‘The Renaissance of Irish Apple Brandy – A landmark Event Heralds a New Era in Irish Craft Spirits’

‘The Renaissance of Irish Apple Brandy – A landmark Event Heralds a New Era in Irish Craft Spirits’

A new chapter in Ireland’s rich drinks heritage was officially opened in Dublin last week at

The Renaissance of Irish Apple Brandy, a landmark event celebrating the birth of a new

drinks category: Irish Apple Brandy.

Proud Irish Apple Brandy Producers - The Apple Farm, Tipperary; Boann Distillery, Co.

Meath; Longueville House Distillery, Co. Cork; Orr Irish Apple Brandy, Co. Cork; and

Tipperary Boutique Distillery, Tipperary together hosted the first official launch of Irish Apple

Brandy and united in their mission to elevate Irish-grown apples into world-class apple

brandy expressions.

Distinguished members of the Irish food, drink and hospitality sector were treated to a

guided sampling of the four producers’ brandies under the expert guidance of renowned Irish

Food and Drinks Journalist and Founder of the Irish Food Writing Awards Suzanne Campbell

who mc’d the event.

Attendees were treated to a personal account of the origins and distillation process by the

Producers behind each Apple Brandy beginning with Cornelius Traas of the Apple Farm and

Jennifer Nickerson for their collaboration on ‘The 80’ Irish Apple Brandy, which recently won

the Silver Medal at the prestigious Berlin International Spirits Competition 2025.

This was followed by William O’Callaghan from Longueville House who spoke about the

legacy of Longueville House Irish Apple Brandy, which is made entirely on their own estate

from their own cider with their apples grown in their orchard in the Blackwater Valley Co.

Cork.

Quite a line-up!

Peter Cooney from Boann Distillery was up next with an exclusive sampling of Boann’s new

make Irish apple brandy spirit and a further tasting of their established 1848 Apple Brandy

which combines the best of France’s Calvados with Boann’s own triple-distilled Irish apple

brandy.

The event was rounded off with an introduction to the newly released Orr Irish Apple Brandy

by Diarmuid Madden. Orr Irish Apple Brandy is the most recent innovation from the team

behind the highly acclaimed and multi award winning Cork based Stonewell Cider and

Nohoval Apple Wines.

The event finished with a lively Q&A session where the valuable contribution of Irish Apple

Growers was highlighted by all Producers as an important and critical aspect of the Irish

drinks industry at a time when sustainability and traceability is key. This historic gathering

marked a pivotal moment for Irish Spirits – a renaissance not only in name, but in the

dedication to innovation and authenticity that defines Irish Apple Brandy.

www.orrbrandy.ie

www.boanndistillery.com

www.tipperarydistillery.ie

www.theapplefarm.com 

Steak, Stonewell and Swiss Roll. Highlights of a group lunch in Thompsons

Steak, Stonewell and Swiss Roll. 

Highlights of a group lunch in Thompsons

Is your name on that T-bone?

Seven of us met for a lovely lunch at Thompsons in MacCurtain Street last week. The former bakery is one of the leading lights on the revived street and its surroundings, collectively now known as the Victorian Quarter.

My meal can be easily described with these three words: Steak, Stonewell, Swiss Roll. Of course, there was much more on the menu.

The Himalayan salt dry-aged steaks are a feature here, and you pass a couple of ageing cabinets as you enter the large restaurant. Indeed, some were listed on the specials (for sharing), including the T-Bone, "the Rolls Royce of cuts," cooked on the bone. With prices at €110 for 800g and €130 for the 1kg size, our occasion didn’t quite demand spending that much!

Nonetheless, four of the seven opted for steak in various forms, two for Picanha (the Brazilian cut from the top of the rump and surrounded by a thick layer of fat giving tons of flavour) and one for the Flat Iron (cut from the chuck, nicely marbled with lots of beefy flavour, tender and juicy with minimal fat), The fourth steak was McCarthy's sirloin served with dressed leaves, caramelised onions and chimichurri on sourdough plus fries. All the steaks, supplied by Kanturk’s Jack McCarthy, came in for compliments, especially from an English visitor who was astounded by the flavour.

It wasn't just steak, though. Two picked the Ballycotton Fish and Chips (beer-battered Haddock with fries, minted pea purée, caramelised lemon, and tartar), which also went down very well. The Chicken Ciabatta (miso-glazed chicken from their famous Josper oven, roasted pepper aioli, crunchy lettuce, and tomato confit on ciabatta) also impressed. All sandwiches are served with fries, and  Alternative Bread Co. products are used.

There's a full bar here, so there are plenty of drinks, though sadly, the Cotton Ball beers are no longer available. Quite a selection was ordered, but I stuck with the non-alcoholic Stonewell Cider. This is a very impressive drink, perhaps the best of its class. Highbank's Drivers Cider is also excellent but you seldom see it on sale in the Cork area.

The large restaurant is based in a former bakery. 

A tempting Brownie.

Thompson's Swiss Roll was the most famous cake produced at the eponymous bakery back in its heyday—they had installed a multi-purpose sponge plant to cater to the demand. Of course, the roll heads the dessert menu, and, being of a certain age, most of us opted for the Raspberry Jam & Cream rolled in a classic Victoria sponge base served with fresh berries, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate crumb. 

The Swiss Roll, called Jelly Roll in the USA, didn't necessarily start in Switzerland, though the origin is almost certainly there or in neighbouring countries such as Austria. Anyhow, for us, it was what BBC's Good Food calls "the ultimate nostalgic treat". Yum!

At the entrance to an adjacent building, you'll see a couple of photos from the heyday of the Thompsons bakery showing the workers in action. Apparently, they used to produce up to a mile of it every day! Assuming that an individual roll measures 12 inches, I reckon that was the equivalent of over 5,000 rolls per day, 30,000 over a six-day week! Cork certainly had a sweet tooth! Still has, going by our happy punters at Thompsons!

Just one corner of this very large restaurant.

Stonewell Sting. Drink of the Week. Maybe drink of the summer!

Stonewell Sting. Maybe the drink of the summer!

Stonewell Sting Limited Edition Craft Cider, 5.50% ABV, Ballymaloe Food Festival

One of the most refreshing drinks of the summer.

I'm pretty sure I was the first person, aside from the Stonewall crew, to taste this exquisite cider, now our taste of the week. I got that first "sting" at their stall in the Ballymaloe Food Festival earlier this month.

Colour is pale gold, with a few

Non-Alcoholic Cider Gems By Highbank and Stonewell

Non-Alcoholic Cider Gems 

By Highbank and Stonewell 

Two of the best non-alcoholic drinks, across cider, wine and beer, that you are likely to come across. 

Highbank Organic Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Drivers Cider, 0% ABV, 330 ml bottle, Ballymaloe Food Festival

Made with Organic Cider apples from the Highbank Farm in

Cork's Stonewell win International Flavoured Cider Trophy, awarded "an esteemed accolade" at yesterday's Worldwide Brewers and Cidermakers Industry ‘Oscars’

 Worldwide Brewers and Cidermakers Taste Success at Industry ‘Oscars’

Cork's Stonewell win International Flavoured Cider Trophy and awarded "an esteemed accolade"  

Stonewell's Daniel Emerson raising his trophy! Pic by Simon Dewhurst

Of the 13 trophies awarded, six went to Europe, four awarded to Asia, two to North America, and one Australia

For the first time in the Awards’ 138-year history, two brewers were crowned trophy winners in The Smallpack Ale competition

 

Winners from across the globe have received

Big congrats to Stonewell Ciders who have been awarded two Golds and a Silver at Cidermaking Industry ‘Oscars'

 Stonewell Cider Gains Global Recognition 

at Cidermaking Industry ‘Oscars’

Big congrats to all at Stonewell Ciders who have been awarded two Golds and a Silver in the Cider with Other Fruits & Flowers, the Open Class and the Modern Cider categories respectively at the International Brewing & Cider Awards 2024, specifically Rós (Rhubarb & Apple Cider), Tawny 10 and Stonewell Cider Medium Dry.

Following three days of deliberation from an international panel of 38 judges from around the world, 115 medals were awarded to beers and ciders including winners from Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and the UK.  

For the first time in its 138-year history, Manchester hosted the brewing industry ‘Oscars’ which date back to 1886 and have a rich history championing the world’s best brewers and cider-makers.

The International Brewing & Cider Awards relocated to Depot Mayfield in Manchester this year and – in another first – was accompanied by a public festival. The two-day International Brewing & Cider Festival will provide a rare opportunity for the public to sample the range of beers and ciders entered into the competition, including the award-winners. 

Stonewell's Daniel Emerson tasting.

The judging for The International Brewing & Cider Awards took place over three days between 19th – 21st March and provided an unparalleled opportunity for brewers and cidermakers to have their products evaluated by internationally acclaimed, commercially practising international brewers and cidermakers, led by Chair of Beer Judging, Rob McCaig and Chair of Cider Judging, Gabe Cook. 

Ruth Evans MBE, Director of the International Brewing & Cider Awards, said: “It’s been an honour to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary beers and ciders across the world at our new home here in Manchester.

“We support the brewing and cidermaking industry on a not-for-profit basis, and the Awards has a long and rich history championing the best beers and ciders going into the market. 

“This week, we’ve had some of the best brewers and cidermakers in the world judge our prestigious competition and I’d like to personally thank all of them, as well as all the brewers and cidermakers who entered their products to make this year’s Awards one to remember. 

“We’re thrilled to be able to continue to provide a platform to reward the best beers and ciders with the recognition they so truly deserve. And for the first time ever expand to launch our Festival, providing the public a chance to sample these award-winning drinks from the most extensive collection of international beers and cider in Europe.”

Rob McCaig, Chair of Beer Judging, said: “We’ve had such an outstanding lineup of judges from all corners of the world, and they’ve all done a remarkable job tasting and evaluating some of the finest beers from around the globe. 

“This year proved to be one of the toughest yet to determine which of the beers were deserving of a medal. We had an exceptional amount of great quality beers enter this year, making the job of our judging panel extremely difficult. It’s a shame we couldn’t award more medals, as there were so many beers that were deserving of the accolade – some of which narrowly missed out. 

“We saw a significant increase in entries in the Non & Low Alcohol category, which reflects the growing demand in the industry, and also saw an influx of international brewers enter the Smallpack Ale category, which is very promising. Historically, this category has often been dominated by the UK, but this year saw the inclusion of breweries from Japan, North America and South America.”   

Gabe Cook, Chair of Cider Judging, said: “It has been a great pleasure once again to chair the world’s premier cider competition. This year has been the best calibre of judges we’ve ever had, coming from all over the world including Japan, Latvia, Norway, USA, Spain and the UK. 

A winner!

“The incredible global range has also been reflected in the cider entries, with entries arriving from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America. 

“This has undoubtedly been the most difficult competition to judge – the quality of ciders has been truly, so high. It’s great to see that cidermakers have been upping their game on the quality, and those that were awarded a medal in their category is a recognition truly deserved. 

“We have seen a lot of fun and playful ciders being entered into the Open Class, which provides cidermakers with a bit of freedom to do something a little different, which is always nice to see.” 

The competition’s unique approach to the judging process sets it apart from other awards, which ensures each beer and cider is judged fairly and rigorously on its quality and commercial value. The 38-strong judging panel was chosen to reflect the current expertise in the tasting and commercial evaluation of beers and ciders going into the market and blind tasted hundreds of beers and ciders submitted by brewers and cidermakers from around the world. It is these values that has earnt it the reputation as the ‘Oscars of the brewing and cider world’.  

All the gold, silver and bronze medal winners announced at Depot Mayfield, Manchester will collect their medals at an official Awards Ceremony on 1st May 2024 at The Guildhall in London, when 12 trophy winners will also be announced.

A full list of all 2024 medal winners can be found on The International Brewing & Cider Awards’ website: www.brewingawards.org 

The International Brewing & Cider Awards 2024 are supported by headline sponsors; Barth-Haas Group, Krones and Fermentis. Trophy sponsors include; drinktech + Marketing, The Morning Advertiser, Brauwelt, BFBI, All Party Parliamentary Beer Group, British Guild of Beer Writers, and Institute of Brewing & Distilling. 

 

Electric's "Cork on a Fork Fest Menu" Highlights Local Producers

 Electric's "Cork on a Fork Fest Menu" Highlights Local Producers

Got ourselves an upstairs window table overlooking the river as we enjoyed the special Cork on a Fork Festival Menu at South Mall's Electric yesterday evening. We had a great view of the sunny scene and the outdoor tables by the boardwalk were packed. 

Local producers are highlighted on the menu including Ardsallagh Goats, Twomey's Butchers, Toons Bridge Dairy, Stonewell, Kinnegar, 9 White Deer, Franciscan Well and Beamish! The menu consists of three courses, costs €35.00 per person and runs until Saturday the 19th of August. There are choices under each course heading and some delicious surprises along the way, including that Beamish dessert! Check it all out here at Cork on a Fork or book direct at Electric.

Both of our starters were top drawer.
The Carpaccio of Twomey's Beef Fillet (above) came with wild mushrooms and shallot rings and was packed with flavour and also much more tender than most of the type, much closer to melt in the mouth, a million miles away from those tough and stringy examples you sometimes come across.
Our other starter (below) was Ballycotton Scallops with Twomey's Black Pudding and shallot. This is a tried and tested combination enhanced here by quality ingredients.
The third starter on the menu was Ardsallagh Goats Cheese parcel with Blackberry & Apple Compote. Sounds good too! 

Must say I was very happy indeed with my juicy cheesy mains, the Toons Bridge Mozzarella Moussaka with Grilled Aubergine, Courgette & Crushed Tomatoes (above). The vegetables, especially the tomatoes, were just superb.

Above, we have your classic fish and chips, another superb dish from the Electric kitchen described as Ballycotton Beer Battered Hake and Chips with minted pea purée, tempura. You had no bother finding the generous fish here as the batter was less than wafer thin.

The third mains available was Twomey's 6-oz sirloin steak with Mushrooms, Onion Rings, Goose Fat Chips and North Cork Garlic Butter

We enjoyed both desserts but the Beamish and Date Pudding with Beamish Caramel and Vanilla Ice Cream (below) got the nod as being the favourite on the night! Dangerously delicious! Not that there was anything amiss with the West Cork Strawberry Mille Feuille with the Strawberry and Prosecco Coulis. 

One for the road? This Stonewell is the one!

Glass Curtain reveals its Cork on a Fork Fest Menu. Tried and tested last evening.

 Glass Curtain Reveals Its Cork on a Fork Fest Menu

The Glass Curtain was packed last evening as the popular Cork restaurant revealed its menu for the Cork on a Fork Fest that continues from today until Sunday with over 100 events scheduled. The good news is for the lucky punters who have booked as they will sample the Glass Curtain menu every evening with a booking between 5.00 and 6.00pm while the bad news for others is that the event has been booked out for every day.

The menu costs €38.00 for three courses (starter, main and dessert) but you can also treat yourself to a snack and also a special cocktail (both extra). And of course they have quite a wine list here also and I noted the Cotton Ball beers were going down well last evening. The restaurant supports local and that can also be seen in the menus.

Our starters last night were Skeaghanore duck terrine, house pickles, rhubarb relish (top) and Sticky beets, pistachio cream, Sobhriste cheese. The beets and cheese were probably my dish of the night. The cheese is a crumbly, younger, milled-curd style, like a Caerphilly/Lancashire. Sobhriste, meaning fragile or delicate, is aged for roughly 6 weeks. It has a subtle, slightly lactic flavour, with a crumbly texture and biscuity rind. Delicious. And the terrine was excellent also!

 

The Grilled mackerel, spicy padron broth, nasturtium was the third starter choice.

I was on a dry night, but that was no bother as I was able
 to enjoy a couple of bottles of Stonewell Non-Alcoholic
Cider. I reckon this is one of the best non-alcoholic drinks,
if not the best, in Ireland.

On to the mains now and CL was impressed with the BBQ cod, San Marzano tomato, courgette, and bouillabaisse sauce while I enjoyed my Lost Valley Dairy rare breed pork, grilled beans, rowan berry jus, cauliflower (especially the pork belly). Sides (optional) included Potato Terrine (pictured with pork), Summer Salad, and Greens.

The third choice in this section was the Grilled Peri Peri courgette, tempura courgette flower, pumpkin seeds, courgette.

Delighted to see the fabulous fruit of West Cork Bushbys featuring not once but twice in the desserts and that made the choosing easy. CL picked the Bushby's strawberry, ricotta ice cream, oat biscuit while my choice was the Milk chocolate crémeux, chocolate sablé, Bushby's raspberries, and yoghurt sorbet. No regrets there! Though I'm sure the Carraignamuc farmhouse cheese, honeycomb, and cheese biscuits would have been delicious as well.

A sweet end to a lovely buzzy evening of terrific food and service. 

  

Drinking Beer While Dining Out. Elbow Lane and Radisson Hotel. CorkBillyBeers #18: Craft Beer with Food!

CorkBillyBeers #18

Craft Beer with Food!

Drinking Beer While Dining Out

Elbow Lane and Radisson Hotel

Steak in the lane

If you like a beer when dining out, then it's hard to beat Cork’s Elbow Lane as it is both a smokehouse and a brewhouse.

Black Lager

And, unlike some brewhouses, Elbow Lane are always welcoming to new brews. Such was the case the other night. They even dropped their own fantastic stout in favour of the Ukrainian equivalent called Resist* on draught . 

And they also have the terrific Kolsch from 9 White Deer in bottle. We like our Kolsch around here and this one got an unsolicited ringing endorsement from a friend of ours who enjoyed it recently at a concert in the White Horse and said they thought they were back home in Germany.

Two of our party went for the host's Wisdom Ale, another for the Stonewell Cider. But the one I couldn’t resist was another guest in draught: the Schwarzbier  by the Dublin Brewery Hopburgh (a project of JW Sweetman’s).  A few Irish brewers, including Kinnegar, Whitefield, Whiplash and Lineman, have relatively recently brewed in this German style, essentially a black lager. 

The later history of this style goes back to the toppling of the Berlin Wall (according to World Atlas of Beer) and the re-unification of Germany. “What the five East German states brought back to the nation was Schwarzbier.” It had more or less died out in the west of the country. Those states also brought Angela Merkel of course!

Elbow Lane (pic by JR, one of our group).
Looks like the chef in action 
through right hand panel of door

The cool fermentation method used places these beers in the lager style and, as it is made from roasted malt, it has a dark colour and so some of flavours of stout. Quite a happy hybrid as far as I’m concerned.

The brewers say that long cold conditioning means the beer is crisp and clean but the use of toasted malts adds texture and a subtle richer flavour.

I can endorse that, a very enjoyable pint indeed, easy drinking - don’t be put off by the black colour. The ABV by the way is 5.2%. And I enjoyed the company so I wasn’t really taking notes. 

Also I enjoyed my terrific Wood-grilled Rib-eye with toasted Cascade butter, with a side salad and fries. Before that, the Smoked lamb sausage, grilled plum mustard, and brussel kraut, was easily dispatched. I think CL has become addicted to their Slow smoked baby back ribs, with that amazing house sauce.

Radisson Venison Hot Pot

A few days earlier, the four of us had been part of a larger group at a “reunion” dinner in the Radisson in Little Island. Lot of changes down there since I was a kid chasing rabbits around a very rural island indeed, the reward then a glass of lemonade at the Dew Drop Inn (now the Island Gate).

What I did notice in the hotel was that they had two taps, one selling Pale Ale and one Lager, and both badged as Hungry Hills. They say they are their own beers and as far as I know they are brewed locally - must check that out! In any case, I can recommended the Pale Ale.

And the food menu is pretty good here too. Watch out for dishes using Andarl Farm produce. This time though, I said I’d go for the seasonal Venison Hot Pot (Braised venison with bitter chocolate and chili seared potatoes) and it was terrific. Those that choose the Fish and Chips were quite happy as were those that had Salmon and also those on the Chicken Burger. 

* 

Resist is loosely based on a recipe released by the Pravda brewery in Ukraine at the start of the conflict. They encouraged all brewers to produce it as a special as they were busy making Molotov cocktails, so our brewers  did. It is a full bodied stout with roasted malt and a kiss of beetroot and is, fittingly, courageously robust! Profits from it go to the International Red Cross.

** One other dining room I enjoy going into is the Mad Monk by Quinlans in Killarney. Here they have just two beers on draught, both from the local Killarney Brewery, the Golden Spear Blonde and, my favourite, the Casey Brothers Stout. Would love sometime to have a head to head between the Casey Brothers and the Angel Stout from Elbow Lane. No losers there, I'd say!

Smoked Lamb Sausage

Long May Dede Reign In Baltimore

 Long May Dede Reign In Baltimore

Ottoman Spiced Firik Risotto

When I was growing up (in the middle of the last century), I was aware of three grain crops: barley, oats and wheat. I knew them well, from the time they broke ground to the time they were threshed (the workers enjoyed a bottle or two of the black stuff!). 

Later on, much later on, I became aware of other grains (rye, spelt) and, last weekend in Baltimore, Dede introduced us to another one or at least to another variation: Firik, an ancient grain from his Turkey.

Aged Striploin (Wagyu Dexter cross)

And there was much more from Ahmet Dede’s native country including mulberries, his spice mix, Turkish cold pressed olive oil. Indeed, he has some 50 different spices, oils, molasses, nuts, grains and more from Turkey.

Sourdough and glimpses of Stonewell Cider.

The restaurant in the local Customs House elaborates:  “Our spiced based Turkish fusion cuisine is created by using raw and fresh ingredients from West Cork… An emphasis on beautiful local produce married with Chef Ahmet Dede’s Turkish heritage…”. 

Turkish Delight

And then, to the premium inputs from Turkey and Ireland,  he and his team add amazing technical skills, precision and attention to detail.

We start our culinary trek, no cutlery required for this first step, with a couple of amazing snacks. One is based on a biscuit made from mushrooms, a toothsome squeeze of mature Coolea, then a sliver of onion, all crowned with a spicy crisp. The other was the dolma,  a top to bottom segment of poached onion stuffed with rice, topped with smoked yogurt and caviar, and decorated with chive flowers. 

Red Mulberry Vacherin

What a beginning! And it just got better. As we made our delightful way through the many courses, we said “that was the best” and repeated the phrase again when the next one came along.

But this next one was truly amazing, an illustration that this Irish-Turkish fusion was giving us the most amazing food. It was the Spiced Lobster Bisque, Brown Crab Manti and Caviar. The fish of course came from the waters around the nearby islands and the cape.

Langoustine

Around this point, he introduced us to his beautiful sourdough bread along with the Turkish olive oil and the Irish butter from Gloun Dairy. 

Now time for another gem: Langoustine, radish, pea, smoked Crème Fraiche, and spiced consommé. And it just got better with the Cod, Chicken, Butter, Grapefruit, Lobster, and Fermented Chili Oil. The cod is not a rare fish on Irish menus but rarely do you get it so pristine and beautiful as this, singing on the plate. Of course it had a classy chorus to accompany it.

Rice pudding tartlet

Course six was soon in front of us, the only meat of the day, a Wagyu and Dexter cross Aged Striploin, Ottoman Spiced Firik, Mint, Carrot, Kumquat and Isot. The meat, from Macroom, was excellent and yet it was that Firik that stole my taste buds, quite an amazing “risotto” with the grain looking like pearl barley but so much more flavoursome. In fairness, the grain and the meat together were quite the main course.

It was to be cheese and sweet all the way after that and so we switched from Stonewell Cider to Killahora Ice Wine, just as the Red Mulberry Vacherin (a soft cow’s cheese), pomegranate, wood sorrel, young meadowsweet, arrived on the table. It looked beautiful but, we were “ordered” to smash it with the spoon. And, having taken the photo of course, we did the vandal bit and then tucked in and enjoyed every large and little fragment.

Hazelnut Bon Bon

Next a trio of small sweets were introduced: Hazelnut Bon Bon, Blood Orange & Cardamom along with the best Turkish Delight I’ve ever tasted.

And yet one more treat before we made a leisurely farewell. As with all the previous courses, our friendly and efficient servers (and there were quite a few) gave us the details and, on this occasion, the chef showed amazing precision as he made the most flawless quinnelles to top the Sütlaç ‘Rice Pudding’ Tartlet.  

Killahora Ice Wine. Delicious

And that topped our memorable 10 course lunch at the Michelin Star restaurant. Thanks to Dede and Maria and to their lovely staff. Long may they reign in Baltimore.

Baltimore Video (short)