April 2016 - Celtic Cask Ceathair Deag (14).

Celtic Cask Ceathair Deag is Celtic Whiskey Shop's fourteenth special release in line of award winning exclusive single cask Irish Whiskey range.

It's a double-distilled, unpeated single malt sourced from a well known distillery and was distilled in the year 2001. It was initially matured for 11 years in a first-fill bourbon cask before being transferred into a special Tuscan wine cask. A final maturation period of over 3 years took place in a top quality red barrel from the Altesino estate. Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy's most sought after red wines and this barrel was previously used to mature one of Altesino's top cuvees of Brunello. It was bottled in February 2016 at a few months over 14 years old.

• #celticcask14 @CelticWhiskeyCl 1st sniff: nice maltiness, dried apricots, sultanas, a touch of linseed oil, marzipan and Danish pastries.
• Great legs on this one. Pleasant tingle to on the first taste @CelticWhiskeyCl #celticcask14
• Delicious creamy mouth feel..like toffee ice cream! Lots of mocca & chocolate coming through adding to the richness! #celticcask14
• wow, rich, oily, mouth coating, tropical fruit with a really subtle spicyness. this is very well balanced stuff #celticcask14
• @CelticWhiskeyCl the spice returns to dominate the finish, builds as you proceed. Amazing tingle. #CelticCask14
• Can't believe I've finished #celticcask14 already. I'm a whiskey novice but that is easily the best whiskey I have tasted. Stunning.

February 2016 - Hyde No. 1 Presidents Cask.

Hyde No. 1 Presidents Casks is a double-distilled single malt which has been given a 10 month finishing period in 250L Oloroso Sherry cask. The final maturation has rounded off the whiskey and added some delicious flavours of dried vine fruits, toffee and spicy oak. It's a non chill-filtered whiskey at 46%, so if you are not used to drinking whiskey at 46%, you may want to add a tiny amount of water.

This was the first release from Hibernia Distillers, who are part of the new generation of whiskey makers in Ireland. This West Cork distillers are producing a number of quality whiskeys which they finish in casks they have carefully sourced. Hyde No.1 is now partnered by Hyde No. 2, also a 10 year old single malt but finished in rum casks and Hyde No.3, a six year old Single Grain, entirely matured in 1st fill Bourbon barrels.

Our best Tweet Taster was the happy winner of a just released Hyde No.3 bottle.

You can find more info on Hyde No. 1 on the Celtic Whiskey Shop website.

Selected Tweets from our Twitter Tasting:

• I'm getting toffee, burnt orange, and butterscotch candy & stewed apricots on the nose #hydeNo1
• Oh #HydeNo1 smells good. Christmassy raisin & sherry & caramel. A hint of rum and then more candied fruit.
• @CelticWhiskeyCl definitely a charred wood smell on #HydeNo1 very inviting on the nose.
• #hydeno1 delicate sweet notes, mature dark fruits on the nose, honey coating, winter berry. finish dry, oaky, on nutty undertones
• @CelticWhiskeyCl that's it! I was going down the road of a custard cream and a fig roll! Biscuity and fruity flavours combined
• #hydeNo1 finish has almost autumn fruit jam sweet but with a peppery kick at the end. Lovely warmth in the end, lingering vanilla warmth.

December 2015 - Midleton Very Rare 2015.

Midleton Very Rare 2015 is a continuation of a tradition that started in 1984 when the very first whiskey was released in the series. Each year since then the distillery has released the best whiskey possible using a blend of grain and single pot still whiskeys. The aim is to produce a consistently great whiskey with a smooth yet complex flavour profile.

It was also the Trophy winner in the Blended Irish Whiskey (€60 and over) category at this year's Irish Whiskey Awards. 

You can find more info on Midleton Very Rare 2015 on our website. 

Selected Tweets from our Twitter Tasting:

• Nose: Spicy Citrus, Orange Peel, Mulled Wine, Grassy, Tantalizing! #midleton2015 @CelticWhiskeyCl
• #midleton2015 vibrant fruit on the nose with aromas of citrus, ginger & apricots.
• @Celticwhiskey Looking back on my blind tasting notes - gave it 84 #midleton2015
• #midleton2015 lots of flavour. Mouth filling! Nice pot still character. Delicious!
• Taste: it's lovely! Very silky & extremely smooth. Some very subtle spiciness at 1st & on the finish. #midelton2015 @CelticWhiskeyCl
• Taste Part 2: Length carries well. Got the vanilla & xmas spices. #midleton2015 @CelticWhiskeyCl Tasting on a Wed night feels like the WE!

September 2015 - Powers Three Swallow.

Powers Three Swallow Release is a revival of the old style of Powers once made at the old distillery off Thomas St in Dublin. This is single Pot Still whiskey expressions and no-age statement release which has been aged in ex-Bourbon barrels with a small amount of Oloroso Sherry casks.  It was launched in October 2015 and the ‘Three Swallow’ is a reference to the size of the old Powers’ bottles people use to be able to fit in their shirt pockets and that could be drank in ‘three swallow’.

It's available on the Celtic Whiskey Shop website.

Selected Tweets from our Twitter Tasting:

• #powers3swallow Light in colour, tends to the youthful, some fruit deeper in the nose
• On the nose #powers3swallow lovely and smooth Not sharp like Gold. Compares well to John's - maybe even better!
• #powers3swallow Nose - Best way I can describe the sherry influence is that it is there but is nicely coated with the bourbon influence
• tastes like Christmas #powers3swallow
• #powers3swallow Palate - Smooth & massively creamy, red apples, ripe banana, a little butterscotch and vanilla in the form of crème brûlée
• #powers3swallow definite pot still mouth feel, turning to banana and rich citrus. Develops well with time on the tongue
• #powers3swallow Seriously enjoyable dram challenging my John's Lane love affair @CelticWhiskeyCl Extra Oloroso in 3Swallows?
•  Overall a very smooth drink with enough complexity to keep you interested.

June 2015- Teeling Whiskey Company Single Cask- Celtic Whiskey Shop Exclusive.

The whiskey was distilled in 2002 at an undisclosed distillery in the North of Ireland. It was initially matured in refill Bourbon barrels before being put into a Madeira wine barrel for the final finishing period of a year. The cask number is 926 and approximately 315 bottles will be released.

It was bottled at natural cask strength of 55.9% without any chill-filtration or colour added. We were fortunate to be offered a range of barrels from Teeling many of which had some interesting cask finishes. This one we felt was the most ‘complete’ tasting right now whilst the others probably have a bit more time in cask to go through. I would recommend trying it a full strength then afterwards adding just a dash of water to help open it up. We hope you enjoy it! Look out for it soon in the shop and on our website.

Available to buy soon at the Celtic Whiskey Shop!

Selected Tweets from our Twitter tasting: 

• Nice complexity in the #Teeling926. I get a wine grape character as I'd expect from a port or Madeira cask. Plus malty notes and malt coffee.
• #teeling926 pecan, caramel, maple coming through on the nose
• It is a very nice whiskey, very satisfying to sip at! #Teeling926
• Lots of vanilla, dried fruit, marmalade and orange peel on the nose #Teeling926
• With the dash, dried fruit wafts again, but taste is rich milk chocolate & candy peel. #teeling926

April 2015- Celtic Cask Deich Peated Irish Single Malt

Released earlier this year as one of two new releases in our Celtic Cask range. This is one of just two Celtic Cask releases that have been made from peated malt, and it will probably be the last such whiskey in the range for a very long time!

This started life in a first fill ex-Bourbon barrel and after 11 years it was transferred into one of our own Syrah wine barrels which we sourced from Domain des Anges in the Rhone valley. It was bottled just a month short of 16 years old in February this year. It is non chill filtered and the alcohol strength is 46%. We are always very careful with the amount of wood finishing we give our whiskeys and to our surprise this one was quite slow to evolve. In the end it spent 4 years in the wine cask. Just 351 bottles were released.

February 2015- Knappogue Castle Single Cask Marsala 

The Knappogue Castle Single Cask series is a range of single malt whiskeys that have been partly matured in the finest wine casks. The first two editions were matured in a red Burgundy wine cask from Mongeard-Mugneret and a Marsala cask from Marco de Bartoli respectfully.

The one we have chose was the Marsala cask. This was distilled in 2000 and initially matured in a bourbon cask, in 2012 the contents were transferred into an old Marsala cask from Marco di Bartoli and it was then bottled at 14 years old in October 2014.

December 2014- Celtic Cask Ocht

Celtic Cask Ocht (8) is a unique 23 Year Old single malt which was double distilled in Ireland. It is essentially the sister cask of our previous release Sé (6).

Here is some of the technical details on your sample: It was casked into a refill sherry cask on the 16^th September 1991, in April 2013 it was then emptied into a wine cask from Anima Negra, a Spanish winery based in Mallorca. After the finishing period it was bottled on 1^st October 2014. In total 334 bottles were made and they have not been chill-filtered and are released at 46%.

October 2014- Connemara 22 Year Old Single Malt

The Connemara 22 Year Old Single Malt is another milestone in the company’s story. This is their first official release of whiskey aged over 20 years and is drawn from some of the first malt made at Cooley in 1991/1992. It is entirely aged in first fill bourbon casks and is bottled at 46%.

The next sample will be sent out to club members in early September 2015. We are still finalising details but we are pleased to say it is a new release from a well known Irish distillery. 

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