Review - Midleton Dair Ghaelach 'Grinsell's Wood'

This is the newest addition to the premium Irish pot still whiskey range of Midleton.  With this release Irish Distillers, the owners of the Midleton distillery and part of the larger Pernod Ricard group, have decided to take the brand in a different direction.  This involves the use of Irish oak (or Dair Ghaelach in Gaelic) in the maturation of whiskey for the first time since Prohibition in the 1920s and 30s.  The launch event was held in Ireland last week and Whisky For Everyone was invited to find out about the project and enjoy some good old Irish hospitality ...

In Conversation with > Helen Mulholland, Bushmills Master Blender

Recently we had the pleasure of meeting Helen Mulholland, Master Blender for Bushmills Irish Whiskey, at the London launch of their new premium packaging for their 10, 16 and 21 year old whiskies.

Bushmills is named after, and located in, the quiet town of Bushmills on the County Antrim coast of Northern Ireland. The distillery is located remarkably close to the famous Giant’s Causeway which is one of Ireland’s most well-known tourist attractions. Bushmills holds the oldest distillery license in Ireland (since 1608). A remarkable fact that the new packaging was created to celebrate, along with the distillery’s trademark pot still.

As we rarely get the opportunity to chat with a renowned Master Blender, and certainly not in the cosy depths of a central London bar with a glass of her whiskey in hand, we decided to grab a few minutes of her time to ask a question or two.

“How did Helen gain the prestigious title of Master Blender?”

In a similar way to all good Master Blenders, Helen worked her way into the position through years of hard work and dedication. She began working with Bushmills in the lab on a student placement that lasted 6 months. After this relatively short time, she headed off to complete her Master’s degree after which time she returned back to Bushmills. After Diageo acquired Bushmills in 2005 the role of blender was created, and with a number of years having learnt the trade of whiskey making inside and out, Helen was chosen as the woman for the job.

“What makes Bushmills so special for Helen?”

Without a second thought Helen replied “Bushmills is a place that is alive and breathing.” She clarified this by saying that every part of the whiskey making process happens on site, including bottling. They are also in the rare position of having their own Cooper on site. She feels that the team that works so hard to make the whiskey is one large family and that the malts produced feel like their children. As each malt is made and matured using natural ingredients and elements, this allows the magic of personality to form. Unrepeatable combinations of grain, water, yeast, wood for the cask, and the local climate in the warehouse, allows each cask of whiskey to develop its own unique character.

While you may expect a Master Blender would say something similar to this, Helen’s eyes light up when she talks about the team that work with her and the whiskies they produce so you quickly realise this is a woman who is proud and passionate about her job and the distilleries heritage.

“How would Helen describe the whiskey to beginners?”

Helen believes that Bushmills makes whiskies for people to enjoy – a range of whiskey that is very approachable and offers something for everyone. A sentiment that we heartily embrace. Bushmills produce a range of whiskies that apologetically aim a diverse audience while maintaining the characteristic fruity smoothness that comes with triple distillation. Their various whiskies respond well with the infinite ways that people chose to enjoy their whiskey - straight, with water, with ice, with a mixer, and more. Helen chose to prove this point in a rather unexpected manner by handing us each a glass of frozen (yes frozen!) Bushmills 10 year old single malt. This was not what either of us has anticipated. What an experience though. Freezing cold, the whiskey took on a completely different personality. It became noticeably more viscous and mouth-coating, sweet but not cloying, and took on an enhanced note of honey, something akin to a really impressive liqueur. In short, we both found it absolutely delicious and refreshing.

"Does Helen have any cool facts about Bushmills?"

Both are us are big geeks when it comes to bits of trivia that are not widely known, so we had the perfect opportunity to find a few pub quiz style facts about Bushmills. Helen was happy to provide. Bushmills is one of the most visited distilleries in the UK with over 100,000 visitors per year. We guessed this most likely has something to do with the distillery's close proximity to the famous Giants Causeway that 'links' Ireland to Scotland in folklore. We didn't realise just how close. The distillery, in fact, shares a boundary with the World Heritage (UNESCO) Site within which the Giant' Causeway is located. Not bad facts at all.

We really must thank Helen for the time she spent with us and her genuine passion for Bushmills distillery and its whiskies. We had a thoroughly inspiring and enjoyable evening.

If you are planning a trip to visit Bushmills and witness Helen's hardwork in action, arrange a tour with the distillery (www.bushmills.com/Visit) but do make sure you visit the Giant's Causeway (whc.unesco.org) while you are there.

In the whisky cupboard ... Powers Gold Label

Powers Gold Label is one of Ireland's best selling whiskies. It sells approximately 2.5 million bottles per year and the brand has a rich heritage in Irish distilling history. The original distillery was founded in 1791 by James Power and was located in Dublin. James' son John later joined as distillery manager and in 1809 the name was changed to John Power & Son. Powers were one of the industry's pioneers by being one of the first distilleries to follow the traditional Irish practice of triple distillation. They were also one of the first in the world to begin selling their whiskey in single bottles to customers, rather than by the cask. This began in 1866 and the current gold label used on the bottle is a replica of the original label. The distillery remained in the Power family until 1966.

Nowadays, Powers whiskey is made at the Midleton distillery, which is located in the southern part of Ireland in County Cork. Midleton was founded in 1975 following the joining of the Cork Distillers Company, John Jameson & Son and John Power & Son in the late 1960s. This group was called the Irish Distillers Group. They built the new distillery, which is now the largest in Ireland and one of the largest in Europe with an annual capacity of 19 million litres. Some of the most famous names in the Irish whiskey industry are made at Midleton, all to their original traditional recipes. These include Jameson, Midleton Rare, Paddy, Powers, Redbreast and Tullamore Dew.

The colour is golden yellow with a lovely nose that is delicate and light. It is sweet with a combination of aromas including cereal grains, vanilla and caramel. There is also a slightly floral note that is reminiscent of honeysuckle. On the palate, this feels light bodied yet soft and creamy. There is a distinct and slightly bitter grainy character to begin with and this is joined by some sweeter elements such as vanilla, caramel, butterscotch and nuts (especially hazelnuts and almonds). Finally, something herbal appears (imagine dried grasses or hay) and this gives a good balance. The finish is short but smooth, sweet and warming with the grassiness, vanilla and cereal grain notes particularly prominent. The whiskey is not the most complex but is extremely well balanced, enjoyable and very easy drinking!

This Powers Gold Label is a lovely example of an Irish whiskey and it is easy to see why it is so popular and well regarded. Sadly, it is now exported from Ireland a lot less than it has previously been and can be hard to find, even in the UK. We were lucky and found our bottle in a local food convenience store and it is places such as this that will be holding some old stock and not realise what they have! A bottle should cost £15-20, which offers great value for such a decent whiskey.

Have just tried ... Bushmills 10 years old

Bushmills has the oldest distillery license in the world and dates back to 1608. The distillery is named after the town of Bushmills and is located close to the northern County Antrim coast in Northern Ireland, just two miles from the famous Giant’s Causeway. It is currently owned by drinks giant Diageo. In addition to being the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland and the world, Bushmills also has the longest continually used logo. In 1784, the pot still logo was introduced in order to celebrate the formal registering of the distillery and this is still in use today, 225 years later.

Bushmills’ whiskies are all triple distilled in the traditional Irish way and the core range is a mixture of single malts and blends - this 10 years old is a single malt, with the 'Original' and 'Black Bush' being blends. These are occasionally joined by special limited releases. Sales of the Bushmills range had plummeted before Diageo took over in 2005 but now sales are constantly growing, following a sustained promotional campaign. The distillery is once again running at full capacity (approximately three million litres per year) to meet current demand.

The colour is golden with a slight amber tint. The nose is clean and fresh with a combination of interesting aromas - a lot of vanilla and cereal grains mixed with a distinct nuttiness (think of almonds and coconuts especially), some grassiness (imagine dried grasses or hay) and a hint of dried fruits and spice (think of sultanas and nutmeg). On the palate, this is smooth, clean and delicate with a creamy, almost soapy feeling in the mouth. It is very malty (those cereal grains again) and full of lovely vanilla and the almond/coconut nuttiness from the nose. This is in addition to another sweet element (think of toffee or butterscotch) and this is balanced with a herbal note (that dried grass again) and some woody spice (imagine nutmeg and cinnamon). The finish is of reasonable length, soft and bittersweet. It begins sweetly with vanilla and a hint of sherry cask influenced dried fruits (especially sultanas and candied lemon peel) before turning drier with the oaky woodiness and herbal grassiness prominent.

This 10 years old single malt is a lovely dram that combines its delicate nature with depth and complexity. It would be a great choice as an introduction to Irish whiskey. This Bushmills is becoming more widely available and can be found in larger supermarkets and specialist spirits retailers in the UK for between £25-30 a bottle.

Have just tried ... Jameson Irish Whiskey

Jameson whiskey is one of Ireland's most famous exports and has been the best selling Irish whiskey in the world for over 100 years. The whiskey was first produced by John Jameson in 1780 at the Bow Street distillery in the heart of Dublin. By the early 1800s, the distillery was producing one million gallons (4500 litres) of whiskey per year and had grown to be the largest in the world. The production has now moved to the Midleton distillery and the Bow Street site is currently a museum and visitors centre. Jameson is made following the original 1780 recipe that uses malted barley combined with unmalted barley and other grains. It is distilled three times in copper pot stills to create its famous smoothness and flavour. Jameson sells a staggering 30 million bottles a year around the world, making it by far the biggest selling Irish whiskey.

Jameson whiskey is currently made at the Midleton distillery in County Cork in the south of Ireland. It is a modern distillery and was built in 1975 following the amalgamation of three powerhouses of the Irish whiskey industry in the 1960s - the Cork Distillers Company, John Jameson and John Powers. They built the new distillery and it is now the largest in Ireland and one of the largest in Europe with an annual capacity of 19 million litres. Numerous famous names of the Irish whiskey industry are now made at Midleton, all to their original traditional recipes. These include Jameson, Midleton Rare, Paddy, Powers, Redbreast and Tullamore Dew. The new distillery replaced the previous Old Midleton distillery that had been operating since the 1820s and is now a tourist visitor centre.

This Jameson Irish Whiskey with its famous green bottle and cream label is the cornerstone of the Jameson core range and whiskey empire. It is golden amber in colour with an aromatic nose. There is some initial sweetness which incorporates vanilla, dried fruits (think of sultanas plus candied orange and lemon peel) and cereal grains. Then comes a savoury/bitter note that is hard to pin down but is most reminiscent of oaky wood. On the palate, this feels thick, rich and a little oily in the mouth with the vanilla, dried fruits and cereals all present again. The citrus peel and zesty notes are particularly prominent and enjoyable. There is also some further sweetness (think of honey) and this is balanced by some bitterness (imagine grain husks and wood) and a distinct spiciness that appears (think of nutmeg and cinnamon). The finish is relatively short with a sweet, creamy beginning (vanilla and citrus zest again) before turning spicy (that nutmeg again) and slightly bitter (imagine husks of grain).

Jameson Irish Whiskey is a very good all round whiskey and it is easy to see why so many people enjoy drinking it around the world. It is not the most complex of whiskies but is full of character and is smooth, rich and flavoursome. The whiskey is well made and would be a great suggestion if you want an easy drinking everyday Irish whiskey in your cabinet. This Jameson is widely available. It also offers good value at around £15-18 a bottle and can occasionally be picked up cheaper in supermarket promotions.