Blind drunk has more complex origins than just getting black out at a bar. Dive into an etymological rabbit hole with me and discover how alcohol can not only take away sight but also restore it.
Wanna get blind drunk tonight?
Irish Whiskey in America: the underdeveloped market
Irish whiskey is exploding at the moment but the market for Irish whiskey in the United States focuses primarily on blended whiskeys and a lot will need to happen before the category is able to chip away at the incredible lead that our Scottish cousins have in the single malt category.
Irish Whiskey Awards 2016
The Irish Whiskey Awards 2016, took place in the Tullamore DEW distillery in Co. Offaly. Take a look at this consumer focused awards ceremony and the big winners for 2016
Irish Whiskey; Myth or Fact
Thus, this article is intended to debunk some of the common myths around Irish whiskey and to highlight some of things to look out for when buying Irish! If you're a connoisseur or a new arrival to the category you might find a lot of the things that are touted as gospel turn out to be common misconceptions.
Galway Bay Irish Whiskey
“The Famous Galway Bay Whiskey"is a ten year old single malt that has been launched exclusively for the Galway Whiskey Trail
Boann Distillery
Explore an early look into Boann Distillery. An exciting new distillery in the heart of the Boyne valley in County Meath.
Jameson’s New Trilogies
Take a look into the two new trilogies from Jameson Irish whiskey. Appearing to be targeted at both travel and general retail markets, interesting things seem to be coming down the line for Jameson.
Hyde 10 ~ Presidents Cask
A look at Hyde Irish Whiskey and their "Presidents Cask" 10 Year Old Single Malt
Tullamore DEW ~ An interview with Ambassador Eimear Kelleher
I sat down for a virtual interview with Eimear Kelleher, international graduate brand ambassador for Tullamore DEW, to talk about how the brand is being received in the land of opportunity. Tullamore DEW which was bought over by Scottish giants William Grant and Son’s in 2010 has had an exciting 12 months. The spirit made... Continue Reading →
Irish Times Bushmills Blunder
So today I found myself flicking through the Irish Times business section and I was greeted with a quick caption article (see picture above) about how, drinks giant, Diageo had just purchased Bushmills distillery in Northern Ireland for £200million. A bargain basement price considering that they just sold, the same, Bushmills distillery to tequila giants... Continue Reading →
Old Pulteney 12 – A Review
So I've strayed away from the Old Pulteney range ever since I smashed a bottle of the 21 year old on the floor, in the bar I used to manage in Vancouver, when loading in new inventory.... I know..... Thankfully though, I was doing a good enough job there not to get in any real... Continue Reading →
Macallan Gold – A Review
So I have sold a tonne of Macallan gold but never actually tried it myself. Macallan's 1824 series sees the Gold officially as the baby of the group. They brought back the sherry finish/maturation that made them famous after the awful reputation that the fine oak series awarded them. The gold replaced the 10 year... Continue Reading →
Glen Grant 10 – A review
Roommate brought this home from the duty free in Switzerland. Not usually a dram I would have jumped out for but cant say no to a friend offering a dram! Colour: Straw Yellow Nose: Candyhop sweetness, hints of toffee and stewed apples. Palate: Light open, tofee sweetness, subdued spice, malt and pears Finish: Long dry... Continue Reading →
Aberlour 10 – A Review
Very approachable, entry level dram. On special in the pub this weekend for the Ireland vs Scotland game. Couldn't say no to a glass or two at knockdown prices! Colour: Rich gold. Nose: Sweetness upfront, fruit, toffee and nuts. Palate: Full bodied. Spice up front, caramel, sherry sweetness & thick malty taste. Finish: Medium finish.... Continue Reading →
Why it’s time to buy Irish Whiskey!
Whiskey fans in the US, it's time to buy Irish Whiskey. With the recently announced Quantitative Easing plan announced my Mario Dragi in the European Central Bank €60 billion euro in assets are going to be purchased by the ECB and National Central Banks, each month until September 2016. A big side effect of QE is... Continue Reading →
Whiskey Wankers: Irish Whiskey
So we held our monthly tasting session last night so I'm going to post a quick round up and review of the bottles as well on a separate post. The theme of the evening was Irish whiskey, both pot still and single malt. The Whiskey Wankers is a group of students from the east coast... Continue Reading →
Abelour A’Bunadh – A Review
So with all the talk of Quarter Cask and A'bunadh convincing so many staunch anti-NAS fanatics I felt like I ought to give this at least a try! Had this dram in the lovely Albanch bar on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Abelour A'bunadh - Batch 47. 60.7% Abv Nose: ripe fruits, strong alcohol presence, raisins,... Continue Reading →
Cadenhead’s Small Batch Little Mill – Review
Colour: Amber gold. Nose (without water) : Toasted nuts, nugat, honey comb, hint of raisins. Palate (w/o water): Delicate open, toasted wood, walnut, bourbon sweetness, light sherry influence, Finish (w/o water): beautiful lingering of toasted wood, burnt sugar, slight lingering spice and finally some light sherry notes. ==== Nose (with water): Sweet honeycomb, nut, toasted wood, raisin/sherry completely gone.... Continue Reading →
Non-age statements
Non-age statement whiskies are very much a hot topic right now. This is a trend of releasing bottles of whisk(e)y with a fancy name instead of a year statements that has been becoming more and more prevalent with the global boom in whisk(e)y sales. This new/not so new trend, is causing lots of controversy and... Continue Reading →
The importance of social media for drinks companies
Today in the 21st century the average person checks at least one form of social media within 15 minutes of waking up in the morning and there are over 890 million daily users of just Facebook alone. This is why all businesses know that to compete in this highly digital world they must have some... Continue Reading →
Whisk(e)y and its dance with the Irish bar scene
After spending a weekend in the city of Edinburgh I was pleasantly surprised to see that in a city that boasts no distilleries of its own, every bar has a reasonably priced and varied selection of Scotch whiskies, ranging from small to huge. I had a stark realisation that the bar industry in Scotland was... Continue Reading →