Blood and Passion by the Blackwater. Bittersweet Taste of Love in the Club

Blood and Passion by the Blackwater

Bittersweet Taste of Love in the Club

Blood and Passion were all the fashion in Ballyduff, the hottest spot north of Fungarvan. 

But fear not, on Valentine’s night, the Blackwater Distillery team were chatting, via Facebook, about nothing more "bloody" than the ingredients in their Tasters Club Valentine’s Day offerings: Blood Orange Gin and Love Potion No. 5.

When it comes to passionate speakers on drink, then you’d be hard pushed to beat Susan Boyle, the creator of the Love Potion. On hearing the invite from Blackwater’s Peter Mulryan, another passionate drinks enthusiast, there was no hesitation, no delay: “I’m on board!”

And soon her thoughts began to take shape, pomegranate prominent in the melange. “..the proliferation of the seeds..the association with fertility.. and it’s also in season. I like to think that maybe Adam and Eve were tempted by pomegranate rather than the apple.”

And so the new spirit (25% abv) was based on pomegranate and, as Susan “was looking for balance”, Cardamon and Orange also came into the equation. As a result, Peter pointed out that there is a slight sediment in the bottle and it will haze when chilled.

At the finish, you’ll note a “final bite of gentian”. “Love,” affirmed Peter, “is bittersweet!” The bite here is close to what you’d get from an Italian Amaro. Susan: “Bitterness is an acquired taste, eg dark chocolate, coffee, but a brilliant taste.” As usual, Blackwater had cocktails in mind but Susan says the spirit is terrific when topped with pink Champagne or crémant. “It ticks all the boxes,” she enthused. “A multi-layered drink, ..all enveloping… romantic..and red-coloured. I had so much fun coming up with this idea, I hope the love potion works its magic for everyone who tries it.”

John Coleman, the resident cocktail creator here, called this one The Look of Love. But why did he used condensed milk with the Love Potion? He had started with cream but found that it stifled the citrus while the milk allowed it through. Honey and chocolate at the finish added to the smoothness.

Blood in the Bronx was John’s riff on the classic Bronx cocktail and, according to Peter (right) and lots of Facebook watchers, “perfectly showcases our Blood Orange Gin”. Very refreshing and quickly put together with, like all Blackwater cocktails, no extra alcohol involved (the gin itself is 40%). There is sweetness from the maple syrup and that is countered by the lemon juice (if you want it sweeter, tone back the lemon).

The Blood Orange Gin itself, designed by Kieran Curtin, started with "a bit of drama" before he decided to pare the whole thing back, leaving “obscene quantities of blood orange..in the dry form.. take the spotlight. “A post distillation infusion of blood orange slices with elderflower gives a bare hint of colour and a vibrant fresh orange palate.”

Not enough orange for some. One Facebook follower: Really enjoyed the blood orange gin with fresh orange juice and a touch of lemon juice .. I froze ice cubes with slivers of oranges in it . So they froze and look beautiful !

Blackwater’s “official” perfect serve is: Plenty of ice, a crisp tonic water and a wedge of blood orange.

#BlackwaterTasters #drinkresponsibly

Cheers 212901 Beer, Wine, Spirits with Liberty Wines, Wicklow Wolf, Blackwater Distillery, Shelbourne Bar, O'Briens Wine

Cheers 212901

Beer, Wine, Spirits with Liberty Wines, Wicklow Wolf, Blackwater Distillery,

Shelbourne Bar, O'Briens Wine

Mark and Sarah Driver of Rathfinny Wines who have appointed Liberty Wines as their exclusive agent in Ireland and the UK

More below...

Wicklow Wolf Latest

Our latest Endangered Species release... No.15

Somewhere Far Away We have all been dreaming of somewhere far away over the past few months and our brewers are no different. The brain child of our brewer’s coming together (one of which is a Kiwi) to develop an exciting new release, Somewhere Far Away is an India Pale Lager that champions two super fresh New Zealand hops, Nelson Sauvin and Motueka. These two hops come from the north west of the South island of New Zealand famed for Marlborough Sauvi- gnon Blanc wine. Two bountiful dry hop additions allow these hops come to the forefront of the beer bringing a burst of soft fruits, grape, goose- berry and floral hints. At 6.0%, this DDH IPL was slowly conditioned with lager yeast, to give a clean, crisp and fruity finish, making it a very balanced and refreshing beer. No. 15 in our Endangered Species series, make sure to get it before it goes extinct.

February's Blackwater Tasters Box has been revealed 

We're very excited to show you all our first #BlackwaterTasters box of 2021 which contains two brand new, limited-edition spirits.

Our bold Blood Orange Gin with juicy blood oranges takes the lead vocals with bitter orange and sweet orange on the harmonies. A post distillation infusion of blood orange slices gives a bare hint of natural colour and a vibrant fresh orange palate. As February is the month of love, this box will also include a first of its kind, Love Potion No 5 Spirit Drink, a bitter-sweet liqueur containing pomegranate, finest grade saffron, five different sorts of peppercorns, pink roses, fresh citrus peel, cardamon - If you like new and exciting spirits, then you will love these!

Once again we only will have a limited number of boxes and we expect these boxes to go fast, so if you know anyone who might fancy signing up, please let them know.

Cork's Shelbourne Bar Have Your Valentine Bottled

Are you looking to treat your loved one this Valentines?

Or maybe even treat yourself?

The Shelbourne Bar have put together an Irish Whiskey and Chocolate pairing box for Valentine's Day.

Each box comes with

50ml of Dingle Single Malt

50ml Clonakilty Port Cask

6 Luxury Chocolates from The Chocolate Shop in the English Market

and a Shelbourne Bar Branded Glencairn Tasting Glass.

All for €55

You can shop now at our website

www.theshelbournecork.ie

Rathfinny joins Liberty Wines

 

Liberty Wines is pleased to be appointed as exclusive agent in Ireland and the UK for Rathfinny, the family-owned Sussex estate established in 2010 by Mark and Sarah Driver.
 
Rathfinny’s estate vineyard now extends to over 93 hectares in the South Downs, just three miles from the Channel. Lying on a gentle south-facing slope, the site is predominantly planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier and benefits from a semi-continental maritime climate and free-draining chalky soils, providing the ideal conditions to ripen grapes for sparkling wine. Rathfinny uses only estate-grown fruit for their four traditional-method Vintage Sussex sparkling wines: Classic Cuvée, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and Rosé. 
 
Sarah Driver emphasises the companies’ shared commitment to sustainability and social responsibility: “Rathfinny aims to be a sustainable wine producer, but also socially and environmentally responsible. It is great to be able to partner with an organisation like Liberty Wines. Like us, they hold employee wellbeing, the environment and sustainability at their core and are the first UK wine importer to be carbon neutral. We also take the stewardship of our land seriously."
 
Tom Platt, sales director of Liberty Wines, commented: “There is a natural fit between Liberty Wines and Rathfinny, as not only do we share a similar philosophy, but also they complement perfectly our existing English Sparkling portfolio. We would like to say thank you to Gonzalez Byass for the great work that they have done over the past three years, which we look forward to building upon.”
 
The 2017 vintage sparkling wines from Rathfinny will be released and available through Liberty Wines in April/May this year.

CIDER - NOT JUST FOR SUMMER

says Paul Barry | Assistant Buyer: Beer & Spirits at O'Briens Wine

Paul suggests Longueville House, Stonewell and McIvor in his blog...

Winter is certainly upon us; cold, wet and dreary, perfect cider weather you might say. Cider is often seen as a thirst quencher when served in a glass filled with ice on a sunny summer afternoon, but craft cider can be so much more. So, ditch the ice and just serve your cider chilled to fully enjoy the complex aromas and flavours on offer. If you do need some warming up on these cold winter nights, why not spice it up with some mulled cider? Add some all spice, a slice of orange studded with clove and gently warm for a luxurious winter warmer. Read more here.

Blackwater's Tasters Club Keeps On Giving

Blackwater's Tasters Club Keeps On Giving.

The Christmas Box from the Blackwater Distillery’s Tasters Club was launched, with not a little fanfare, at the Ballyduff distillery last Wednesday evening. Seasonal gins and unique spirits crafted exclusively for the members are delivered on  bimonthly basis and the latest offering consisted of a Christmas Pudding Gin and a Cranberry Vodka Liqueur. By the way, there a few boxes still available but you need to move quickly as the cut off for the Republic of Ireland is midnight on Sunday next the 29th! Details here. 

Following the musical intro by the resident distillery band, Peter Mulryan introduced the two new products. “That Christmas pudding gin, I’ve wanted to make that happen for a long time. I also enjoyed bringing the Cranberry Vodka to fruition. Now I enjoy it straight from the freezer which brings out the sour taste of the cranberry. We stop-sweetened it, not too sweet, still a slightly bitter bite. We made it from frozen berries macerated in vodka. It is not fully filtered so you see a little haze, all normal. And it is fab in cocktail.”

Cocktail ace John Coleman was again on hand to take us through his creation, the Festive Fizz (left). And he came up with a very impressive finish indeed. Prosecco or elderflower tonic or soda water are recommended as top-ups but John's favourite is Cava and then he demoed how to make an ice nest that sits on top, very cool.

Blackwater’s Caroline Senior then introduced is to local artist Valerie Lee who made the gift labels the came with the current box. Based in Lismore, she makes all kinds of cards, earrings, even figures out of clothes pegs. Find her on Insta at GalleryValerieLismore.

Now it was time for the pudding gin and a chat with its creator Kieran Curtin. That particular journey had its origins when Kieran steeped some damsons in poitin. It was “interesting, a snapps like spirit.” And he began thinking of a Christmas pudding gin. Quite a few more experiments advanced the project until they had it more or less where they wanted it. Still lacking something though, until he took up a suggestion to finish it in Cognac and Port casks. That did the trick. “I love it,’ said Kieran who sometimes enhances it with a little drop of brandy and he did mean little!

Now it was time for John Coleman to introduce the cocktail (above right) for this unusual gin, called Blas na Nollag. It took quite a bit of thought, he admitted. “I played around with a lot of ideas and settled on making a hot one. No shaker required here.” But you will need to add coffee to the mix and then finish it off with a layer of lightly whipped cream which John did to perfection! See John in action and much more from the December unveiling here.

So well done again to the Blackwater team and I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ll come up with for the Valentine’s Day box. In the meantime, if you want one of those few remaining Christmas boxes, remember the cut off point is midnight on Sunday.

Cheers #202711. Clonakilty Distillery, Barry Fitzwilliam- Graham Norton, Blacks Brewery, Blackwater Distillery, Bubble Brothers

GRAHAM NORTON’

Cheers #202711 

Clonakilty Distillery, Barry Fitzwilliam- Graham Norton, Blacks Brewery, Blackwater Distillery, Bubble Brothers

Revival “You Thirsty?” IPA cask finish now available 

Our newest release of our limited-edition, US Brewery collaborations, is now available to purchase from our distillery shop and online store.

 

 

United by a shared passion for innovation Clonakilty Distillery and Revival Brewing, Rhode Island, have come together to release a bespoke whiskey.

 

Revival's ''You Thirsty?'' beer is part of the new era of North Eastern IPA's. With three times the hops, the beer imparts this whiskey some floral notes with a slightly bitter citrus finish.

Just what you need for that unquenchable thirst!

 

About the Whiskey:

 

Price: €85.00

Limited Release: 1,600 bottles in total, only 144 bottles kept for Ireland.

Best Enjoyed: With a tall glass of IPA!

 

Graham Norton and Invivo are very excited to launch this Frizzante Rosé to add to Graham’s award-winning and expanding range of delicious still and sparkling wines, as well as GiN.
This new release is sustainably produced in Northern Italy by the same partners that make our white Graham Norton Prosecco and Frizzante. It is a blend of Glera and Pinot Noir and the winemakers are Graham Norton and Rob Cameron

Sweetly scented notes of tropical flowers and strawberry define the GN Sparkling Rose. Like its twin the white Prosecco, this blend is crisp yet delicately structured with a delicious strawberry drive through the perfectly balanced palate. Cin cin!

via Barry and Fitzwilliam

Blacks Announce Worlds End 2020

It's here at last Worlds end 2020 edition, and for the first time ever it's available in a 440ml can format! A rich, dark luxurious Imperial Stout brewed with Fairtrade cacao husks and Madagascan vanilla pods, it’s like an adventure for your taste buds. Waves of chocolate, lactose, caramel and dried fruit will assault your senses. Next up is a touch of smoke and liquorice blended with coconut and coffee. The mouthfeel is full and creamy, balanced fantastically with a berry like acidity that keeps this beer juicy and super drinkable.  Suitable for ageing but try to drink me before the end of the world!

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Gift Sets From Blackwater Distillery

Just one of the suggestions from Blackwater Distillery. More here

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BUBBLE BROTHERS BLACK FRIDAY 2020

We have three terrific wine deals for you this Black Friday weekend: one with three bottles, one with six, and a twelve-plus-one deluxe case at an amazing price.

Offers apply until midnight Monday 30th. Don't wait!

See the offers here

Apple and Blackcurrant in Blackwater’s Taster Club October Box.

 Apple and Blackcurrant in Blackwater’s October Box. Gin and Cassis.

The Blackwater Tasters Club Box for October 2020 contained the two drinks, as usual, plus a few other pertinent bits and pieces. The two new, exclusive to the club, drinks were a Blackwater Windfall Spiced Gin 40% and a Blackwater Waterford Cassis 25%.

Blackwater’s Peter Mulryan hosted a Facebook chat about the box last week and declared the Windfall Gin “a banger”, saying it was created by their gin expert Kieran Curtin who joined the talk from a deserted Maureen’s Bar in Cork.

Kieran admitted to being very happy with it. “It was an idea I had a long time back but I could never get the apples to come across. Then the idea came again for this box and, after a lot of experimenting, we had a breakthrough. Before we used to cut the 70/80% still spirit with water but now we decided to cut it with apple juice and we were on our way. Then, we added apple brandy from a cask in the distillery and that tied it all together!”

Kieran Curtin

Peter said it’s excellent, “great balance, well done Kieran”. Kieran confirmed they went for the usual apples spices, “clove, cinnamon, all spice” and both agreed this was not one to be scaled up. It is not filtered, just settled naturally. “If you see some haze, it's completely natural.” Blackwater’s mixologist John Coleman conjured up a Spiced Collins as the cocktail for this one: “Very easy, great before a meal”.

Next up was Des Jeffares as it is his Wexford blackcurrants that are used in the Waterford Cassis, “..very good blackcurrants” according to Peter. “How long have you been growing them?” he asked. Des explained that the business had been started by an uncle of his father. His father carried it on as did Des who, 6 or 7 years ago, decided to stop being just a supplier and go into juice side of it for himself.

John Wilcox

John Wilcox is the Head Distiller at Blackwater and he developed the new cassis. He rose to the challenge despite not knowing much at all about the fruit. “But I did have friend in Italy who had introduced me to currants via a book that he wrote. You could say this is an Italian, Irish, French hybrid!"

Des’s knowhow was crucial too. “You need to wait for fresh berries. When they are good and ripe, you get a more powerful colour and good sugar, as good as possible for you guys.”

Wilcox: “It is important to stay true to the fruit, I didn't realise currants could be so tart. I wanted to present a true cassis and in a style that people would be comfortable with. A lot of balancing went on but I think we did hit the perfect spot.”

John Coleman

And he may have had, judging by the reaction. Peter: “This is a limited edition for the club. But the way things are going, we might expand it. By the way, this is nice in a shot-glass straight from the freezer.” John Coleman’s cocktail here, Velvet Rain, looks very well indeed, very tempting and again “great after a meal”.

Thinking of going for the December box? You'll need to move quickly - details here

Home Testing

Blackwater Windfall Spiced Gin 40%

Tried this with Elderflower Tonic (Fever-tree) as indicated. Thought, with first sip, that there may just be too much of the orchard here but soon began to appreciate the balance that Kieran and company had worked hard to achieve. Worth persevering with, though you may never get this exact same blend again. Pretty experimental, pretty much a one-off, pretty damn good.

Blackwater Waterford Cassis 25%.

Took Peter’s tip here. Poured a shot straight from the freezer over ice. It is certainly flavoursome and refreshing and you get a sense of how it would be perfect in either a simple Kir or a Kir Royale.

Blackwater Jaffa Cake Gin 42%

This was one of the two in the August box but it’s only now that I had a chance to sample it.  Used a plain Schweppes tonic. No doubt there's a touch of the Jaffa cake here, in both aroma and flavour. Just not sure there’s enough distinctiveness to carry it beyond this first edition though.

Blackwater Boyle’s Gin 40%, Aldi exclusive

Small Batch Irish Botanical Gin. London Dry Gin style. Distilled and bottled by Blackwater, using local blackcurrants, elderflowers and apples. They combine these botanicals (and more besides) in pure Irish spirit, “then distil everything in our traditional copper pot still”. Having noted those “local” botanicals, I made a little “cocktail” here:

Boyle’s 50ml;

Waterford Cassis 10ml;

Elderflower tonic 150ml approx.

Very happy with the result - not too sure it deserves the cocktail title though. But the wee amount of cassis worked a treat, a terrific little sipper, a happy harmony reigned. 

By the way, Robert Boyle was an alchemist and one of the fathers of modern chemistry and lived in West Waterford.

Blackwater's October Taster Box. Little Rascals Session. Blacks Beer Winner. Hugh Johnson's Top 10. Wines Direct in Grenache Groove. Cheers #22

Blackwater's October Taster Box. Little Rascals Session. Blacks Beer Winner. Hugh Johnson's Top 10. Wines Direct in Grenache Groove. 

And more on wine, beer and spirits in Cheers #22

October's Blackwater Tasters Box revealed

Back in August we launched Ireland's first craft distillery subscription club and were overwhelmed by the response. Since then we’ve been busy in the orchards and fruit gardens of the south-east working on two new unique spirits for the October Blackwater Tasters Club box, and we can now reveal the contents: a Windfall Apple Spiced Gin and a luscious Wexford Blackcurrant Cassis.

Join the club here 

Happy Days With Little Rascals

Picked up a can of this session pale ale in the local Supervalu the other day. Very impressive - terrific balance. Well worth looking out for!

They say: "Happy days is our 4.1% session pale ale. A mouth watering hop combination of Vic Secret, Citra, Cascade, Mosaic and Hull Melon ensures this beer gets the VIP treatment. Expect fresh mango, passion fruit, orange, melon and much more. A delicate caramel malt backbone perfectly balances this juicy pale ale. It is the perfect session beer …HAPPY DAYS!"

Blacks Feature In World Beer Awards

"An amazing week for awards here at Blacks as we won the Worlds best Session IPA and Worlds best Speciality IPA for two of our newest beers, Ace of Haze IPA and 2020 Vision Triple IPA. An amazing achievement from all the team here, the Ace of Haze is going to make it into the core beer range and we have another batch in the fermenter which will be canned  very soon." Pot still whiskey production is also in full swing! We have got the brewhouse up to near full speed and managed to run 3 brews of pot still wash on Monday this is a major step in the right direction and a new weekly production record of 12 brews this week! which we should smash again next week! Check out all the news from the busy Kinsale producers on their new website here HUGH JOHNSON’s 10 WINES TO TRY IN 2021 Over 12 million copies of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Guide have been sold since its first publication 44 years ago. His seminal World Atlas of Wine is also on its 8th edition. Here ..he.. goes into some detail about which are the top 10 wines we should be trying in 2021. Click here. Wines Direct Loving Their Groovy Grenache This weekend Grenache Day was celebrated, so we decided to extend the festivities and create a case around our love for this unique varietal. Grenache is responsible for some of the most delicious and expensive wine in the world. This case is well thought out to showcase Grenache at its finest. You will go on a Grenache adventure from France to Spain and back again. You will enjoy customer favourites of noteworthy bottles and at a most incredible value. More details here.