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The Whiskey Trail, Taste the Spirit of Ireland

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12 Best Irish Whiskeys 2019

12 Best Irish Whiskeys 2019

Top 12 Irish Whiskeys Hand Picked by The Whiskey Trail Team

What an amazing year this has been for Irish Whiskey and the future looks bright. We have compiled a list of our favourite 12 Best Irish Whiskeys of 2019 that we have tried, tasted and reviewed over the last year.

With the release of so many great whiskeys this year we couldn’t try them all, but we did try. This year really saw some exceptional releases such as the Redbreast Dream Cask series, Redspot 15 years old and possibly my favourite the Glendalough 13 Mizanara release. We look back to some amazing drams that won awards this year like the Irishman 17 year old and Sonny Molloy’s Redbreast (it really was a great year for Redbreast check out their new look bottles here.) Not to mention the most expensive Irish whickey ever sold on release from JJ.Corry which hopefully I get to sample some day.

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Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Single Malt Whiskey Review

Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Single Malt Whiskey Review

Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Single Malt Whiskey

The winner of World Best Irish Whiskey, was the first Irish Whiskey released with a Japanese minuzara finish. Extremely rare, and expensive, virgin Japanese mizunara, comes from Hokkaido, the rugged most northern island of Japan. The mizunara puncheon amplifies much of what is already there while layering on more vanilla smoothness, sandalwood notes and even a little coconut, or gorse flower if you’re from our neck of the woods. This is a whiskey that’s hard to make. It is unique in terms of what is being done with Irish whiskey and it is very limited. This is one to savour.

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The Irishman 17 Year Old Whiskey Review

The Irishman 17 Year Old Whiskey Review

The Irishman 17-Year-Old Single Malt – Irish Single Cask Release

The Irishman 17 Year Old Single Malt was first released in 2016 to mark Walsh Whiskey Distillery’s seventeen years in business and a momentous year for the Walsh family with the commissioning of the Distillery at Royal Oak.

The Irishman 17 Year Old is a superlative Single Malt from a single cask resulting from 17 years maturation in a first fill Sherry Butt.  The signet of this exceptional whiskey is its rich deep flavour of great warmth. This super-premium, triple distilled Irish whiskey is bottled at 56% ABV and non-chill filtered. With only 1,800 bottles of The Irishman 17-Year-Old Single Malt released in selected markets in 2018, it is one of Walsh Whiskey Distillery’s most exclusive expressions.

“The quality of competition across all categories is testament to the fantastic industry we have here in Ireland. The Irish Whiskey Awards are the equivalent of the Oscars for the industry and we are honoured to hold the title of Best Irish Whiskey 2019”.

Bernard Walsh

The Irishman 17-Year-Old Single Malt has been announced at the Irish Single Cask of the Year in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2019, which is the world’s leading whisky guide. Now in its 16th year, Murray’s Whisky Bible is said to be the most comprehensive and thoroughly researched series of whisky tasting notes and scores.

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Irish Whiskey of the Year 2019

OCTOBER 18th 2019: The Irishman 17-Year-Old Single Malt, produced by Walsh Whiskey, has been awarded the highest accolade at this year’s Irish Whiskey Awards.

Crowned overall Irish Whiskey of the Year at the annual event, the accolade tops off what has been a fantastic year for The Irishman 17-Year-Old Single Malt. It was also named Best Irish Single Cask Whiskey at the Irish Whiskey Awards on top of taking home a Masters medal at the Irish Whiskey Masters earlier this year and being crowned Irish Single Cask of the Year by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2019.

Tasting Notes: 

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The Irishman 17 Year Old Single Malt

The Irishman 17-Year-Old Single Malt is an extremely limited release, with just three casks of 600 bottles per cask produced each year. Originally released in 2016 to mark Walsh Whiskey’s 17th year in business, the expression has become a must-have in any whiskey enthusiast’s collection.

Nose

The influence of the Sherry cask is forever present, with notes of dark chocolate.

Taste

This is filled with a beautiful toasted oak and sweet sherried raisins giving a complexity that is satisfying to the palate.

Finish

The finish comes in a combination of nutty oloroso sherry as well as a dark chocolate that begs to continue.

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Where to drink: The Irishman 17 Year Old

Try it in Dick Mack’s Pub in Dingle who have been serving up liquid refreshments since 1899. As a dual-function pub you will find beer and a fine selection of whiskeys on one half of the bar, and a leather shop on the other. Explore the bar and adjoining rooms where the Mac Donnell family lived until recent times, or just get tucked into one of the snugs in the bar and absorb the atmosphere of this unchanged Irish pub.

Every Whiskey Tells a Story, What Will Yours Be?

Sláinte from The Whiskey Trail

#EatDrinkExplore – By Paul Kavanagh

Midleton Very Rare 2019 Whiskey Review

Midleton Very Rare 2019 Whiskey Review

The 36th edition in the renowned and highly collectable range has been masterfully blended from whiskeys laid down at Midleton Distillery, Co Cork, over the past four decades. Crafted by Master Distiller Brian Nation, Midleton Very Rare 2019 combines only hand-selected single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys. This is Irish Whiskey of exceptional quality and rarity within the Midleton inventory. With each whiskey having been matured exclusively in lightly-charred ex-bourbon American oak barrels for between 13 and 34 years. 2019 marks the oldest collection of casks used to create a Midleton Very Rare.

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