Three New Irish Whiskies to try for St. Patrick’s Day
These three sippers were recently released onto the Seattle bar scene
By Seattle Mag March 17, 2016
It’s St. Patrick’s day today, and there’s no better way to celebrate than having a delicious Irish whiskey – and luckily three good new choices were recently released onto the Seattle bar scene. The below are all worthy sippers to sip today in honor of the Irish, either solo or in cocktails. (If you need some St. Patrick’s Day cocktail ideas that go beyond the average, we have you covered, too).
The Quiet Man Traditional Blended Irish Whiskey: This Quiet Man variety and its sibling below come from Luxco, which also produces the rich Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream, crafting these whiskies with Niche Drinks from Derry Ireland – it’s the first whiskey from Derry in more than 100 years! The Quiet Man whiskies get their shared name from Niche co-owner Ciaran Mulgrew’s father John, who was a bartender in the area for more than 50 years, and who was “true to the code and told no tales.” My guess is he’d have some nice words to say about this blended whiskey though, whose high malt percentage delivers a soft and approachable mellowness and a taste of vanilla, apples, oak and spice.
The Quiet Man 8-Year Single Malt Irish Whiskey: Like its blended sibling above, this single malt Irish is distilled in the traditional Irish pot still, and then aged in oak barrels before being re-casked in first-fill bourbon casks. This process, according to Mulgrew, “of finishing the aging in barrels that previously held bourbon but never whiskey allows The Quiet Man to soak up those wonderfully sweet yet spicy oak flavors.” Here they’re accented by floral notes, which make for a very drinkable whiskey, indeed. You can find both Quiet Man whiskies at Total Wine and More if you’re celebrating at home, or try them at The Metropolitan Grill, Toulouse Petit, or Fado Irish Pub.
Tullamore D.E.W. Trilogy 15 Year Old Irish Whiskey: Being that the Tullamore distillery opened its doors first in 1829 (and re-opened them in 2014 in their original home of Tullamore, Co Offaly, Ireland), 15 years of aging doesn’t seem that long! But it’s many years in the distilling world, and it shows here with a very smooth whiskey that boasts rich flavors of fruit, spices, and a bit of nuttiness. The secret is in the triple blend: grain, malt and pot still whiskeys. But the “tripling” doesn’t stop there, as it’s also aged in ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks, then finished for three months in Trinidadian rum casks – a double trilogy. It’s a limited-release, so when you see a bottle, grab it.