WORDS
Chris Madigan
“Single malt” is not a phrase immediately associated with Ireland – in fact, it’s strange to see the spelling “single-malt whiskey”. Traditionally, the long-established Irish distilleries (notably Midleton, home in Cork to Jameson et al) have tended to concentrate on that Irish peculiarity, pot-still whiskey. The exception is Bushmills, which not only has a core range of age-statement single malts (10, 16 and 21 years old) but also releases rarities under the umbrella of the Causeway Collection.
Bushmills Giant’s Causeway Single Malts
The Old Bushmills Distillery, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, is physically closer to Scotland than it is to Cork (Islay is just over 30 miles across the Irish Sea), so it is perhaps not surprising it has become the pre-eminent Irish single-malt whiskey producer. The mythical old path built by the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (aka Finn MacCool) to connect the two nations, according to the Fenian Cycle of legends, seems an appropriate reference for these whiskeys. And, given that the real hexagonal rock columns of the Giant’s Causeway are just three miles away on the coast, and the water used to distil Bushmills flows through the same basalt, it is one of the more genuine connections in drinks marketing!
The rarer of the two recent Giant’s Causeway Connection releases is The Bushmills 1991 Madeira Cask (738 bottles available in the UK at £695 for 700ml). After 13 years in a combination of oloroso sherry butts and bourbon casks, it spent 15 more in first-fill madeira casks – this is not mere finishing for a few months in a different barrel. The result is an incredibly rich whiskey with unmistakeable coffee and dark chocolate notes, with an underlying nutty and dried fruit profile – plus orange and spiced fruit on the nose. It’s bottled at cask strength (50.2% ABV) without chill filtering.
The other release is The Bushmills 2000 Port Cask – this has spent its entire 20-year maturation in a first-fill port cask and the effect is immediately noticeable when you hold it up to the light… ruby highlights dance in the amber. There is red fruit orgy on the nose, which continues to the palate, with the addition of toffee and sweet chilli jam. There are 2,322 bottles available in the UK at £260 for 700ml, at cask strength (54.1% ABV).
bushmills.com/causeway-collection
JJ Corry’s The Flintlock – new batch
One of the new breed of Irish whiskey brands, the independent bonder and bottler JJ Corry also releases single-malt whiskeys, selected from various distilleries then matured, finished or married and bottled in County Clare on the Atlantic coast. And, while pot-still whiskey and blends are at the heart of the range, it has released some very special single malts too – notably a 27-year-old, £6,000 limited release, The Chosen.
Even though it is somewhat of an enfant terrible, JJ Corry is just as respectful of Irish culture as the old guard… Outside the rackhouse on founder Louise McGuane’s family’s farm where JJ Corry’s casks mature, there is a blackthorn tree… and they have to be very careful that they only cut it when the fairies are away – it’s one of those superstitions everyone laughs about but never actually tempts.
There is more to Irish history than quaint myths, however, and County Clare, the Banner County, has often been a political and military hotbed. When extending her cottage, McGuane found something hidden in the rafters: a rusting and woodworm-riddled flintlock pistol. The weapon – probably secreted there more than a century ago – gives its name to a series of occasional releases of single malts. The Flintlock Batch 3 has just arrived. Marrying 13- and 15-year-old malts from the same distillery, it was then finished in hand-picked muscatel sherry casks (cooperage and cask management are key to how JJ Corry works). The whiskey has the signature orchard fruit character of most JJ Corry whiskeys with added floral intensity. On the palate, the white stone fruits are bolstered by baking flavours and honey, but it retains a light brightness, with zesty citrus notes.
It is bottled (£140, 700ml) at cask strength (46% ABV) without chill filtering.
A new-old take on whiskey
Across the world, distilled spirits were originally regarded as medicines and Ireland was no different – traditionally, herbs would be infused into whiskey for their curative powers. JJ Corry’s Louise McGuane and a friend of hers who is handy at cocktail-making have tapped into that to produce Fierfield, a brand of botanically flavoured whiskies. The friend happens to be Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan, of London bar Lyaness, previous venues White Lyan and Dandelyan, and one of the most highly regarded flavour experts in drink.
Fierfield isn’t just flavoured, sweetened whiskey – for a start it’s 42% ABV, not a lower-alcohol liqueur, and the sweetening, with concentrated Irish apple juice, is very restrained. Added to the base, chosen from the rackhouse’s whiskey riches, are botanical distillates, as well as distilled honey and even distilled bread and butter. There are two expressions currently (at £35.45; 700ml) – the beautifully balanced and light Birch, which also makes a great highball; and the rich, fruity Barberry, which also makes a good twist on the whiskey sour.
Something new to Irish whiskey but tapping into the past.
