Redbreast 12yr Irish Whiskey – Old Midleton Distillery stands on the banks of the Dungourney River in Midleton, East Cork. Set on 15 green acres, the distillery is home to all of the world’s supply of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Redbreast is made in the classic Irish Single Pot Still style. This means it is produced using a mash bill consisting of both malted and unmalted barley which is triple distilled in copper pot stills. The 12 year is aged only in Oloroso Sherry casks.
A healthy dose of orange marmalade presents itself along with toast and coconut. Dried red fruit, cloves, and honey round out the palate and leads to a creamy and lengthy finish. All in all, a balanced and satisfying whiskey. Cooper’s Price $49.98
Laws ‘Bottled in Bond’ Four Grain Straight Bourbon – Laws Whiskey House is a historically minded distillery. “Quality before quantity” is their self-proclaimed mantra, and they’ve proven it with each of their releases. The 1897 Bottled-In-Bond Act is a little-known piece of legislation that cleaned up whiskey when it hit an all-time low. In the late 1800s whiskey was unregulated, and customers were paying the price. Gunpowder, tobacco and turpentine are just a few of the unsavory additives that distillers were using to color and flavor cheap whiskeys. Supporters of the act were so desperate to protect the sanctity of their spirits that they enlisted help from an unlikely ally— The Women’s Christian Temperance Union— an organization that would eventually be instrumental in prohibition legislation. This whiskey, made to adhere to these standards of the Bottled in Bond act, must be aged for a minimum of 4 years, made in a single distilling season, using the grains of a single season, made by one distiller at one distillery and aged in a federal government-bonded distillery. So, in laymen’s terms, a “bonded” whiskey is cleaner, stronger and more difficult to make. Golden amber in color. Notes of honey, caramel, bread pudding, and gentle rye spice come first on the nose. Flavors of dark chocolate, nutmeg, oak, and cinnamon are evident on the palate. Cooper’s Price $69.98
Kilchoman Machir Bay Islay Single Malt – Established in 2005, Kilchoman was the first new distillery to be built on Islay in over 124 years. Kilchoman founder Anthony Wills, set out to revive the lost art of farm distilling once widespread before the commercialisation of the distilleries in the late 1800s. Over a decade into his journey, Kilchoman’s 100% Islay range remains the only Islay single malt produced completely on site, from barley to bottle. The parish of Kilchoman is home to some of Islay’s most fertile ground. It is here, in the fields surrounding the distillery, where they grow 200 tons of barley each year. Planting in Spring once Islay’s 50,000 geese have migrated, the farm team care for the barley over the summer months before harvesting in early September. Harvest time represents the start of the whisky-making process which sees the Kilchoman-grown barley malted, distilled, matured and bottled here at the distillery, eventually becoming Islay’s only Single Farm Single Malt Scotch Whisky over 1130 days later.
Machir Bay is clearly an Islay malt, but it has a style all its own. Aged in 80% bourbon barrels and 20% Oloroso sherry casks. All the familiar saline and smoke notes are evident on the nose, but they’re ushered in on an unlikely rush of peppermint. Eccentric. That mint aroma manifests as a cooling sensation on the palate. Against that backdrop, hits of lemon rind and chocolate roastiness pop through. But those pops are short-lived and they leave without a trace. You’re left with a saline tang that reminds you exactly where this malt comes from. Cooper’s Price: $59.98
Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur – The dairy farming industry in Ireland dates back thousands of years. The importance of dairy farming to the Irish and their livelihood is mentioned even in Early Irish Law or “Brehon Laws,” which valued milk cows as the highest form of currency. The dairy farmers of Five Farms are members of a local dairy Co-op of over 500 farms. The Co-op helps guarantee that all farms within the group get a fair price for their output and provides a supportive community for the farmers.
Five Farms is a true farm-to-table product, crafted from single batches of fresh cream that are combined with premium Irish Whiskey within 48 hours of collection to become authentic Irish Cream Liqueur. The cream is sourced entirely from five family-owned farms in County Cork, run by families that have a deep connection to the land and a passion for their craft.
An inviting nose of butterscotch, caramel fondue, and vanilla bean jumps from the glass. The lush palate coats the mouth with flavors of coffee with fresh cream, dulce de leche, coconut, maple, and Belgian waffles. An intensely satisfying after dinner sipper in place of dessert. Cooper’s Price $32.99
