[Listing] Whiskey Tastings from Celtic Whiskey Shop

The great resource that is the Celtic Whiskey shop on Dawson Street have announced a series of whiskey tastings. It doesn't matter if you're a fan of whiskey with or without the "e", there's a tasting to suit everybody. Ticket numbers are limited for all events and can be purchased instore at the Celtic Whiskey Shop or by phone (01) 675 9744. Events are strictly for ticket holders, and children cannot be accomodated.

Michael's 4 Nations Whisk(e)y Tasting
This evening will see whiskies from the four best whisk(e)y producing countries; Ireland, Scotland, the USA and Japan, with a superb collection of very different whisk(e)y styles to enjoy.
Cost: €25
When: Thursday, February 21st
Venue: Against the Grain, Wexford Street, Dublin

St Patrick's Whiskey Tasting
Obviously this tasting will feature only Irish whiskey, with eight different whiskies available for tasting. There should be hot contention for the title of favourite.
Cost: €25
When: Thursday, March 14th
Venue: Against the Grain, Wexford Street, Dublin

Coastal Tour of Scotland Whisky Tasting
Enjoy a tour of the coastline of Scotland with some real gems on tasting, featuring a selection of well-known and lesser-known drams.
Cost: €25
When: Thursday, April 18th
Venue: Against the Grain, Wexford Street, Dublin

Speyside Whisky Tasting
This year, the annual whisky trip will be heading to Speyside around October. This tasting will help get you in the mood.
Cost: €25
When: Thursday, May 16th
Venue: Against the Grain, Wexford Street, Dublin

Islay Whisky Tasting
Islay is many peoples favourite whisky region and this tasting is bound to be very popular. A whisky from each of the island's distilleries will be compared.
Cost: €30
When: Thursday, June 13th
Venue: Against the Grain, Wexford Street, Dublin

4th July USA Whiskey Tasting
This evening will hopefully be a mix of great American whiskies with some live music and food. The demand for American whiskey is growing every year and this tasting will show both the quality and differing styles.
Cost: €35
When: Thursday, July 4th
Venue: Against the Grain, Wexford Street, Dublin

[Listing] Wine Classes in Cork and a Burns Tasting Night

Wine Classes in Cork at L'Atitude 51

Cork wine bar and cafe L'Atitude 51 will start their next series of wine appreciation classes on Saturday, January 19th at 3.30pm. Classes will be held upstairs in their first floor Wine Workshop, overlooking the River Lee. Attedance at all 4 classes is not mandatory, but it is recommended to attend the very first session where the techniques of wine tasting are explained.

Classes cost €25 each, with the complete set of four classes available for a discounted price of €90. Get in touch with L'Atitude as soon as possible, as spaces are limited. Further information is available from their website here.

Burns Tasting Night

In a recent email from the Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson Street, I received news of a Burns Tasting Night, to be held on Friday, January 25th. The night promises a traditional Burns Night feast of haggis, neeps and tatties, all washed down with a number of great whiskies. Hopefully, there will even be a bagpipe player in attendance to pipe in the haggis.

Tickets cost €30, and are available from the Celtic Whiskey Shop, or by phone (01) 675 9744. Numbers are limited and the event is for ticket holders only. Regretfully, children cannot be accomodated at the event. The fun kicks off at Against The Grain on Wexford Street at 7.30 pm.

Whiskey Events at L. Mulligan Grocer and W.J Kavanagh's

Following on from the news of Food & Wine Magazine's Tullamore Dew tastings, which takes place this Wednesday and Thursday, I have also  received word of some more "Whiskey Week" events. These events will be hosted by whiskey-loving L. Mulligan Grocer and W.J. Kavanagh's.

Single Pot Still Tasting

W.J. Kavanagh's

Wednesday, May 23rd @ 7.30 p.m. €12.50

Seamus Lowry from Irish Distilleries will conduct a single pot still evening where attendees will get to sample a Redbreast 12 year old, Redbreast 12 year old cask strength, Power 12 year old John's Lane Release and finally, the fantastic Middleton Barry Crocket Legacy. Our representative from the Midleton Distillery will also have some cask samples of age single pot stills for you to try and who knows, may also pull a rabbit out of the hat. 

Ireland vs Scotland Head to Head

W.J. Kavanagh's

Thursday, May 24th @ 7.30 p.m. €17.50

Whisky Magazine editor Rob Allanson and L. Mulligan Grocer / W.J. Kavangh's Michael Fogarty go head to head in a Scotland vs Ireland Whisk(e)y tasting to determine whether the spirit with an 'e' or without is superior. Last year, the introduction of a surprise (and illegal!) fifth whiskey sealed the deal for the home nation. This year, a food element has been added to the tasting. Will Fivemiletown Irish Goat's Cheese inch out Black Crowdie? Or Burren Smoked salmon trump over Lochmuir Smoked Salmon in this inter-Celt showdown?

Two Whisk(e)y Dinners

W.J. Kavanagh's

Friday, May 25th @ 7.00 p.m. €35.00

On the eve of Whiskey Live, W.J. Kavanagh's are delighted to host the global brand ambassadors from two of the world's leading distillery groups for two very distinct dinners.

Around the Whisky World with Beam Global Whisky Dinner

A special evening treat with the chance to meet John Cashman (Global Brand Ambassador for Irish whiskey within Beam Global), Simon Brooking (Scotch Master Ambassador) and Fred Booker Noe (great grandson of Jim Beam and the Jim Beam Small Batch Bourbon Distiller) for an evening of fine food matched with whiskies from the Beam portfolio. All food and whiskey is included in the price.

Bowmore Whisky Dinner

Join Gordon Dundas from Islay's oldest working distillery, Bowmore, as he guides you through this magical smokey dram matched with fine food and sample some edible peat. All food and whisky is included in the price. 

For menus, please visit the W.J. Kavanagh's website

http://www.wjkavanaghs.com/2012/05/whiskey-dinners-friday-25th-may.html

All of the above Whiskey Week Events can be booked through www.bookwhen.com/d25us

Tullamore Dew Whiskey Dublin Tastings

Way back in October 2011 I attended a tasting of Tullamore Dew whiskies at L. Mulligan Grocer in Stoneybatter. We were led through a selection of whiskies, each matched to a food course. The night was informative and fun, helped by the fact that our table won the cocktail making competition.

Now Food & Wine magazine has teamed up with Tullamore Dew to offer two Dublin-based tastings to Food & Wine readers. The masterclass will be hosted by a Tullamore Dew whiskey expert who will guide the guests through the range, and answer any questions that may arise. In addition, there will also be a chance to win tickets to Whiskey Live 2012, which takes place in the Mansion House on May 25th.

Details of the two events are given below, with tickets costing €15 per person. To book, please call Sarah Curry on (01) 240 5387 or scurrey@harmonia.ie.

• When: Wednesday May 23rd 7pm - 8pm
• Where: O'Neill's, 2 Suffolk St., Dublin 2

 

• When: Thursday May 24th 8pm - 9pm
• Where: The Duke, 9 Duke St., Dublin 2

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.

Recent Irish food winners

I'm dedicating this post to some excellent Irish food & drink producers. In recent days, I've read of wins abroad for Irish cheese manufacturers Knockdrinna at the British Cheese Awards 2011, while at home, we've been busy celebrating great Irish produce through events such as the Blas na hÉireann National Irish Food Awards. Later this month, Irish food producers and enthusiasts will gather at Savour Kilkenny to continue the celebration of all that is good and great about Irish food. 

Based purely on my personal preferences, I am going to write about three different producers, each of whose products I like for different reasons. One is an old childhood friend, one is relaxing in front of a fire and one is made from caprine milk (well, goat's milk). 

The childhood friend - Folláin

I grew up in the Muskerry Gaeltacht (Gaeltacht Mhúscraí) and one way of earning a few bob in the summertime was to pick blackberries and other soft fruit for the small, local jam factory. We'd head to the fields with an empty bucket (formerly used to hold caustic soda for cleaning the milking machine) and pick blackberries from the briars. Every day I'd eagerly anticipate the small fortune that was to be made, but of course, by the end of the day, I'd have purple lips and tongue, while my bucket was definitely not overflowing.

The local jam factory was Folláin, which started by producing a grapefruit marmalade in 1983, based on a O'Lionáird family recipe. This family-run business is a true success story, growing from a small kitchen enterprise to a fully-equipped and high-tech production facility, while still remaining rooted in the small village of Cúil Aodha. While I've always loved their jams and preserves, my real love lies with their range of relishes, particularly the Fire Roasted Pepper and Exotic Fruit relishes.

Folláin Red Pepper & Exotic Fruit relishes

My favourite is the Exotic Fruit Relish, although 2fm DJ Rick O'Shea from is a well-known fan of the Fire Roasted Pepper Relish. It's delicious as the base to a cheese toastie, or else served with cheese and crackers. 

Folláin have found a profitable side to their business in the production of own-label products for different supermarket chains and their quality was recognised at the Blas na hÉireann 2011 awards where their Supreme Fire Roasted Pepper Relish for Supervalu and Irish Country Relish Chargrilled Pepper for Aldi took Gold & Silver respectively in the Pickles & Chutneys category.

There's an old Irish saying "Is maith an t-anlann an t-ocras", which translates as "Hunger is a great sauce". Let me tell you, the old Irish folk got it all wrong, they really meant to say "Is maith an t-anlann Folláin" or "Folláin is a great sauce"

The fireside friend - Cooley Distillery

Irish whiskey is mainly dominated by large multinationals these days, and only one independently owned distillery remains in the country - Cooley Distillery. When created in 1987, it was the first new distillery in Irleand in over a century and it set about revitalising some old Irish whiskey brands as well as restoring the Old Kilbeggan Distillery.

Greenore, one of the Cooley brands, is a single grain whiskey, made with corn and aged in bourbon casks. Different age statements are available, and I'm particularly fond of the 8 year version. It's a smooth whiskey with tastes of caramel and toffee and makes for very easy drinking. It comes in a very attractive thick glass bottle  with clear labelling which allows the colour of the whiskey to shine through. In 2010, Greenore was awarded a Best in Class and a World Whiskeys Awards Best in Class. I'm not sure how readily available it is, but I have seen it for sale in the Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson Street for €32.99

Greenore 8 Year (Image taken from Celtic Whiskey Shop)

Like Folláin, Cooley Distillery also manufactures spirits for own brand labels, and they too were successful in the recent Blas na hÉireann 2011 awards, where their Avoca Aged Blended Irish Whiskey and Avoca Irish Whiskey took Gold and Bronze respectively in the Spirits & Liquers category.  My bottle of Greenore 8 is coming to an end, so I called into Aldi to buy the Avoca Aged Whiskey, which sells at the attractive price of  €19.99. It's ever so slightly darker in colour than the Greenore, and is similarly smooth tasting. The flavours are sweet with a bit more wood than the Greenore. Personally, I'll be sticking to Greenore for my nightcaps, but when you consider price, the Avoca is good whiskey to have on your shelf.

Avoca Aged Blended Irish Whiskey

The Farmyard Friend - Knockdrinna

Kilkenny-based Kockdrinna has been making cheese since 2004 and now their range covers cow's, sheep and goat's milk cheeses. Their new goat's cheese Kilree swept the boards at the British Cheese Awards 2011, being named Supreme Champion in addition to winning the Best Irish Cheese & Best Semi-Soft Cheese.

My favourite Knockdrinna cheese, however, is the wonder Knockdrinna Snow. Made from goat's milk, it gets its name from the velvety snow-white rind. It is firm when young, but matures into melting softness. It has the most wonderful lustrous, pearl-like white colour,  making it a feast for the eyes. Once you've finished gazing, you can get on with grazing as it is delicious smeared on cheese biscuits. I get my Knockdrinna  from Sheridan's Cheesemongers, but it can also be bought online directly from the farm.

Knockdrinna Snow Goat's Cheese (Picture from Knockdrinna)

That's the end of my celebratory post of Irish food and drink. As I said earlier, these products are chosen purely on my personal preferences and childhood memories. I'm sure that everyone will have their own favourite candidates. Why don't you share your favourites with me, and take the time to explain why they are your favoruites. Perhaps I'll discover some great new products, thanks to your recommendations!

Old Kilbeggan Distillery, Co Westmeath

The word whiskey descends from the Irish words "Uisce Beatha", which translate direcly as "Water of Life". Due to the similarities between the Irish language and Scots Gaelic, the Scots use the variation "whisky" for their national spirit. Currently, Scotland supports about 90 distilleries, while Ireland has just a mere 4, albeit each producing several whiskies. Only one company remains independant, Cooley Whiskey, which has resurrected the Kilbeggan Whiskey brand and invested in the Old Kilbeggan Distillery.

The town of Kilbeggan is located a few minutes off the M4 motorway between Dublin & Galway, on the old N6 road. It's just over an hour from Dublin, and it's well worth making a detour to visit the charming Old Kilbeggan Distillery. Located on the main street of Kilbeggan, the distillery is housed in an old set of whitewashed buildings. Daily guided, multilingual tours are available, or alternatively, it is possible to take a self-guided tour and explore the distillery at your leisure (This was our chosen option at €7.00 each).

Clutching the sheets of paper which comprised our guide, we set off to explore. The guide takes you through a sequence of numbered features scattered amongst the gigantic copper tuns (vats) and massive toothed gear wheels of the original water-powered machinery. Outside, the local river is dammed to provide a steady flow to the water wheel, and it is pretty amazing to think how the smooth-flowing small river  powers the rotating iron gears and cogs that run throughout the building.

Chimney at the Old Kilbeggan Distillery

Gears from the water wheel at the Old Kilbeggan Distillery

The leaflet was full of straightforward facts and numbers, as well as providing some amusing insights into how the workers "acquired" the benefits of working in a whiskey distillery. Some of these perks were highly guarded secrets such as the pipe which ran from underneath the spirit receivers connected to the stills. From this, the workers could tap their own supply of the clear unaged spirit that would eventually become whiskey. Outside in the yard, it is possible to see copper stills which would have been used to distill the whiskey from a wash to a clear spirit ready for casking. Unfortunately, the stills on display are not the originals, which were sold for copper scrap in the 1960s, but they are old, coming from B. Daly's Distillery, Tullamore. Spent wash, which was not distilled into sprits but still contained alcohol, was dumped into the river where it had the effect of temporarily knocking out the fish, until they were washed downstream and literally sobered up.

Copper still at the Old Kilbeggan Distillery

There are rules and regulations which govern the production of Irish whiskey. They are relatively simple - whiskey must be distilled and aged in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. The contained spirits must be distilled to an ABV of less than 94.8% from a yeast-fermented mash of cereal grains and lastly, the whiskey must be aged for at least three years in wooden casks. Thus, any distillery will have large amounts of wooden casks laid down at any given time containing whiskey that is maturing and aging.

Commemorative whiskey casks at the Old Kilbeggan Distillery

The last portion of our tour including a little tasting of Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey in the little bar. The standard Kilbeggan whiskey is a smooth, sweet spirit with a malty finish. Other more matured versions are also available, and we took home a bottle of 8 year old Greenore Single Grain Irish Whiskey. It's made from maize/corn and aged for 8 years in first fill ex-bourbon casks. Like it's relation, it's a sweet whiskey, with tastes of vanilla and caramel and is a lovely whiskey to drink neat.

Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey at the Old Kilbeggan Distillery

The Old Kilbeggan Distillery is a wonderful location to visit. It hasn't been glossed and polished to within an inch of its life. Instead, it's been bought back to working condition and the factory is allowed to sing its own song. The air in the yards is fragrant with alcohol aromas and it's not hard to imagine the hustle and bustle that once filled the buildings.