[Event] Bar 1661 pop-up from Bán Poitín

Several years ago I attended the Irish launch of Bán Poitín, and immediately loved their modern, vibrant version of this much-maligned traditional Irish spirit. Now, the Bán Poitín Bar 1661 cocktail pop-up is asking you to forget the traditional image of the illicit bottle wrapped in brown paper hidden under the kitchen sink, and instead experience the quality and style of modern poitín. 

For 6 weeks only, Bar 1661 will be located in a retro basement next to Berlin Cafe on Dame Lane where it will serve a changing cocktail menu based on just one spirit, poitín. In addition, drinks will incorporate under-used and under-valued native Irish ingredients, supported by over 25 producers, distillers, foragers and farmers. 

The Gaeilgeor and Leprechaun Zombie cocktails

[Event] Nikka Whisky Tasting and The Blind Pig

Life is full of great stories. In 1918, a Japanese man called Masataka Taketsuru travelled to Scotland. He came from a family with a history of sake brewing, but his mission in Scotland was to learn all he could about a different spirit, namely whisky. In 1920 he returned to Japan, eventually setting up Nikka Whisky in 1934 in Yoichi, Hokkaido. Masataka considered the Yoichi site to be the perfect whisky making site in Japan, as it bore a strong resemblance to his favourite locations in Scotland. A malt distillery, Yoichi produces robust, peaty malts. 

In 1969 Nikka established a second malt distillery at Miyagikyo in Honshu, which produces a lighter, softer malt when compared to Yoichi. Nikka (and Japanese whisky) has continued to flourish and in 2008, Nikka's 1987 Yoichi was named the World's Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Award. Sales of Nikka whisky grew by an astounding 50% in Europe in 2011 alone. 

The Nikka distillery was recently showcased at a whisky tasting at the Blind Pig Speakeasy on a cold Monday night. The location of the Blind Pig is a secret. To find it, you arrive at the given location, conspiratorially ring the given number and ask to see the Blind Pig. From there, you will be led through some back alleys and downstairs to an underground location. In the interests of secrecy, I'll refrain from giving any more away!

A small group gathered round as we were lead through a tasting of 4 selected Nikka whiskies, covering a wide variety of tastes and price ranges. On a side note, I loved the delicate whisky nosing glasses which did a great job of funneling the aromas. Nikka whiskies come in some beautiful bottles, which look distinctly different to the more standard spirits bottles. These bottles and labels are beautiful in their own right. 

Nikka whisky tasting glasses

(1) Nikka All Malt (50%) is made with 100% malted barley, hence the name. Unusually, this whisky features malt whisky made in a Coffey or column still. It's got sweet notes on the nose and in the mouth with a not-very-long finish. I suspect that drinkers of Irish whiskey will quite like this All Malt. RRP c.€37

(2) Nikka Taketsuru 12 Year Old Pure Malt (40%) has a more robust character than the All Malt with a very long finish. It's similar to the All Malt in the sense that it has sweet notes and flavours but with a creamier mouthfeel. This would be my personal favourite from the tasting. RRP c.€52

(3) Nikka From The Barrel (51%) is a blend of malt (from Yoichi and Miyagikyo) and single grain whisky (from Miyagikyo). The blended whisky is then recasked to help the blending process. Finally, the whisky is bottled directly from the cask (hence the name). It's robust character means that it's well suited for the making of classic cocktails such as old-fashioneds. RRP c.€40

(4) Single Malt Yoichi 10 Year (45%) was our final treat on the night. It's quite peaty and full-bodied with a very long lasting finish. This level of peat is not to my personal taste, but is extremely well-regarded, winning Best Single Malt Whisky in 2008. RRP c.€72

Once the whisky tasting finished, The Blind Pig Speakeasy swung into action. The Bling Pig is the brainchild of Paul Lambert, a very talented mixologist (or cocktail-maker). The emphasis at the Blind Pig is on classic, proper cocktails, but make sure to read the "rules" on the back of the menu before you order. (Let's just say that daiquiri or pina colada orders won't be well-received). You just have to be prepared to like your drinks strong, but exquisitely made.

Spiced maple old-fashioned

Not sure what this was - I think it was a julep

I'll be honest and say that I don't really recall the exact cocktails we enjoyed on the night. It was before Christmas and I didn't take any pictures of the  menu to act as an aide memoire.  Several snifters of whisky, followed by cocktails will generally cause that. However, I do remember an excellent spiced maple Old-Fashioned and a sharp but fresh Rickey. The spiced maple old-fashioned got me to thinking about making a bacon flavoured old-fashioned. I mentioned this to Paul, but it was old news to him and me proceeded to take me through the necessary steps. This just emphasises how much Paul knows about making cocktails. (If you're interested, here's a similar method to that described.)

The Blind Pig is currently on a Christmas break, but will return in the New Year. There is another Nikka tasting planned, while a gin tasting is also on the cards. Make sure to follow the Blind Pig on Twitter or Facebook to stay informed. Paul also mixes at Kinara Kitchen in Ranelagh and Kinara in Clontarf, where he has trained some bar staff to his high standards.

Tullamore Dew whiskey tasting at L. Mulligan Grocer

Twitter can be really good to me sometimes. Last week, I saw a tweet from Stoneybatter gastropub, L. Mulligan Grocer, offering places at a whiskey tasting where Tullamore Dew whiskey would be paired with specially made desserts from the L. Mulligan team. Best of all, places were free! One email later and I had secured two places at the event.

Glasses at the ready for Tullamore Dew at L. Mulligan Grocer

The tasting was scheduled to commence at 8pm sharp, and attendance was high, with the dining area at L. Mulligan packed out by freeloaders whiskey fans, keen to get their hands on some free whiskey and tasty desserts. Every place was set with 4 whiskey glasses, each containing a small sample of some Tullamore Dew brands. Alongside was a description of the desserts to be paired with each whiskey and some pointers on flavours.

The Tullamore Dew samples at L. Mulligan Grocer

The keen crowd at L. Mulligan Grocer

Our two tasting guides from Tullamore Dew introduced themselves and the show got underway. We started with the standard Tullamore Dew Original whiskey. This was not paired with a dessert as it was simply meant to get us ready for the treats to come. I was pleasantly surpised by this whiskey, being light and smooth, with sweet and citrus flavours. A very drinkable everyday whiskey.

The first dessert pairing came courtesy of Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Special Reserve and a plum & oat madeira cake with orange drizzle icing and ginger pouring cream. This was my favourite pairing of the night as I thought that the sweet almond and vanilla tones of the whiskey matched the cake beautifully, while the whiskey's spicy tones were complemented by the warmth from the delectable ginger pouring cream.

Plum & oat madeira cake with Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Special Reserve

Next, vanilla and orange zest spiced mousse served in an adorably tiny little jar was paired with Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Single Malt. The vanilla and long citrus finish of this single distillery whiskey reminded the Mulliganers of Milky Way bars and orangette, leading them to create this zesty mousse. Although I thought the mousse reminded me of  my 80's childhood favourite, Angel Delight, it did pair well with the malt whiskey, as the two nicely rounded off each others corners.

I found the the Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Malt to be a very aromatic whiskey with lovely sherry  aromas. The Tullamore Dew team explained that this arose from the long aging process whereby the whiskey is moved between Bourbon, Dry Oloroso Sherry, Madeira and Port casks. Phew - that's a lot of effort!

Vanilla & orange zest spiced mousse with Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Single Malt

The last of our pairings consisted of Boyne Valley blue cheese, served with oatcakes, apple & grapefruit jelly and pomegranate seeds, paired with Tullamore Dew Year Old 10 Reserve. This was the least favourite of the pairings, as I found the whiskey to clash with this strong blue goat's cheese, causing an unwelcome sharp flavour in my mouth. Later, we were told that the original pairing was to involve Mossfield Organic, a Gouda-style cheddar, which I think would have worked much better.

Boyne Valley blue cheese with Tullamore Dew Year Old 10 Reserve

The tasting session finished up with a cocktail making challenge. Each table, or group, was given a cocktail shaker, a shot of whikey and a cocktail recipe. We drew a Chocolate Orange Old Fashioned, a challenge for which I felt adequately qualified. Thanks to the fabulous mixologist at Cliff Town House, I'm an expert in Chocolate Orange Old Fashioneds, so I set about the challenge with some gusto. And the best part - we won the challenge, receiving a gift card to spend at the bar later.

Unfortunatley, I was the designated driver for the night, so I was truly only "tasting" the whiskies and cocktail. Himself was the main beneficiary of the night, as he received all my whiskey surplus. However, I've got to admit that I kept all the desserts for myself! Somethings you can't share.

Overall we had a great night. I really can't recollect drinking Tullamore Dew in the past - iI'd go so far as to say that I had it confused with Irish Mist in my head. In fact, Tullamore Dew is a long established brand, being in existence since 1829, and is very popular abroad. It actually ranks as the No 2 whiskey in Eastern Europe.  Other interesting facts learned on the night include that the use of the word "dew" in the title is not an effort at lyricism, but instead arises from the initials of a manager in the early years of the distillery, a certain Mr. Daniel E. Williams. 

L. Mulligan Grocer will be running similar events in future, so keep an eye out for future dates via their blog, Twitter, or get added to their mailing list.