When the Powerscourt Distillery first released sourced whiskey under their Fercullen brand name there was a big play stating the Head Distiller – Noel Sweeney – had a part in distilling the original liquid during his tenure at Cooley Distillery. Now Noel has moved on from Powerscourt they have a new distiller – Paul Corbett, who himself came from Clonakilty Distillery – does the personality of the distiller make a difference to the perception of a whiskey? It clearly does in some circles. Individuals obviously do make a difference – but is Fercullen trying to re-create a Noel Sweeney style of ..read more

With America being the largest export market for Irish Whiskey it’s no wonder there’s a whole plethora of brands that feature on liquor store shelves across the pond that are never seen in their home country. Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey is one of them. The name honours the 69th US Army Regiment, initially founded in 1849 as an Irish militia in New York. The brand taps into this rich historical regiment with a label featuring many aspects of this celebrated fighting unit – which you can read about in the website here. I failed to find any information as to which Irish Distillery – or distille ..read more

I’m a sucker for food servings including a beer or whiskey influence. Steak & Stout Crisps were just up my street – so I bought them. As crisps they are suitably savoury with a superior crunch – as the label states. There’s a dry BBQ style of taste going on which is quite pleasant. It appears however the steak influence is achieved via flavours & the stout is from seasoning. Considering crisps are about as far away from the texture of actual steak or the liquidity of stout – it’s pretty amazing they can create flavours to mimic the real things. Pity I was all out of porter to wash t ..read more

The past few years have witnessed a massive growth curve in the sales & appreciation of Tequila & Mezcal. This is mainly being experienced in the USA where Tequila now outsells Whiskey. This has not gone unnoticed in other countries that are perfectly capable of growing agave. There is just one hurdle however. Unlike whiskey or rum, that can be made anywhere in the world, Tequila & Mezcal have GI – Geographical Identification status. They can only be produced in Mexico – and specific areas in that country too. Bourbon also has GI status for America. 3 countries meanwhile have inve ..read more

I was attracted by the bright colours of this crisp packet – as well as the whiskey connection. These are sourced crisps made in Ireland for Dunnes Stores by Glens Of Antrim Potatoes. Whiskey Smoked Bacon Seasoning (8%) provides the whiskey element – although I got more of a meaty smoked paprika taste myself. I really enjoyed these crisps – richly flavoured as they are. Herself found them a little too much – so I ended up scoffing more than half the pack! Nice one Dunnes! Sláinte Glens Of Antrim Potatoes pototopro page here ..read more

McCormack’s Irish Whiskey was brought to my attention by a random tweet featuring a photo of a French supermarket spirits shelf. The discussion mainly revolved around the varying prices brought about by the taxes charged in the respective countries – but what interested me was the fact that sitting beside a well known staple – Bushmills – is a brand unheard of in Ireland – McCormack’s. A bit of digging reveals it to be a West Cork Distillers brand. For it to be listed in LeClerc stores suggests it’s quite a big seller. A European Supermarket Magazine article from January 2024 has E.Leclerc a ..read more

I picked this Radler up in a Mercadona Supermarket en España. Steinburg appears to have originated in Belgium. Most Radlers benefit by being consumed cold – & Steinburg is no exception. There’s a degree of fresh citrus on this one – yet still lacks that little bit of zing found in others. Refreshingly revitalising in the heat nonetheless. Sláinte ..read more

I’m still not exactly sure what sophisticated drinking is. It appears to involve cocktails. I like my whiskey neat – so I suppose that makes me unsophisticated. Regardless of the book’s title – it does explore the histories, stories, characters & tales of 7 major drinks categories. Brandy Vodka Whisky Rum Gin Tequila & Champagne I found it a highly entertaining, informative & enjoyable read. Just one tale illustrates. In 1852 Charles-Camille Heidsieck was touring America to promote his champagne. With the onset of Civil War Camille ran into a spot of bother, prison & ill heal ..read more

The Pogues Streams Of Whiskey is the 3rd version of Pogues Whiskey to hit the shelves. All of them are presented in visually striking bottles. Black was the colour of the 1st one. A blended Irish Whiskey hailing from West Cork Distillers. Dunnes Stores stocked this at one stage. Red signified the Irish Single Malt version – also sourced from West Cork Distillers. Purple is the choice of this 3rd edition. Also a blended whiskey but representing the London-born-to-Irish-parents-heritage of The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan, Streams Of Whiskey is a High malt blend of whiskies distilled in Irelan ..read more

One of the Irish Whiskeys uncovered in my sojourn to ProWein in Germany was Kerrighan’s. I had a very quick sample as the show was coming to a close & found it an easy going blended Irish Whiskey. On searching for further details it appears to be a Great Northern Distillery offering for a French distribution company by the name of Les Producteurs Réunis. It’s certainly flying the Green for Irish Whiskey in France! Their website also showcases many other brands spanning various spirits categories. Pity I didn’t have time to explore more of them at the show! Sláinte Les Producteurs Réunis ..read more