacks

A Quart of Ale± #94

On the craft journey with Wicklow Wolf, Guinness, Whiplash, Blacks

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Wicklow Wolf “Apex Cherry” Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout 5.5%, 440 ml can Bradleys 

Not too much on the label here but I read that the ingredients include oats and cherry. Oats are used to enhance a beer’s texture, creating a velvety, creamy quality that is seen at its best in both stouts and pale ales.

It pours the expected black with a soft tanned head that gives you a few minutes of its time. Aromas are at once fruity and chocolate. And the fruit, those cherries, lead on the smooth and silky palate and across the lips, with the chocolate appearing again in the swallow before the finish comes wrapped in a refreshing moderate tartness. Not sure how much cherries were added here but the Wicklow pack got the quantity spot-on. The balance is perfect.

Brewed with Black Cherries, “this deliciously decadent 5.5% oatmeal stout is packed with layers of flavour”. Released into the wild in the first week in February. It is available nationwide in all good independent off licences and at the Wicklow Wolf Taproom (would surely love to try it there!).

Based on their well-known Apex Oatmeal Stout, this is another in the Endangered Species series and is therefore rather rare. Get yours before it goes extinct!

They say: Sustainability is at the core of everything we do. It influences how we brew, package and advertise our beers. From growing our own hops to installing state of the art systems in the brewery, we are doing all we can do reduce our footprint on the land around us. It is not all talk. Read more here   

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout 7.5%, 330ml bottle O’Donovans

After a strong recommendation from Jeff Alworth in The Beer Bible (2021) I just had to try this Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (FES). Jeff says this is a “wonderfully rich and complex beer” but he doesn’t say, at least in the book, that he has a partnership with Guinness for his amazingly popular website Beervana.

Guinness say: We can trace the origins of Foreign Extra Stout back to 1801 and the original recipe of West Indies Porter. Originally brewed to withstand long journeys, the use of higher gravity and more hops resulted in a bold tasting beer with a complex flavour profile.

Colour is, of course, black with a tan head that sinks very slowly indeed. The aromas are quite intense with a definite fruity and roast character. A finger test into the tan foam produces much the same result and that is repeated when the first sip hits the palate. 

And sipping is the way to proceed with this 7.5% bittersweet gem. Take it easy, the better to enjoy your FES.

Partner though he is (and he does disclose it quite openly on his web site), Alworth has found Guinness “hugely secretive about the process”. But his conclusion on “this wonderfully rich and complex beer” is positive: “Whatever the process, the result is one of the most intense beers on the market: a muscular 7.5% stout of great density and layered complexity.” 

Must say, and no problem saying it, that I have been highly impressed by my bottle but there is now, in Ireland, as there mostly always was, quite a lot of competition when it comes to stout and porter. 

Alworth himself, in the book, mentions Porterhouse’s Plain Porter and O’Hara’s Leann Folláin as outstanding candidates but even in the space of a few recent days I have been very highly impressed by Wicklow Wolf’s Black Cherry Oatmeal Stout and by the collaboration between Bradley’s Off Licence and Dot Brewing called Shady Dealings. 

Long live choice. Long live the multitudinous possibilities of flavour which for so long were denied us.

Whiplash Dawn Chorus Helles 5.1%, 440 ml can Bradleys

This bright clear golden lager comes from the busy Whiplash Brewery in Dublin. It has fountains of bubbles rising as the white head falls, the bubbles last much longer. The aromas with grassy and floral notes, along with some spicy notes, are moderate enough and are more or less as expected from the two hops used, Magnum and Mittelfruh, both German.

On its classic malt base, it is soft and refreshing in the mouth with light fruit (lemon) flavours and a little sweetness and just a little bitterness. Still it finishes well and overall is very easy-drinking and a good companion of an evening.

Geek Bits

Malts: Pilsner Malt, Munich Malt

Yeast: WLP833

Hops: Magnum and Mittelfruh.

Lagers and all its variants were born and bred in quite a small area of Central Europe, from Bamberg in the west to Vienna in the east is about 500km and from Gera in the north to Munich in the south is shorter at less tan 400km with Pilsen in the middle (more or less). Here you’ll find Pilsner, Helles, Märzen, Vienna Lager, Bock, Dunkel lager, Schwarzbier, and Rauchgier. A small enough geographic area from which the beer which, in one form or another, accounts for 90% of all beers produced nowadays, came.

Pils or Pilsner is a pale lager first brewed in the 1840s in the Czech town of Plzeñ (Pilsner). Helles is associated with Germany, is close to Pilsner and it is known for its soft maltiness and that is where we came in with Whiplash. 

* If you want to read more on the lager family, then check out my review of The Beer Bible here.

Blacks The Session Pink Grapefruit IPA 3.4%, 440 can O’Donovans

Packed full of hoppy goodness, and at 3.5% abv, it’s the ideal beer for days when you’re in the mood to drink a few. That’s the intro from Blacks of Kinsale to their Session Ale with a shot of Pink Grapefruit (listed as an ingredient)

Colour of this IPA is a hazy lemon/orange with a white head that fades away without really taking time to say hello. But what the beer does is to say hello, as early as the positive aromas, via the grapefruit. And the grapefruit continues the conversation on the refreshing palate, a lively sparkling palate that takes you smiling to an excellent finish.

They say that this beer is light and crisp in character with a streamlined malt structure, and the addition of new world hops bring floral, grassy and orange zest aromas to life. A taste of summer that’s available all year round!  

Have to agree. While summer may be the optimum season, there’s no reason not to enjoy it even in midwinter, fire on of course, as I am. Just don’t tell the doc as my meds forbid grapefruit!

A Quart of Ale± #63 On the craft journey with a session of IPA and a Tom Crean traditional

 A Quart of Ale± #63

On the craft journey with a session of IPA and a Tom Crean traditional

Blacks St Tropez IPA Summer IPA 4.8%, 440 can

It’s summer and those brewery magicians at Blacks have bottled St Tropez for you in a gold colour and with a flirtatious white head that, like the summer, has no plans to hang around. Plenty of little bubbles in the cloud and, being Blacks, the personality is hops.

So okay, the party is not in the south of France. But a sunny garden on this island will do nicely. Bright citrus Cascade and resinous Simcoe hops have come to the party bringing grapefruit and mango both in the aroma (along with pine) and on the fresh palate and yes, that hop one two combination is quite a knockout. Fruit in the aromas and palate and no shortage of bitterness at the finalé.

They say: Maybe it’s the alcohol fumes, but crazy flavour fusions and quirky combos are constantly coming to us. We love nothing more than to experiment in the brewery to create craft beers with lots of personality and that pack a punch. Get them while they’re hop, our experimental brews aren’t around forever.

Hope Hop On Session IPA, 4.3%, 440 can Dunnes Stores

Attractive mid-gold colour on this one, lots of bubbles rising in a light haze. Hop-on is not the hoppiest beer you’ll taste but there’s enough bitterness there, with the mainly citrus fruit to balance the malty sweetness. It is indeed, as claimed, an easy drinking session IPA.

They say: Great with a cheeseboard or even a spice bag.

Geek Bits:

Malts: Vienna Malt, Oatflakes, Acidulated
Hops: Citra, El Dorado, Azacca
Yeast: American Ale

Tom Crean Kerry Surf & Turf Traditional Ale 4.2%, 440 can Brewery Sales

Came across this for the first time during a tour of the brewery in Kenmare on July 2nd (2021). Brewer Bill Sheppard: “… another new beer...A traditional ale with a real taste of Kerry, fusing the majestic mountain landscape and the crashing Atlantic surf, we infuse a combination of seaweed and peaty turf flavour to give a taste of ancient Kerry.” 

The smoker yields the peaty flavour while the seaweed is foraged kelp. There’s a natural nuttiness and sweetness here as the brewer attempts “to transition people to go to the second bottle". Ingredients are: barley malt, wheat, hops and yeast.

Colour is a dark amber, close to red, cloudy to be sure, and then there’s those peaty aromas. And on the palate, there’s no great evidence of the hops but there’s a tangy streak, perhaps from the kelp. Quite close to a red ale, methinks, and not a bad one at all. Looked like they drank well in ancient Kerry!

They say: The first commercially brewed beer in Kenmare for nearly 200 years and the first purpose built brewery in Kerry for probably the same length of time. All our craft beers are natural products, free from preservatives, additives and colouring.

Third Barrel Mr Blue Sky IPA, 7.0%, 440 can Bradleys

Hopped with 20g/l, this IPA is a hop monster. Hopped first with Citra and Simcoe to give a HUGE base of Grapefruit and Pineapple then hit again with a hefty tropical dose of Nelson and Mosaic. Malted barley, wheat and oats are also in the mix.

This is how Third Barrel introduce their orange coloured (more or less) Mr Blue Sky. Fluffy head doesn’t hang about. Citrus in the aromas, herbal notes too. Pretty intense (pineapple, grapefruit) on the palate, quite a concentration of the hops, one to sip rather than slug.

Curious Society “Atlantic 353” West Coast IPA 5.5%, 440ml can Bradleys

A light amber with a soft white head is what you see in the glass when you pour the Curious Society IPA, first produced by Larkins in Wicklow last March. Atlantic 353 is the name, after an old radio station and, if you like the artwork, they invite you “to check out Marconi’s radio station in Clifden”.

Citrus and pine show in the aromas. The first sip reveals a clean and flavoursome beer with a super texture and, despite what you might anticipate given the line-up of classic West Coast hops Magnum (bittering), Chinook, Centennial and Amarillo, this is not at all overly bitter. Very quaffable indeed with a long aftertaste. Best served cold, they advise; still I wouldn’t leave it too long in the fridge, think you’ll get more of the flavour if it’s not stone cold. 

A Quart of Ale± #62. On the craft journey with a mixed session: IPA, Wheat Beer, Saison and Berliner Weisse

A Quart of Ale± #62

On the craft journey with a mixed session: IPA, Wheat Beer,  Saison and Berliner Weisse

Blacks Coast to a double

Blacks Wild Atlantic West Coast IPA 4.5%, 330 can

Colour is a pale orange, hazy of course, with a soft white head (dip a finger in and taste the citrus-y hops).  Aromas too proclaim the hops, a big hitting quarter of Citra, Cascade, Mosaic and El Dorado. And the hop muscle is again evident on the palate. But you’ll soon note the balance here between the various elements as we end up with a superb crisp beer, quite a thirst quencher as well.

Another little can with a big and pleasant bang from the crew at Blacks! And the beer title is also pretty much bang on the money. So there you are, both coasts covered by two small cans.

Blacks Ace of Haze DDH Cryo Hazy Session IPA 4.2%, 330 can

Hazy, of course, a foggy gold, soft white head. Citrusy in the aromas. And that citrus, along with the hops of course, shows up as well on the palate, lots of long lasting flavour, lots of good stuff in a little can.

Blacks always aim to produce “beers with passion, personality and lots of hops” and hit the bull’s eye here with this hazy juicy and sessional New England style, brewed with extensive whirlpool hops and double dry hopped with Idaho 7, Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic cryo hops. Food pairings suggested are: Eggs Benedict, Asparagus Risotto.

The Blacks are Sam and Maudeline.  Not too many guys get a home-brew starter kit as a Valentine's Day present. But that’s exactly what Clonakilty girl Maudeline presented to Sam some years back. And the Farm Lane brewery was founded in 2013. 

Not too sure Maudeline expected that Sam would soon start borrowing kit from the kitchen. The hair-drier has been used to heat surfaces so that labels can be applied  and a food mixer has also been pressed into brewery use. Blacks now have a distillery on the premises, turning out their own gin and Ireland’s first rum and have also laid down their whiskey. Watch this space - as always.

Rising Sons Mayhem Hoppy Wheat Beer 5.2%, 440 can Bradleys

A hazy pale gold is the colour of this Cork City beer, no shortage of carbonation, a soft white head. Bananas feature most in the aromas, clove not so much. The palate, where you get a mix of citrus and banana, is immediately refreshing.

The label describes it as a hoppy wheat beer and that seems accurate enough. The Facebook post, announcing the canning of Mayhem, differs a bit, calling it “our most requested seasonal” and “a hoppy saison”. In any event, it is a refreshing well-made beer. Enjoy. 

Geek Bits

Malts: Lager, Wheat, Munich.

Hops: El Dorado, Hallertau Blanc

By the way, all their beers (apart from Midaza ) are available to take away in 32oz cans - you heard right - nearly a litre of beer! And they fill the growlers directly from the bar so that you can enjoy it as fresh as can be.

Wide Street House Saison 5.5%, 440ml can Bradleys

A hazy light gold is the colour of this saison from Wide Street in County Meath. It had been “elected’ to their core range, the punters obviously liking the mild banana aromas and flavours, and a touch of peppery spice;  the bitterness factor is mid-range.

They say this is a  “classic representation of the Belgian Saison style” and is “Fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae var diastaticus saison strain”. The hop Saaz also plays a key role in all of this. The malt is Vienna which is well suited for relatively pale coloured beers. Typical application is to enhance the colour and aroma of light beers.

By now,  the soft white head has almost entirely disappeared and I’ve still to make up my mind. As a beer, it; it is not bad at all, quite interesting. Not your usual saison. Think I may have to do a direct head to head with a Dupont.

Info on the label: Unfiltered, unpasteurised and can conditioned, containing yeast sediment.

Brú Blurry Furry Berliner Weisse 3.8%, 440ml can Bradleys

Colour here is a close to orange, a slight haze and a light fluffy head that soon vanishes, bubbles galore though.

They say: A modern interpretation of the classic Berliner Weisse style, Blurry Furry is a tart wheat beer with an injection of sweet fruit flavour. Delightfully sour and intensely refreshing, it’s both fruity and tart, making it a perfect choice for the hot days. Showcasing a stunning and meaningful illustration of a sloth, we are inviting you to slow down and enjoy this easy-drinking beer.. 

Aromas show the sweet side but you meet the tart side with the very first sip. Not the tartest intro ever, mind you.  It is clean, crisp and refreshing and a decent drink these summer days

Healthy doses of Passion Fruit, Orange and Guava, listed in the ingredients, contribute to the sweet side of this Berliner Weisse and you get the mild spiciness from the weizen yeast. 

Blurry Furry is part of their Urban Jungle range that celebrates the brewery’s adventurous side. “Find your spirit animal with Urban Jungle.”

A Quart of Ale± #59. On the craft journey with a mixed session: Blacks, Boundary, Larkins, West Kerry.

A Quart of Ale± #59

On the craft journey with a mixed session: Blacks, Boundary, Larkins, West Kerry. 

Blacks Ace of Haze Battle of the Tropics DDH Hazy IPA 5.5%, 440 can Bradleys

Yellow-gold is the colour of this latest Ace of Haze from Blacks of Kinsale as they put Azzaca and Mosaic hops through their paces in the Battle of the Tropics. A soft fluffy head sits on top of the haze.

They say: Meet the newest member of the Ace of Haze family, fresh off the canning line. Azzaca and Mosaic do battle to bring you a double dry hopped (DDH) hazy IPA, bursting with mango, pineapple and floral citrus flavours and aromas.

Fruity and floral notes, pine too, in the aromas and that continues on the palate of an interesting mid-bodied and heftily-hopped IPA. It is instantly friendly in the mouth, full of flavour and refreshing, very easy to get along with and there’s quite a finalé as well. 

Quite a combination and one for the short list!

Boundary Very Serious Situation Pils 4.8%, 440 can Bradleys

Light gold is the colour here, slightly hazy with no shortage of rising bubbles. Aromas are mildly fruity (citrus perhaps). Fruity too on the palate, a touch of spice also, refreshing with a dry lip-smacking finish. Very Serious Situation is a pretty serious contender in this style!

I haven’t heard too much of Tettnang, yet this German hop has a long history and is used in the production of a huge variety of beers, including everything from German Pilsners to American Pale Ales.

Not too much info on the beer on their website other than to mention it’s a “crisp, refreshing Pils, generously hopped with Tettnang”. Credit for the can artwork goes to  John Robinson. Boundary is a cooperative brewery owned by its members.

They say: In December 2014, we offered our first members the chance to start a brewery that we could all be proud of! In eight days, we raised £100k and welcomed 447 members to our Cooperative.We got to work immediately. Loads of people missed out on our initial Community Share offer, but we had what we needed to get off to an amazing start.In January 2015, we took the keys to our brewery in Portview Trade Centre. In May, we brewed our first beers.They sold out immediately.

Since then, we've released four core beers, and a mildly ridiculous amount of specials. Reviews have been amazing. In fact, we’ve been voted the best beer and best Brewery in NI every year since we opened!! In December 2015, we opened membership again, and raised over £160,000 to help us scale. 

Read more here https://boundarybrewing.coop/pages/membership 

Curious Society Citra Pale Ale 4.5%, 440ml can Bradleys

Curious Society is the name of a series of better value beers from Larkins. They say: A classic pale using one of our house yeasts and one of the all-time best hop varieties Citra.

Yellow is the colour and the head is short-lived. Mango, guava, and lychee fruit is what you expect from the Citra hop and that exotic melange is more or less what you get here. No real bitterness about this well-made pale ale but it is a very pleasant drink and easily quaffable.

Enjoyed this one very much. I also have their Atlantic 353 West Coast IPA in the queue; looking forward to trying that quite soon!

West Kerry “Carraig Dubh” Porter 6.0%, 500ml bottle Bradleys

This hand-crafted traditional porter comes in a black robe with a creamy brown head. It is more or less chocolate and coffee all the way from here but there is an acidity also at play. 

They say: “Carraig Dubh is a rich luxurious porter brewed with bags of chocolate malt. This bold heavy porter is laden with coffee and chocolate Tones.” It is bottle conditioned and made from malted barley, hops, yeast and spring water “from our own spring”.

Traditional, yes. A bottle (or two) would go down well at the threshings I remember - but not too many threshings on farms anymore. 

Blacks Launch 18 Year Old Single Malt with Irish Rum Cask Finish

 press release

COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION WITH A WORLD’S FIRST FOR WHISKEY

-Blacks Launch 18 Year Old Single Malt with Irish Rum Cask Finish-

 

Just as 18 is a monumental age in a young person’s life, opening the doors to adulthood, it also holds a very special significance in the whiskey world, indicating a level of maturity and commitment to patience and craft.  For whiskey connoisseurs, in order to curate the perfect collection, they are constantly on the hunt for that special spirit which is rare and unique – a one of a kind.  The newest addition to the Blacks Brewery & Distillery portfolio, 18 Year Old Single Malt with Irish Rum Cask Finish, answers this brief.

Over the years Blacks have become accustomed to setting the industry trends and securing their place in history books with a number of firsts.  Located on the Wild Atlantic Way in Kinsale, Blacks are Ireland’s first co-located brewery & distillery. In 2018, husband and wife duo of Sam and Maudeline Black launched Ireland’s first-ever spiced rum, Blacks Spiced Rum, made entirely from start to finish in Ireland. Continuing to expand their offering Blacks Golden Rum hit the shelves and in 2020 took home the coveted gold award at the World Rum Awards.

Founders Maudeline and Sam Black

With one simple mission, to escape the mundane of the mass market by producing beers with passion, personality and lots of hops, while also pushing the boundaries of flavour when crafting their range of award-winning spirits, Blacks are once again bringing us a world’s first.

Securing a limited amount of aged Single Malt that would complement the characteristics of their rum casks, which previously held their award-winning liquid gold, Blacks began the process of maturing a single malt whiskey with a unique twist.  After continuous sampling and endless hours of profiling, in April 2021 this treasure had reached peak maturation.

It is a whiskey lover’s dream come true! A world’s first for Irish Whiskey – an Irish Rum Cask finish. There are only 563 bottles of this limited edition 18 Year Old Single Malt, each individually numbered. For many whiskey collectors their collection remains unopened for many years, and so with every purchase Blacks are providing these whiskey fanatics with a free 20ml spirit sample so that they can also sip and enjoy this new Irish spirit.

Speaking in relation to this exciting new launch, founder Sam Black commented, “The idea stemmed from our desire to push the boundaries for Irish spirits and continue to bring about new and innovative releases.  We are very familiar with this rum cask style here at Blacks, but it is something completely new to even the most renowned whiskey connoisseurs.”

Presented in a bespoke treasure chest style box, this cask strength beauty comes in at 56% ABV and will transport you to a world never explored before by a whiskey drinker.

Tasting Notes:

Aroma: Opens with confected aromas of vanilla maple syrup, sticky toffee pudding and candied fruit. Slight hints of coffee beans are set aside by the oak wood undertones before being reminded of banoffee pie and tropical desserts.

Palate: A velvet soft, toffee rich mouthfeel gives way to notes of caramel coated nuts and butter baked biscuits. Sweet malt and rum spices then demand your attention, as exotic fruit notes push to the forefront of your palate.

Finish: An amazingly complex finish with lingering nutmeg spices and dried sultanas fading out before being left with the oak wood undertones that characterised this whiskey for the first 18 years of its life.

Retailing at €500 per bottle, this matured one-of-a-kind whiskey is available exclusively through the Blacks online store, www. blacksbrewery.com/shop/

To find out more about Blacks award-winning spirits and craft beers, or for more brewery and distillery offers and exclusives follow Blacks online at Facebook/BlacksOfKinsale, Instagram/blacksbrewery and Twitter @BlacksBrewery