Mitchell & Son In Cork Whiskey Fest "Spot"light. Fercullen Now In USA!

Mitchell & Son 

In Cork Whiskey Fest "Spot"light 

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Fercullen Now In USA!

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The famous Mitchell & Son bottles will be the subject of a masterclass during the Cork Whiskey Fest in March. Details below but first we sample the original Green Spot, the current fill in my Bradley's Hip Flask.

Mitchell & Son Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, 40% ABV

Widely available at c. €65.00

Fresh and gentle aromatics, apple and elderflower plus honey notes. Light fruit notes on the mellow palate, exotic such as mango and pineapple, more closer to home like apple, and honey too.  Mellow yes but quite full bodied with a light spicy and lingering finish from this gorgeous pale-gold coloured whiskey, the original Green Spot.

This is now produced in Midleton. That was not always the case: The Green Spot name originated from the Mitchell family’s practice (started around 1900) of marking casks of different ages with a daub of coloured paint. Originally there was a ‘Blue Spot’, ‘Red Spot’ and even a ‘Yellow Spot’, but Green Spot emerged as their most popular whiskey and is one of the few “whiskey bonder brands” to survive to modern day.

Single Pot Still whiskey is unique to Ireland in general and to the Midleton Distillery, Co. Cork, in particular, and is regarded as the quintessential style of Irish whiskey. Made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and then triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills, Pot Still whiskeys are characterised by full, complex flavours and a wonderful, creamy mouthfeel.

Cork Whiskey Fest. I've reserved my ticket for the Spot Masterclass, details.....

You can learn more, much more, about the Spots and whiskey in general at Cork Whiskey Fest 2023. 

On the Saturday (Mar 25th), Midleton legend Ger Garland and Brand Ambassador Matthew Smith guide you through a selection of Spot whiskey along with their finishing wines, for this stellar masterclass. Mitchell and Sons Wine & Spirits Merchants are the sole remaining licenced bonder with Irish Distillers. Their wine finished single pot still Irish whiskeys are a pillar in Irish Whiskey. 

The festival will take place from 24th – 26th March across Cork City’s historic Victorian Quarter. Centred on MacCurtain St, CWF 2023 will concentrate whiskey fans on 1 street, for 3 days for plenty of craic and fantastic whiskey experiences. You will be hosted by many Festival Friends, in the many bars and rooms of The VQ, that will make Cork the epicentre of Irish Whiskey for one weekend. Come join the many masterclasses and events that CWF 2023 has to offer, on the tickets page.

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Fercullen Now In USA!

 

 Powerscourt Distillery is delighted to announce that the US arm of Zamora Company will import, sell, and market Fercullen in the market, effective immediately.

“We at the Powerscourt Distillery have waited until the right time and crucially finding the right partner before we launched Fercullen Irish Whiskey into the US market and we are in a great position to appoint Zamora Company USA as our national importers,” Ryan Stapleton, Powerscourt Distillery's global head of sales.

Fercullen Falls, Fercullen Single Malt, 15 Year Old Fercullen Whiskey, and limited edition Fercullen 21 Year Old, will be available in the States.

“As we continue to grow our world-class spirits and wines in the US, Irish whiskey has long been at the top of our list of categories to strengthen our portfolio, and Fercullen from the Powerscourt Distillery has always been our top choice,” said Andrew Stewart, global brand manager at Zamora Company USA.

We look forward to bringing our core Fercullen and limited release Irish whiskeys to the US in 2023 and to working closely with the excellent team at Zamora Company USA in the years to come.

An engaging Tempranillo from Toro, "different from its peers". New Zealand Wine Week Returns Jan 30th.

An engaging Tempranillo from Toro, "different from its peers" 

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New Zealand Wine Week Returns Jan 30th. Details below.

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Liberalia “Dos” Toro (DO) 2021, 14% ABV, €15.40 Heart of Spain

Heart of Spain is an online and actual shop in Fota Retail Park in East Cork and specialises in wine (and charcuterie and cheese) from the heart of Spain, mostly from the areas known to wine drinkers as Toro and Rueda. 

This bottle of young red wine (known as joven, though you don’t normally see it on the label) is a blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha (20%, according to the producers’ own website).

Here, in the valley of the famous Duero river, over the last two decades or so, Toro has become famous for the quality of its Tempranillo based wines, the grape known locally as Tinto de Toro. Neighbouring Rueda of course is best known for its white wines made from Verdejo (and the shop have some of these on sale as well). 

It looks well and inviting in the glass with its cherry red colour and some violet hues. Aromas have black and red fruits coming through strongly in a wrap of vanilla (it has spent three months in barrel). And, in the mouth, it is loaded with fresh fruit flavours, some sweetness from the light tannins. The finish, with balsamic notes and a little influence from the oak, is lengthy. 

There is a certain Intensity and complexity to this but don’t let that put you off. This is a young juicy and easy-drinking wine, all on a typical Tempranillo base with a nicely judged oak contribution. Don’t think about it too much, just enjoy! Highly Recommended.

With its “large fruit load and pleasant mid palate” it is quite a wine for the price and the producers recommend pairing it with semi-cured cheese, cured cheese, blue cheese, goat cheese, pork, veal meat, chicken, turkey, game, lamb.

Liberalia is a family winery located in the area of the historic and prestigious Toro Denomination of Origin, province of Zamora (Spain). The vineyards are located where traditionally there has been vine cultivation.

When I first saw the English language list of varieties in the area, I also saw Bull’s Ink. It took a while before the penny dropped and I managed to translate that back to Tinta de Toro, which currently enjoys the seal certification as an autochthonous variety, with its own name, with well-defined agronomic and ampelographic characteristics. That means that the Tempranillo in Toro, while related to that in Rioja, is officially regarded here as indigenous.

“Its ampelographic characteristics are very similar to Tempranillo, but which, nestled in the area for several centuries, identifies it with its own name and personality, different from its peers.” .

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New Zealand Wine Week returns in 2023

 

After the success of New Zealand Wine Week events in 2021 and 2022, New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) will be kicking off the third New Zealand Wine Week on 30 January 2023.

 

Themed ‘Altogether Unique’, activities for the event are planned across the USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, and Sweden. New Zealand Wine Week will be a hybrid event this year with both physical and virtual sessions, with a wide-ranging programme spanning tastings, masterclasses and online discussions.

 

“Being able to run hybrid events, with a combination of virtual and physical in-market platforms, is an impactful way to share the New Zealand wine story in our key export markets, broaden our reach, and shine a light on our premium and diverse wines to our trade and media audiences,” says Charlotte Read, General Manager Marketing, New Zealand Winegrowers.

 

“The theme of the week, ‘Altogether Unique’, comes hot off the heels of the launch of New Zealand Winegrowers’ new global brand platform New Zealand Wine, Altogether Unique.  This is underpinned by a significant piece of work to define the essence of the New Zealand Wine brand and its three key pillars of purity, innovation, and care - things that make New Zealand wine, so unique and special.”

 

Throughout the week there will be bite-sized webinars covering research at the forefront of New Zealand wine and New Zealand’s commitment to climate change. In these sessions, local producers and international trade will have conversations about sustainability, site, and Sauvignon Blanc. A longer tasting webinar will see Stephen Wong MW present what puts the ‘new’ in New Zealand.

 

The New Zealand Wine Week 2023 programme will include:

Virtual Events

• ‘NEW New Zealand – Through the Lens of Smaller and Rarer Plantings’ – Stephen Wong MW will present what puts the ‘new’ in New Zealand.
• ‘Beyond Sustainable – Next Steps for a Carbon Neutral Environment’ – Michelle Bouffard of Tasting Climate Change and Belinda Jackson of Lawson's Dry Hills will discuss the strategies wine producers are putting in place to support and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
• ‘Terroir and technology – A Guarantee of Origin’ – Christina Pickard is joined in conversation by Alastair Maling MW from Oritain and Steve Smith MW of Pyramid Valley, to explore how technology can guarantee the origin of a wine down to vineyard parcels that may only be a hundred metres apart.
• ‘Expanding the Scope of Sauvignon Blanc Vine Diversity in New Zealand’ – Dr Jamie Goode, Dr Darrell Lizamore of New Zealand's Bragato Research Institute and Emma Marris of Marisco discuss New Zealand Winegrowers' research into how plants adapt to external stress to produce a collection of diverse Sauvignon Blanc vines.

 

Physical Events

• London Annual Trade Tasting – 50 exhibitors showing more than 200 New Zealand wines.
• Dublin Annual Trade Tasting – 20 exhibitors showing more than 90 New Zealand wines.
• Swedish Embassy New Zealand Wine Reception
• Independent Wine Education Guild Masterclass – ‘Sub-Regional Expressions of New Zealand Pinot Noir’ with John Szabo MS

 

View full programme details and how you can participate in New Zealand Wine Week here.

 

Thanks to Jean Smullen for above info.

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CorkBillyBeers #7. Craft lager with Killarney Brewing, O'Donovan's, 9 White Deer, Kinnegar, Bradleys, Staropramen

CorkBillyBeers #7

Craft lager with Killarney Brewing, O'Donovan's, 9 White Deer, Kinnegar, Bradleys, Staropramen

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Killarney Devil’s Helles Lager, 4.5% ABV, 500 ml bottle O’Donovan’s

Pale gold is the colour of this Kerry lager, a lager that made a good impression when I first came across a few years back in the Cellar Bar of the lovely Cahernane House Hotel in Killarney.

Killarney Brewing say, fairly accurately as it turns out: we brew it with highest quality German ingredients to bring out a delicious malty and honeyed flavour with the perfect touch of noble hop aroma. Refreshing!

The aromas are mild with both the malt and hops sharing the spotlight. And that harmony continues right through the palate to the refreshing finalé, clean and crisp, balanced and subtly sweet (as a scone is sweet). 

It is a German style, often associated with the Munich area where it originated. Try this with a bowl of mussels from Cromane. By the way, if you’d like to try one from the source then the Augustiner Lagerbier Hel is the “textbook-defining Munich Helles” according to Mark Dredge in his Beer: A Tasting Course.

Killarney beers often come with a legend attached and this one concerns a fierce battle between Thor and the Devil. Thor cast down lightning bolt after lightning bolt upon the Devil, who retaliated by tearing up the earth and hurling it back. The resulting basin filled up with water and became known as the Devil’s Punch Bowl.

If you are in Killarney and visit the new premises of the Killarney Brewing and Distillery Company in Fossa, the Devil’s Punch Bowl is just half an hour’s drive away. Indeed, I’m thinking (I haven’t visited yet) that if you are upstairs in the new building you may be able to see it across the lake.

Highly Recommended

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9 White Deer Stag Kolsch, 4.2%, 500 ml bottle O’Donovan’s

Kölsch is a style of beer, of the lager family, originating in Cologne, Germany. In appearance, this 9 White Deer produced example is bright and clear with a yellow/amber colour. And a soft white head.

The Stag Kolsch, with its high carbonation level and gentle hop character, is palate friendly with an almost creamy feel. Easy to quaff and easy to see how this refreshing gluten free and flavoursome beer (more malty than hoppy) has become quite a seller, widely available in both bottle and draught.

The team in 9 White Deer have certainly cracked the style here. They have brewed with German Nobel Hops, Premium Irish and German Malt and German Yeast. Stag Kolsch gets “an extended lagering time where it can develop and mature into a classic premium European style beer”. 

Excellent when quietly sipped in a hotel lounge, or noisily dispatched in the club after a game, or shared while chatting with friends at a barbecue session, this West Cork lager impressively fits the bill.

The Ballyvourney based 9 White Deer Brewery was brought into being by two people, Gordon Lucey and Don O’Leary. They each have a passion for quality beer and, between them, they have a lot of experience in all aspects of beer from growing barley to front of house customer experience and everything in between. More details here.

Highly Recommended

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Kinnegar Brewers at Play #27 Black Lager, 4.7% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This is the first dark lager from Kinnegar and #27 in their Brewers at Play list. 

The brewers have been hard at it even though this series "is all about letting the brewers have some fun and to keep us drinkers on our toes”, and this release is no exception. Rich and dark, with a hearty roasted malt character, coffee, caramel, and molasses make this a serious tipple with its many similarities to stout and porter.

It doesn’t quite have the body of a stout of course but could well pass for a porter. Forget about style for a while and just enjoy this dark gem from the crafty coiníní in the north west. 

Very Highly Recommended

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Staropramen Lager, 5.00% ABV, 500 ml bottle O’Donovan’s

It’s got a beautiful bright pale gold colour with a pristine white and bubbly head, fountains of little bubbles racing towards the top. Aromas speak of malt, hoppy too with a slightly fruity character. And the malt, now somewhat less intense, is also the major feature of the palate. Softly malty with a gentle refreshing finish, that’s your Staropramen. 

I can see why I got to like it as I, more or less unknowingly, began making the switch from mainstream to craft. Well balanced, quite refreshing and engaging and a good introduction to better beers ahead. It may well again serve that purpose if you are going from mainstream on the way to craft. But, other than being a pleasant beer, it doesn’t have all that much for the more experienced craft drinker. 

The brewery was founded in 1869, according to Wikipedia, “and the brand name Staropramen, literally meaning old spring, was registered in 1911. It is owned by Molson Coors and its products are exported to 37 different countries, mostly in Europe and North America."

They say: Coming from a city of lovable sins that knows everything there is to know about great beer and enjoying life, Staropramen has many stories to tell you – stories about life well spent. Pairings: “Hamburgers are always a great choice for dinner and socialising. A classic is a classic! For an extra touch, add a bit of Emmental and we believe that your friends will be delighted.”

The brewers are quite proud of their barley. “Hordeum vulgare. That’s the Latin name for barley, but there’s nothing vulgar about it. In fact, it is a rather special malting barley we use. We have our own Barley Breeding Group, which works in close contact with our brewmasters. The group selects the barley with the best traits and grows it in our research fields, using only traditional breeding methods.  So considering that Staropramen is made from 100% pure malt—i.e. no adjuncts- it could take some years before we breed the necessary amount of barley. Probably worth the effort.”

Wine of Angels. Old Catalan Carignan at the Heart of it.

Wine of Angels. Old Catalan Carignan at the Heart of it.

Le Roc Des Anges Segna de Cor Côtes Catalanes Rouge 2020,  13% ABV, 

€22.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

The Segna de Cor (translates as the ‘blood of the heart’) comprises 50% Grenache, 30% Carignan and 20% Syrah. The name is (more or less) an anagram of Roc Des Anges.

Colour is a dark ruby. Very expressive aromas with fragrant scents of dark cherries and spices. It is lively and fresh in the mouth, light on its feet with lots of gentle cassis, smoky notes of the garrigue (herb, spice), with silky tannins and a refreshing finish. Doesn’t take long to make friends with this beauty. Very Highly Recommended.

Le Caveau explain that the relation between the Grenache and the terroir of Roc des Anges gives fruity and fleshy grapes. To balance this generosity, they are blended with old Carignan (60-80 years) and Syrah giving firm structure and dark colour and resulting in a tender and fruity wine sustained by a real texture of tannins. Matured for nine months in concrete vats in order to accentuate fruit and freshness.

Rugby fans and or those who have holidayed in French Catalonia will know of Perpignan; the Roc Des Anges vineyard is about 30 minutes north-west of the city. The biodynamic estate of approximately 22 hectares is in the village of Montner in the Agly valley (Pyrénées-Orientales, South of France, close to Spain).

The vignoble comprises old vines of Carignan (50% of the red vines) and Grenache Gris (80% of the white vines), then Grenache noir, Syrah and Maccabeu. The vineyards are a mosaic of 43 tiny parcels of land….. Everything done in the vineyard is traditional …, all bound up in the notion of respect for the cultural heritage of the region…..This is extended further into viticulture where respect for the environment is paramount.. In the cellar simplicity and authenticity are the watchwords.

Fresh and juicy, it is crafted to be an easy-going, food-friendly wine. Vibrant and straightforward, it is a great partner for rich dishes, BBQ, aperitif with friends, etc. Depending on the vintage, this wine may be labelled Cotes du Roussillon Villages or IGP Cotes Catalanes.

James Whelan Butchers - Valentine’s Made Easy. Kisses Guaranteed

James Whelan Butchers - Kisses Guaranteed Valentine’s Made Easy.

Flowers? Chocolates? Dinner for two?

Why choose when you can combine a thoughtful gift and a romantic meal, all-in-one. A delicious Beef Wellington handmade with love by James Whelan Butchers makes the perfect Valentine’s meal for two. Prime Irish Beef in herb and mushroom duxelles all wrapped in buttery puff pastry. Simply order online, choose where to collect, and after just 35 minutes in the oven, you’ll be tucking into restaurant-level dining, at home. Enough time to light the candles and pop the champers. Kisses for the chef guaranteed.

Welcome to the table. Welcome to enjoying a real faith in food.

"Here, at James Whelan Butchers, native Irish farmers, artisan salt-agers and master butchers come together to bring you the best of our land. Our Irish produce is world-class. The Irish beef is grass-fed, dry-aged and prepared by master butchers. The Irish lamb is reared in open grassland. The Irish pork is cured and matured by local, Irish producers. And the Irish turkey and chicken is free-range and slow-reared. This is the goodness of the land celebrated for its true greatness."

I enjoyed this Wellington last year. Named after the man who crushed Napoleon at Waterloo, the very notion of preparing Beef Wellington casts fear into the hearts of the most competent of home cooks.  However, this limited edition is hand prepared and comes oven-ready, needing the minimum of preparation time.

Hand prepared by the artisan James Whelan Butchers kitchen team, this divinely sumptuous dish is a perfect choice for any celebration and serves two people generously. The decadent dish is handmade with prime Irish beef, full of intense, rich flavours, and surrounded by a mushroom and herb duxelles which is all wrapped in buttery, puff pastry. Better yet, it’s ready to pop in the oven. No more wondering what to serve and no more stressful thoughts of cooking - you know you have a wondrous feast for two to come.

This is a Click & Collect offer available at 12 of Whelan's shops nationwide. Check out details and locations, here.

Based on media release

CorkBillyBeers #6 .Craft Stout with Galway Bay, Heaney, Left Hand and Croatia's Garden

CorkBillyBeers #6

Craft with Galway Bay, Heaney, Left Hand and Croatia's Garden

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Galway Bay Ostara Irish Stout, 5.00% ABV, 330 ml can Bradleys.

Brewers Galway Bay are enthusiastic about this: Here is Ostara Stout, our take on the concept of ‘Dublin Stout’. Brewed to be complex but quaffable. We took some of our Imperial stout tricks and adapted them to a lower abv base recipe. The result has layered malts with some lovely soft chocolate notes finished with a nice hop zing to help clean the palate.

From the city that drank and exported so much stout in the early days, it is difficult to take the Dublin bit but not at all difficult to swallow this Galway stout. It looks the part, with black body and soft tan head, and also smells the part, toast and coffee.

Not too long ago, I doubt that many Irish drinkers deliberately smelled their stout before that first big swallow. 

The man in the bar had a small wine glass in his hand. But that wasn't wine in the glass. He covered the opening with his hand and shook the glass. Taking away his hand, he asked me to smell. As I do so, he said “Toffee Bar”. I agreed. Then he said: “Beamish”. 

And it was indeed the old Cork favourite (still going strong with many local devotees, including craft beer drinkers), the toffee bar aromas enhanced by the agitation and the shape of the glass. The man in the Kiln at Murphy’s Stout in Leitrim Street, was Marc Stroobants, a renowned beer expert from Belgium. I’ve been nosing my beers since that eye-opener ten years ago.

Thanks to M. Stroobants, I quite often stick my finger into the head in the glass and suck it. It often gives a clue to what I may taste later on. But sticking your finger into the head and sucking will sometimes get you some curious stares.

When Ostara hits the palate, the toasted notes of the malts (traces of coffee and chocolate) lead the way to a dry and lip smacking and palate cleansing finish. But I do feel there is something little bit lacking between the aromas and the finalé.

The name? Not too sure. Google tells me Ostara marked the Spring Equinox in German and Celtic tradition and there was a festival. But no mention of beer!

Highly Recommended.

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Heaney Irish Stout, 4.3% ABV, 500 ml bottle can Bradleys

I’m somewhat prejudiced here, prejudiced through practice that is. I’ve been enjoying this stout from the Heaney Farmhouse Brewery in Co. Derry over a few years now. And I know satisfaction is guaranteed! 

It is black, with a tan coloured head that loses volume pretty quickly. Stick your finger in the head (there I go again!) and taste the roast coffee and dark chocolate which are more or less what you’ll get from the aromas. No oatmeal here but the palate is rich and smooth, caramel and chocolate and that roasted malt finish, a dry one also, and lip-licking finalé. Satisfaction!

Heaney’s are always handy with food pairings and here they suggest slow-cooked meat dishes or a rich chocolate dessert.

Highly Recommended.

They say: For generations, our family farm has been a place of harvest and inspiration. Our beers are for after the graft. Rural thirst quenchers. Brewed and bottled by Heaney Farmhouse Brewery at The Wood, Bellaghy, Co. Derry.

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Excellent head 
on the Left Hand.

Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout Nitro, 6.0% ABV, 404 ml can Bradleys

“Experience America’s Stout. Milk Stout Nitro is a full sensory experience. Gaze at the mesmerizing cascade of all those tiny Nitro bubbles.”

Nitro is the key word here. They use nitro to get the bubbles going rather than “old” CO2. Then again Nitro has a 60 year old plus history to its credit, with most of the credit being claimed by Guinness and its widget.

And this Left Hand  does try hard to live up to its billing. “This portable draft beer experience is Good to Go straight from the can or served Like a Pro in a glass. From the bottle, Pour Hard to release the Nitro magic inside.” Pour Hard is also key! You do indeed stare at the rising bubbles and then see them fall back down the sides of the glass.

The body colour is black, the pillowy head, that really stays around, is tanned. There is coffee and cream in the moderately (if even that) intense aromas. The sensation on the palate is ultra smooth, creamy/milky, and that head coats your upper lip, a bit on the sweet side though. Initial roasty, mocha flavours rise up, with slight hop and roast bitterness in the finish. 

I like the theatre at the start and like the finish but the overall experience is all a bit moderate, a bit on the slight side, more butterfly than bee, a dance at arm’s length rather than a clinger. More shadow than substance. Give me Cotton Ball or Elbow Lane any day.

Still it is an interesting one, easy drinking,  and well worth a try and I fully understand why quite a few drinkers rave about it. Just not me. I have a Brewmaster nitro in the queue and I must also try and get the O’Hara’s one. Any other suggestions? 

Geek Bits

IBU 25

Malt: 2-Row, Crystal, Chocolate, Munich, Rolled Oats, Flaked Barley, Roasted Barley

Lactose is also listed in ingredients.

For the best experience, pour hard at 180 degrees into a 16oz glass. Different gas, different pour. Cheers! #PourHard

Firestone Nitro tip

To enjoy this beer (Firestone) to the fullest, you want to master the surge pour. Just invert the can three times, then pour hard into the glass. This way, you can experience the “theater of the pour” with a brilliant cascading effect and a creamy foam that makes drinking Nitro Merlin Milk Stout all the more delicious

Check video here.

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The Garden (Croatia) Stout, 5.7% ABV, 330 ml can Bradleys

First time trying a beer from Croatia and it comes with a hefty enough 5.7% ABV. It pours dark with a soft tan head that slowly sinks in the glass. Aromas are modest enough, mostly roasted coffee. I note a streak of acidity as it hits the palate but it is the coffee and chocolate that go on to make the running with a little, barely noticeable, sweetness. 

Lactose is listed as an ingredient here, presumably to add the sweetness.  The lactose (milk sugar) is not eaten by yeast. But the result here is rather modest. Indeed, the stout itself , though pleasant, is a modest effort overall.

It is produced by the Garden Brewery in Zagreb. “We’re lucky to have a huge garden, with plenty of seating and tables sheltered under the shade of more than 40 mature trees. There’s also an outside bar, a large lawn, an area for DJs and Live Music and events. When the sun is shining, there’s not much that beats an ice-cold beer in The Garden!”

In those circumstances and with the right company, and the Croatian football team on the TV, then this stout may well shine!

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