Ireland

Bill Phil 7yo Marsala by W. D. O’Connell (Review)

W.D. O'Connell Bill Phil 7yo Marsala Peated Irish Single Malt Whiskey

According to indie bottler W. D. O’Connell, this Marsala-finished Bill Phil edition – which marks the series’ first entry with an age statement – ain’t no ordinary peated Irish whiskey. In 2016, when this heavy smoker was initially distilled at the Great Northern Distillery (more…)

“Wheel of the Year” – Online Whiskey Tasting with Dingle from Ireland (Tasting)

"Wheel of the Year" - Dingle Online Whiskey Tasting organized by Kirsch Whisky

Irish whiskey is a sleeping giant who’s only recently woken up from a long slumber. But now that he’s back on his feet, the colossus is here to stay! – To better understand this picture, it is helpful to go 10-or-so years back in time. Back then, the once-glorious whiskey nation of Ireland (more…)

Hanse Spirit 2023 in Hamburg – Part One (Fair)

Impressions of Hanse Spirit 2023 in Hamburg

From 26 to 28 January 2023, Hanse Spirit returned to my hometown of Hamburg. With a colorful roster of exhibitors, the popular whisky and spirits fair made a strong bounce-back from its two-year break. As compared to the last installments (more…)

Waterford “Peated: Ballybannon 1.1” Arcadian Barley (Review)

Header image of Waterford Peated: Ballybannon 1.1 Single Malt Irish Whisky

A short while ago, I have introduced Waterford Peated: Fenniscourt 1.1 here on these pages. Now I follow up with the distillery’s second Peated expression, namely Waterford Peated: Ballybannon 1.1. The whisky is made from barley grown at Ballybannon Farm, (more…)

Waterford “Peated: Fenniscourt 1.1” Arcadian Barley (Review)

Header image of Waterford Peated: Fenniscourt 1.1 Single Malt Irish Whisky

Via its Arcadian Barley range, South-Irish whisky distillery Waterford releases out-of-the-ordinary single malts based on specially grown and processed barley. Previously, the series has already seen illustrious entries such as “Organic”, “Biodynamic”, and “Heritage”. (more…)

Black Cask Blend by Beara Distillery (Review)

Header image of Black Cask Blend by Beara Distillery in Ireland (via BarleyMania Whisky Blog)

I had my first touchpoint with Beara Distillery a couple of weeks ago at Just Whisky Hamburg. There, I met the founder of the small production site, John Power, at the booth of Irish Whiskeys. While I sipped a generous dram of Black Cask Blend, he told me more about it: (more…)

Waterford “Broomlands 1.2” Single Farm Origin (Review)

Header image of Waterford Broomlands Irish Single Malt Whisky 1.2

This whisky here – Broomlands 1.2 – is a brandnew addition to the acclaimed “Single Farm Origin” series by Ireland-based Waterford Distillery. As the name suggests, the barley from which the spirit is made was exclusively grown at one location: Broomlands Farm (more…)

4x Special Bottling from Irish Whiskeys and Ball of Malt Tastings (Review Flight)

4x Special Bottling by Irish Whiskeys and Ball of Malt Tastings (Single Malt Cask Peat Ireland BarleyMania Blog Tasting Notes)

I had a splendid time visiting the Irish Whiskeys booth at Bottle Market this year! During my stay, I had a nice chat with my old buddy Thorsten Frahling (Ball of Malt Tastings) and his partner-in-crime for the weekend, Daithi O’Connell (more…)

Waterford “Tinnashrule 1.1” Single Farm Origin (Review)

Waterford Tinnashrule 1.1 (Single Malt Terroir Irish Whisky Whiskey Tasting Notes Blog BarleyMania)

When speaking about Waterford Distillery on the Southeast shore of Ireland, one inevitably has to speak about terroir, too. The team around founder and visionary Mark Reynier (formerly of Bruichladdich) strongly believes in the impact of soil conditions, microclimate (more…)

Bushmills Irish Whiskey – Open Tasting at Alsterhaus (Event)

Bushmills Irish Whiskey Open Tasting at Alsterhaus in Hamburg (10yo Cognac Cask 28yo Malaga Causeway Collection)

At the end of 2020, many things in our lives are much different from how they were in the previous years. Be it working, traveling, commuting, socializing, shopping or running daily errants – the corona pandemic has turned pretty much all of our routines upside down. (more…)