Review / Powers Irish Rye

This new addition to the Powers core range is the first ever Irish whiskey to be made from 100% Irish rye. The release comes following trials at the Midleton distillery in Co. Cork, where Powers is distilled and matured alongside other well know brands such as Jameson and Redbreast. It has used an archive recipe uncovered by Carol Quinn, the Senior Achivist at Irish Distillers. As part of the trials Irish Distillers commissioned the planting of rye crops at Cooney Furlong Farm in Co. Wexford. This was chosen due to its proximity to the ancestral home of the Powers family - Edermine House.

Review / Gold Spot 9 years old

This new whiskey from Irish Distillers is a special bottling to commemorate the 135th anniversary of partners Mitchell & Son entering the whisky bonding business. The iconic Irish wine and spirits merchant has worked alongside the company on their Spot single pot still range, where they traditionally matured whiskeys in vaults under the streets of Dublin. The Gold Spot has been aged for a minimum of nine years. It features an intriguing marriage of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks with ex-Bordeaux red wine barrels and ex-Port pipes. The Gold Spot 9 years old is released at 51.4% ABV (102.8 Proof) in a historical hat tip to whiskies from Mitchell's archive. 

Review / Jameson Remastered 15 years old Single Pot Still

This whiskey is the first in a new series created by Jameson, the world's biggest selling Irish whiskey brand. The Jameson Anthology series will see new whiskeys put down one of two tracks - Remastered will be old classic expressions reinvented, while Remixed will have a more innovative and experimental edge. The first bottling sits within Remastered - the Jameson 15 years old Single Pot Still. This was an expression that last appeared in Jameson's range in 2000. The whiskey is constructed of three different pot still styles, all made at Midleton distillery in Co. Cork, that have been matured for between 15 and 17 years in either first-fill ex-bourbon barrels or first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry butts.

Review / Midleton Very Rare 2022 Edition

This whiskey is the latest addition to Midleton's annual Very Rare series. The Midleton Very Rare 2021 Edition is the 39th bottling in the legendary series. It is the second to be created by Kevin O'Gorman, who is just the third Master Distiller of the series since it first appeared in 1984. He follows Barry Crockett and Brian Nation. The 2022 Edition is a marriage of old and rare single grain and single pot still whiskeys aged between 12 and 33 years old. All the whiskeys used have been matured in lightly charred American oak ex-bourbon casks - this is in keeping with previous editions of the Very Rare series.

Review / Jameson Black Barrel Proof

This whiskey is a limited edition higher strength version of the popular Black Barrel expression from Jameson. The Jameson Black Barrel Proof is bottled at 50% ABV (100 Proof in old money) and has been created to show extra depth and richness. The whiskey is a combination of triple distilled pot still and grain whiskeys, and these have been matured in three types of cask - American oak, ex-sherry and double-charred ex-bourbon barrels. It is also non chill-filtered. The Jameson Black Barrel Proof will only be available in selected retailers in Ireland, including at Dublin airport, and will cost €60 a bottle. However, the exact number of bottles in the limited release has not been revealed.

Review / Redbreast Pedro Ximenez Edition

The Irish whiskey brand of Redbreast have announced a new limited edition expression that will slot into a newly created range. The Redbreast Pedro Ximénez Edition will join the Iberian Series of Redbreast single pot still whiskeys. The Lustau Edition, which was first launched back in 2016, will also join to become the cornerstone of the series. For this PX Edition the triple distilled Redbreast spirit has been initially matured in ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. These whiskeys were then re-casked to hogshead barrels that had been seasoned with Pedro Ximénez, a sweet dessert style of sherry.

Review / Midleton Very Rare 2021 Edition

This is the latest release by the super premium Irish whiskey brand of Midleton to its annual Very Rare series - the Midleton Very Rare 2021 Edition. It is the 38th bottling in the legendary series. The new edition marks the first to be created by Kevin O'Gorman who is only the third Master Distiller of the series since it first appeared in 1984 and follows Barry Crockett and Brian Nation. The 2021 Edition is made using old and rare single grain and single pot still whiskeys aged between 15 and 36 years of age, including some distilled in 1984 as a homage to the origins of the series. All the whiskeys used have been matured in American oak, which is in keeping with previous editions of the Very Rare series.

Review - Redbreast Dream Cask 28 years old

This whiskey is the third release in the Dream Cask series from the Irish pot still brand of Redbreast. The Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition is the first from the brand to be finished in a single ex-Port cask. It stems from experimentation that took place during the development of the recently released Redbreast 27 years old, which is the oldest permanent expression in the core range.

Review - Method & Madness 'Wild Cherry Wood Finish' and 'Acacia Wood Finish'

These two new whiskeys are the latest additions to Irish Distillers' experimental Method & Madness range of whiskeys. Both continue the brand's tradition of using unorthadox casks for maturation. Both are single pot still whiskeys with one being finished in casks made from cherry wood and the other in casks made from acacia wood. Both are also bottled at 46% ABV.

The Method & Madness range was launched in 2017 carrying the tag line of 'when knowledge and discovery collide'. The range is designed to push the boundaries of Irish whiskey and showcase some of the most innovative work that the blenders, coopers and distillers are producing. It also aims to combine the creativity of the whiskey makers and enthusiasm and fresh ideas of their apprentices. Many of the experiments are taking place at the Midleton Micro Distillery in Co. Cork.

Review - Red Spot 15 years old

The Spot Family from Irish Distillers has a new member with the launch of the Red Spot 15 years old. The whiskey, which has not been on the market since the mid-1960s, joins the Green Spot and Yellow Spot as a permanent addition to the range, along with the two small batch Green Spot expressions - the Château Léoville Barton and Château Montelena. The new version of Red Spot is a re-working of the classic whiskey which is again created for Mitchell & Son in Dublin by the Midleton distillery in Co. Cork.

Review - Green Spot Chateau Montelena

The Green Spot Chateau Montelena is the second bottling in the Irish whiskey brand's Wine Geese series. This sees the classic pot still whiskey matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, before being transferred for one year of finishing in French oak ex-Zinfandel red wine casks. These have come from the renowned Californian winemaker of Chateau Montelena in the Napa Valley. It follows the Bordeaux wine influenced Green Spot Château Léoville Barton, which was released in 2015.

Review - Midleton Very Rare 2017 Edition

Irish Distillers have released the 2017 Edition of their super premium Midleton Very Rare bottling, which has appeared annually as a limited edition since it was first released in 1984. As with previous editions, this year sees a blend of grain and single pot still whiskeys. The age range for the 2017 Edition is 12 to 32 years and has been created by Brian Nation, the Master Distiller at Midleton. The oldest grain whiskey is 32 years of age and the oldest pot still whiskey is 26 years of age. All have been matured in ex-bourbon barrels that have then been specially selected by Nation, one of only two men to ever create the Very Rare.

Review - Method And Madness

Method And Madness is a new whiskey range from Irish Distillers, the Irish whiskey branch of Pernod Ricard. This carries a tag line of 'when knowledge and discovery collide', which acknowledges the experimental nature of the new whiskeys.  The range is designed to push the boundaries of Irish whiskey and showcase some of the most innovative work that the blenders, coopers and distillers are producing at the company.

Review - Jameson The Whiskey Makers Series

The Whiskey Makers Series is a new range from Jameson, the biggest selling Irish whiskey brand in the world.  The range will be available through domestic retail markets and forms part of a major restructuring for the brand.  This sees the the core range get a design update with the Select Reserve being renamed Black Barrel with the Crested Ten being renamed Crested and getting a worldwide distribution.

Review - Redbreast Single Cask

This new whiskey from Redbreast is the first ever single barrel expression to be released by the award-winning Irish brand. Cask number 30087 is an ex-Oloroso sherry butt that was filled at Midleton in 1999 and the cask has yielded just 576 bottles. It was selected by Billy Leighton, Head Blender at Midleton, and staff of retailer The Whisky Exchange and will be on sale exclusively through them.  Redbreast is a single pot still whiskey, which means that both malted and unmalted barley are used as ingredients and distilled in copper pot stills.  This style of whiskey was revered in the 18th and 19th centuries.  They aided the global rise in popularity of Irish whiskey and are now making a pronounced comeback.

Review - Jameson Caskmates

The Jameson Caskmates is an innovative new collaboration that sees the famous Midleton distillery, where the hugely popular Jameson brand is produced, working in conjunction with craft brewery Franciscan Well.  Both are based in Co. Cork in the south of Ireland and the release follows a successful trial in Ireland last year.  The partnership sees Franciscan Well age a stout for three months in casks that have previously held Jameson whiskey, before returning them to Midleton.  Then they are refilled with Jameson and finished for six months.

Review - Green Spot Château Léoville-Barton Cask Finish

This new expression of the cult Green Spot whiskey has been finished in ex-Bordeaux red wine casks from the Château Léoville-Barton, a grand cru winery in the Saint Julien appellation of Bordeaux. Château Léoville-Barton is currently owned by Anthony and Lilian Barton, who have Irish ancestry dating back to the 1700s. The whiskey has been matured in a mix of ex-Oloroso, ex-bourbon and new bourbon casks before being transferred for 18-24 months to the ex-red wine casks.  The whiskey is bottled at 46% ABV and is available in a limited number of markets including France, Ireland and the UK.  The recommended price is £43/€59.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (June 5, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (February 6, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 3, 2014)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.