Celtic Whiskey Company Tasting Notes

Celtic Whisky Company Fich a Haon (21) 16 year old 46%

Double distilled & first matured in a 1st fill bourbon cask for 14 years. Part of this cask was then re-casked in a specially commissioned 53 litre Pedro Ximenez sherry cask for over 2 years.

Cask 1899/ Dist: July 2001 Btl: Sept 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

Nose: Burnt coffee and very herbal Oloroso. Chunky, deep and unfussy, but ultimately pretty simple.

Palate: A mouthful of grapey Oloroso with hints of dark chocolate, but predominantly dried grape.

Finish: A little drying, tannic and bitter, with, wait for it….. dried grape!

Conclusion: One dimensional 

Celtic Whiskey Shop Fiche a Do (22) 16 year old 46%

Double distilled & first matured in a 1st fill bourbon cask for 14 years. It was then re-casked in a red Burgundy cask from Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret for over 2 years.

Cask 0888/ Dist: July 2001 Btl: Sept 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

Nose: Lithe sherried dried fruit with dark honey, slightly burnt Demerara sugar, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla.

Palate: Quite light and almost delicate with prune, raisin and hints of cinnamon. Quite drying as the tannins kick in on the middle.

Finish: Long and succulent with lingering tobacco.

Conclusion: A good, clean wine cask, but unfortunately it gives no clues to its country of origin.

Celtic Whiskey Shop Fiche a Tri (23) 16 year old 46%

Double distilled & first matured in a 1st fill bourbon cask for 14 years. Part of this cask was then re-casked in a specially commissioned 53 litre Oloroso sherry cask for over 2 years.

Cask: 1901/ Dist: July 2001 Btl: Sept 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

Nose: Quite malty and full with plenty of Oloroso dried fruit. A subtle citrus note balances and with time hints of barley and manure appear.

Palate: Sweeter and showing more treacle, but it also displays a lithe citrus edge. Hints of dried fruit and soft spice.

Finish: Long and vibrant with an interesting battle going on between the treacle and citrus.

Conclusion: Again all sherry cask, but at least it displays a semblance of balance.

Celtic Whiskey Shop Cill Airne Cask Pedro Ximinez 16 year old 47.59%

Tasted: Oct 2017

Nose: Huge, sherried, treacly and almost PX-like grapey wine. Very sweet with dried fruit and a slight burnt sugar note. Pure sherry, no spirit character.

Palate: Mirrors the nose. Sweet, grapey and sherried with burnt sugar and soft tannins.

Finish: Long with burnt coffee grains and drying tannins.

Conclusion: If I wanted sherry, then I would have a glass of sherry!

Celtic Whiskey Shop Cill Airne Cask Oloroso 16 year old 47.85%

Tasted: Oct 2017

Nose: Lightly herbal sherry with hints of dried orange, raisin and malt. Quite mature, but pretty much all cask.

Palate: Soft, slightly treacly with very sweet plum, raisin and sultana. Pleasantly mouth-filling but one dimensional.

Finish: Medium length with lingering treacle, dried fruit and burnt spice.

Conclusion: Another sherry monster!

 

Teeling Whiskey Company Tasting Notes

Teeling Single Malt 46%

A vatting of whiskies aged for up to 23 years, which have been matured in a range of wine casks: sherry, port, Madeira, white Burgundy and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Re-Tasted: Feb 2015

Nose: oily and sweet with some aromatic pot still spices(?) Hints of rhubarb, green fruit and herbs. Pleasantly intense with some creamy, toffee’d oak coming through.

Palate: A little watery to be honest and quite toffee’d. The dominating oak subdues the fruit somewhat.

Finish: Sweet and oaky but soft.

Teeling Single Malt 46%

Re-Tasted: Jan 2017

Aromas of mature-ish barley and perfumed barley with melon, apricot and violets. Hints of toasty and toffee’d oak, red fruits, lemon balm and spice. Initally the nose is quite vibrant but it settles down into homogeny though.

The palate is pleasantly soft with lemon, barley, apricot, banana and toffee. Some soft red berry fruit sits below along with some dusty, tannic, slightly bitter spice. Like the nose it is a little homogenous but the finish is well spiced but again a little bitter.

Teeling 13 year old Revival Volume II 46

Bourbon/ Calvados finish

Tasted: Oct 2016

Nose: Fresh, grassy and citric with sweet barley and a hint of orange blossom honey. Young and enticing with hints of unsweetened digestive biscuits and herbaceous notes.

Palate: Fuller and a little oilier with a touch of vanilla oak. Lovely depth of honey coated apricot and pear and the vitality returns as the citrus notes come through on the middle.

Finish: Long and citric (lime and orange) with some biting spices and dry oaky notes.

Conclusion: Wonderfully vibrant and inviting, just like an Irish girl I once knew!

Niche Drinks Company Tasting Notes

The Quiet Man “An Fear Ciuin” 2006 (8 year old) 40%

Tasted: Nov 2015

Nose: On the one hand it’s a lightly estery and slightly soapy nose but on the other it’s edgy and slightly grainy with green apple, pineapple, apricot and bolstering creamy oak. With time hints of dunnage.

Palate: A little underpowered and watery. Straightforward with hints of honey, apricot, earth and creamy oak. A little grassy note adds balances but the oak begins to dominate.

Finish: Good length with some light buzzy spices amid the toffee’d oak.

Conclusion: Not the greatest Irish whiskey I’ve ever tasted, but then again it’s not the worst.

The Quiet Man “An Fear Ciuin” 2006 (8 year old) 40%

Re-Tasted: Nov 2016

Full and estery like the blend, but showing more honey. Beautifully sweet barley mingles with slight edgy barley, toffee and herbal green apple notes. The oak is a little taught but adds some grip.

The palate is soft and creamy with herbal hiney, apple and crunchy spices. Hints of apricot, green banana, and vanilla come through on the middle. Good length with hints of toffee and buzy, tongue tingling spices. It seems to have put some weight on and isn’t as watery as the last time I tasted it.