Last chance to order remaining
Game of Thrones Bottles
We’re down to our last remaining bottles from the Game of Thrones Single Malt Collection!
Order now to make sure you get yours!
This 30 year old expression is the second oldest in Highland Park’s range, and was released in 2013. A complex and award winning malt, that tops the bucket list of many whisky enthusiasts!
Was £650.00
SAVE 18%
What is Irish Whiskey?
Over the past decade, Irish whiskey has become huge. A drink with a long history, its popularity declined through the 20th century but it is now having a renaissance. Not only can you find it in bars and shops all over the world, but there are also new distilleries popping up all over Ireland. But what is it, where did it come from and how is it different to other types of whisk(e)y?
An excellent way to annoy a room full of Irish whiskey fans is to simply say ‘Didn’t the Scottish bring whisky making to Ireland?’ Similarly, you can annoy Scotch whisky fans by flipping it around. If you want to annoy everyone, claim it was the English.
There are many theories as to where whiskey making in Ireland and not a lot of evidence. The one that rings truest to me is that missionaries brought distillation to Ireland, primarily for making perfumes and medicines. The Irish modified the process, started distilling beer, and somewhere down the line whiskey was created.
A monk, caught in the act
However it appeared, by the middle of the 19th century Irish was the most popular whiskey in the world. But from the late 1800s onwards, there were a series of setbacks in Ireland that slowly wiped out the industry, leaving it a shadow of itself. The Irish War of Independence, the Irish Civil War, trade wars with England, prohibition in the USA, The Great Depression and the two world wars all took their toll. When writer Alfred Barnard visited Ireland in 1887, there were 28 distilleries making whiskey. By the early 1980s, there were just two.
In 1987, the Teeling family opened Cooley distillery, sowing the seeds of recovery. Over the past 30 years, that recovery has continued, and there are now more than 50 distilleries either in operation, being built or in the planning stages across Ireland.
The Irish Whiskey Act defines four types of whiskey:
A pot still, the traditional still of Ireland – used to make malt and, obviously, pot still whiskey
Irish Malt Whiskey – this has a very similar definition to malt whisk(e)y from around the world, and is made from just malted barley, water and yeast, and must be distilled in a pot still.
Irish Grain Whiskey – this is made using a mixture of malted barley (a maximum of 30% of the mash) as well as whole other grains, and is distilled using column stills.
Irish Pot Still Whiskey – this is the most traditional of Irish whiskey styles, and until recently it wasn’t found outside of Ireland. It uses a mixture of malted barley, unmalted barley and, optionally, other grains, and is distilled in pot stills. The recipe must include at least 30% of both malted and unmalted barley, and a maximum of 5% of other grains.
Irish Blended Whiskey – a mixture of at least two of the three types of whiskey above.
Irish whiskey is usually triple distilled, making a lighter style of spirit than the normally double-distilled Scottish whiskies. However, Irish distillers can legally double distil if they wish.
Most companies do triple distil, but most of Cooley’s whiskeys, including Connemara and Tyrconnell, are only distiled twice.
There are many theories and stories, but the one that makes most sense to me is from the years of Irish whiskey’s dominance around the world.
With Irish whiskey so popular, other producers – including those from Scotland – started making whiskey of a similar style to try and compete. Sometimes these whiskies had a shady background, with Scottish whisky shipped to Ireland to be blended with a small amount of young Irish spirit before labelling as Irish whisky, and the genuine Irish producers needed a way to distinguish themselves – hence the added E.
It was far from standard for all distillers, and into the early 20th century you can still see Irish whiskey spelled without the E. However, over the decades it’s settled down, and now all Irish distillers use the E and Scottish distillers go without.
Highland Park 2002 Single Cask – Loch Fyne Whiskies Exclusive
We’re down to our very last bottles of Highland Park 2002 Single Cask – Loch Fyne Whiskies Exclusive!
Awarded Liquid Gold in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2019 with a score of 96 points!
This release from Highland Park’s Single Cask Series is exclusive to Loch Fyne Whiskies. Distilled on Orkney in 2002 and matured in a single refill butt (number 3374) for 15 years before being chosen for bottling for our customers in 2018. Only 458 bottles have been filled, each one at a natural cask strength of 58.4% abv. Described by Jim Murray as “breathtaking to the point of whisky life changing”!
On Wednesday the 21st of February Wemyss Malts hosted a tasting, in collaboration with The Whisky Wire, that showcased the epic 35 year old single cask Caol Ila and this is what participants had to say:
– Steve Rush, THE WHISKY WIRE
– Alex @LEEDSWINE
-Whiskydaddy @JOTTERFACE
A whisky for whisky lovers now available at our online shop
Sitting proudly in our 100% sherry seasoned Soleo Collection, distinctive for its higher strength and no-age statement bottling, The Glenrothes Whisky Maker’s Cut is a distinguished dram that has quickly captured the attention of whisky lovers everywhere.
Created at the preferred strength of our Master Whisky Maker Gordon Motion, this stand-out single malt has been bottled at an ABV of 48.8%, providing an exceptional complexity and depth of flavour. This whisky reveals aromas of resin and fresh oak, with a rich, creamy vanilla and orange peel palate, building to a long, fruity finish.
The Whisky Maker’s Cut was matured only in first fill sherry seasoned casks to give more of the specific characteristics of each cask profile to the whisky. The perfect combination of American oak to bring out the sweetness and European oak to provide the more spicy, resinous character.
The Glenrothes Soleo Collection 10 Year Old, 12 Year Old, Whisky Maker’s Cut and 18 Year Old can be purchased directly from our online shop. We currently ship to 27 countries. Please note that we are not currently able to ship any of The Glenrothes bottles to the USA from our website due to legal restrictions. We are working to resolve this as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.
The Whisky Maker’s Penicillin
Shake all the ingredients together and garnish with a twist of orange peel to highlight the whisky’s citric notes. Serve in a tumbler or short glass.
News from the distillery
Rothes house shares the same road as the town’s graveyard (which sits next to our distillery) and many folk who walk up struggle on the steep brae. We have now donated a bench on that road to give them the chance to take a seat for a breather on the way there.
Glenmorangie “Allta” Private Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $99.99 View
Balblair 21 Year “The Macphail’s Collection” Gordon & Macphail Single Malt Scotch (750ml) (Elsewhere $160) $109.99 View
Linkwood 21 Year Old Gordon & Macphail Speyside Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $170) $109.99 View
Old Pulteney 21 Year Old “The Macphail’s Collection” Gordon & MacPhail Single Malt Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $170) $109.99 View
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
There are few things many whisky connoisseurs love more than a good Single Cask whisky. We have a fantastic selection here at The Whisky Shop.
Take a look at our top picks.
Unique | Different | Interesting
MACALLAN EXCEPTIONAL SINGLE CASK 8167/02
Available now
Relaunched in 2017, the Macallan Exceptional Single Cask series is responsible for some truly spectacular single cask expressions from the 1990s which are often reported to be some of the greatest expressions the distillery has ever released.
This single cask, #8167/02, was distilled on 9th September 2002 and matured in a European oak sherry puncheon for 15 years before being bottled on 2nd May 2018. Selected for the series by Macallan Whisky Maker Sarah Burgess, this expression is limited to just 627 bottles at a cask strength of 60.1% abv.
Learn more here
GLEN SCOTIA 2006 BOURBON CASK THE WHISKY SHOP EXCLUSIVE
Distilled in December 2006 and matured in a single first-fill ex-bourbon barrel for eleven years, this Campbeltown single malt was bottled exclusively for The Whisky Shop in April 2018. Just 212 bottles have been filled, each one presented at a cask strength of 55.6% abv.
The nose has juicy fruit notes with a trace of vanilla and a subtle maritime influence. The palate is smooth, with sweet notes from the bourbon cask adding to the classic salty Campbeltown character. The finish brings a gentle spice with oak notes lingering.
Learn more here
TAMDHU 30 YEAR OLD PLATINUM OLD & RARE
Now in stock
Distilled at Speyside’s Tamdhu distillery in July 1987, this single cask bottling from Hunter Laing & Co.’s Platinum Old & Rare Selection has been matured in a single sherry butt for three decades. Bottled in July 2017 free from chill-filtration and without articial colouring, only 533 bottles have been produced at a natural cask strength of 53.9% abv.
The nose has orange marmalade and candied sweetness with a touch of apricot. The palate brings dried fruits with subtle spices and rich smooth toffee alongside massive sherry notes. The finish has more complex fruits and a developing sweet note atop a hint of honey.
Learn more here
THE LOCH FYNE SPRINGBANK 28 YEAR OLD
This single cask from Loch Fyne Whiskies in Inveraray was distilled at Campbeltown’s Springbank distillery in 1989 and matured for almost three decades before bottling in 2018 produced just 211 bottles. Presented at a natural cask strength of 40.07% abv, this limited edition was awarded the accolade of Liquid Gold in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2019.
Described as “a big, soft, archetypal Springbank that delivers an encyclopaedia of aromas and flavours, from honeyed sweetness to spiced ripe fruit with a long, warming and delicate finish.”
Learn more here
Round One winners for the 2019 World Whiskies Awards were announced in London on Thursday night, and we’re happy to share that we won two categories and two gold medals!
The category wins mean we’re in the running again for World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt when the final results are announced in late March.
Here are the results:
WINNER: Best Australian Single Cask Single Malt 13-20 years – French Oak Single Cask HH0520
WINNER: Best Australian Single Cask Single Malt 12 years & Under – French Oak Single Cask TD0217
GOLD: Australian Single Cask Single Malt 12 years & Under – Special Cask TD0119
GOLD: Australian Single Cask Single Malt 13-20 years – American Oak Single Cask HH0337
If you were lucky to pick up a bottle of one of these whiskies when they were released, congratulations!
As always, it’s you, our loyal supporters, that allow us to make the world’s best single malt whiskies, so from all of us at Sullivans Cove – Thank you!
EDENCROFT FINE WINES
Glenfiddich / 21 Year Old Reserva Rum Cask Finish.
After maturing their whisky for 21 years, the Glenfiddich Malt Master adds even warmer and richer flavours by uniquely finishing this single malt in first fill bourbon barrels that once contained rum from the Caribbean.
The rum-soaked cask infuses the aged whisky with a spicy warmth and indulgent vanilla and toffee sweetness, the character of the Caribbean shining through. This gives our whisky a sumptuous sweet intensity that is both rich and creamy yet still retains the unmistakable character of Glenfiddich.
Free Unique cask stave key fob with each bottle. Present your stave at the distillery and they will reward you with an exclusive members-only tour, followed by a special tasting session.
Edencroft Wines & Spirits
8-10 Hospital Street – Nantwich – Cheshire – CW5 5RJ.
01270 629975
