Walsh Whiskey – from Carlow to Sicily and back
Walsh Whiskey unveil two new Irish Whiskeys
On a beautiful Thursday morning in late August, 20 intrepid whiskey evangelists headed to Walsh Whiskey Distillery by invitation from the owner Bernard Walsh and his team. Taking the bus to the Distillery in County Carlow members of the Irish Whiskey Society, Aviators Whiskey Society and some select industry representatives headed south with one thing on their mind – Irish whiskey.
The reason for the select invite was the unveiling of two new expressions of Walsh Whiskey’s portfolio, but we will get to them later on. When our happy bunch of whiskey lovers arrived, we were met by the whole Walsh whiskey team and treated to cocktails made with The Irishman Founders Reserve. We were then led around the distillery by the head distillery guide – Woody Kane.
Woody led us through the whole process of whiskey production from grain to glass. As you can see from the pictures, we were allowed to get up close and personal with a lot of the processes. What I liked about the tour, coming from a guiding background, was the depth of knowledge and ability to smell and really engage with the process while Woody kept a watchful eye on health and safety. Woody led us through each stage and took many questions from this highly formidable gathering of whiskey lovers.
Near the end of our tour, we were led up to a sunny room to be educated about the great developments from Walsh Whiskey over the last few years. For us at Dublin Whiskey Tours, the distillery is a nearly perfect enterprise, great whiskeys, investment in the local community, farm to glass, and many more commendable initiatives. Owner Bernard Walsh has obviously spent the best part of over a decade getting to this stage – and it was really enlightening to see where they are going.
We then got to taste the two whiskeys – The Irishman Founders Reserve, finished for 12 months in a Florio Marsala Cask, and The Irishman Single Malt, 12-year-old that was also aged for a year in similar casks and comes bottled at cask strength. The casks in question have been handpicked by Bernard and the team at Florio Marsala winery. The whiskey has been left to infuse in the Marsala casks for over 12 months, and then are brought back to the Carlow distillery to be bottled.
We were led through the tasting by long-time brand ambassador – Shane Fitzharris. To say that the whiskeys are outstanding is an understatement. The Founders Reserve is loaded with sweet vanilla spice, berries and a beautiful nutty finish. The lovely finish the marsala cask has given the whiskey and will be available to retail soon.
The cask strength version will be released with only 320 bottles for sale and comes in a beautiful wooden collector’s box. This dram is bursting with dark chocolate, sultanas, drenched Christmas fruit and spice, adding a splash of water brings even more to the table.
After the tasting and lots of great conversations, we headed down for lunch, and finally after a day well spent, we headed back up to the city. To any whiskey lover out there, this has to be your first distillery to visit when in Ireland. It has set the bar really high and for that, all the team need to be commended.
Andrew Rooney, founder of Dublin Whiskey Tours
Dublin Whiskey Tours – © 2017
Dublin Whiskey Tours offer you the perfect introduction to Irish whiskey in the heart of Dublin city. You will get to sample five great tipples while relaxing in some of the best bars the city has to offer. We offer a tour to suit every budget – choose from our Whiskey Tasting Tour, Premium Food & Whiskey, or our Deluxe Food & Whiskey. We can also organise whiskey events or parties for any size business – check our Corporate page for details.
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