Drumshanbo Single Pot Still

N: Blackberry jam. Other berries with cream. There's a pungent, floral herb in it - it's vegetal, almost like a green onion, but much softer and sweeter. I feel like I shouldn't like it here, but I do. Toasted nuts with orange citrus - almost an orange marzipan. Hearty oat bread. At times, two other scents float over all of this: 1) pot still spices and 2) an amorphous fruity scent that's like what happens when you open the door to a smoothie bar, just more subtle and far less sweet. P: Sweet caramel. Nutty orange again, but less citrus acid now - more like orange candy. Hint of chocolate comes with the blackberries. Vanilla extract with almond. Tiniest bit of charred red fruit, just enough to prove the wood, I suppose. Mouthfeel is thick, somewhere between creamy and oily. Still feels more in the medium body range than other single pot still whiskeys. Finish adds more chocolate early. That's a feint. Late in the glass you notice the pot still spice building deep at the back of the throat, then suddenly your tongue is on fire every time it moves. Doesn't end there: some time after that, when you've probably finished the glass (but not yet poured another), you notice that the sides of your tongue are numb: the tannins have arrived, and brought a bitter end to the party, literally. A decade plus of serious IPA drinking puts me in a place where I kinda like a little bitterness in a whiskey, so it's a fun ride. YMMV. I dig this - it's so many different things at the same time, and it's tasty - but I really wanted to LOVE this: 1) it's a single pot still whiskey (which I love), 2) it isn't made by Irish Distillers (which make fine juice, but having options matters and I like more craft options), and 3) this comes from a part of Ireland where no one has mass produced whiskey in over a 100 years (geographic diversity leads to distinct and interesting flavor profiles - look at Scotland, or just food). Reality is this is probably a half step behind the Powers single pot stills, Red Breast, the Spot whiskeys - all Irish Distiller products. Perspective: this is the first whiskey released from the Shed Distillery (as far as I know), which has only been in operation since 2014. They seem well-funded and hell-bent on making a name for whiskey in northwestern Ireland. A half step behind the big boys on your first try is pretty damn good. Lets see what else they release and how they progress over the next, say, ten years. Could be interesting... I hope it is.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Irish Whiskey Tasting, 22 January 2021). Distilled at the Shed Distillery in Leitrim Kentucky bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks Uses malted and unmalted barley and oats in the mashbill Nose: Creamy, vanilla, spices, raisins. Nuts / marzipan Palate: Dried fruit, chocolate. Slightly bready. Finish: Citrus & orange. A medium/long nutty finish with a slightly dusty aftertaste Came joint second out of the six whiskies, with 14% of the final vote for favourite of the night. (59% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky). All of the whiskies in the tasting came very close together in the vote for favourite.

Drumshanbo’s gin is one of the best offerings to have come out of the gin explosion of the last few years, so I decided to see if their foray into the whiskey world held up. And…it does, more or less, if not in as impressive a fashion. The nose is sweet and rich - birthday cake batter, strawberry jam, wildflower honey, brioche toast, marzipan. It’s a fairly impressive nose. The palate, however, lands a little more flat. The sweet, cakey notes override everything else; there’s none of the subtlety or intricacy found on the nose. It’s enjoyable, but hard not to think this dram could be more than it is.

Nose: Amazingly has some bourbon characteristics: Caramel, sweet stone fruits Palate: Creamy, with a hint of vanilla and spice- very soft body Finish: Short, fades away with sweetness and spice and a hint of floral This Irish whiskey is a crushable mid-tier sipper. The influencers of the barra oats as well as the bourbon and sherry cask finishes give this single pot still a refined profile. This is a whiskey for enjoying moments with, not slinging back at the pub.

Distilled at The Shed Distillery. Malted and unmalted barley and Irish Barra oats were used in the order. Aged in Sherry Oloroso and Kentucky Bourbon barrels. Aroma: soft grainy, apple, pear and malt. Taste: Fresh lemon and apple open up the game. It mixes with soft malt, honey and oatmeal. Goes to the top 3 of Irish whiskeys. Fresh, fruity and smooth. This needs to be enjoyed more.

Super enjoyable pour. Just a splash of water opens up the nose beautifully — revealing hints of vanilla and jam. It’s oily and smooth on the palate, with a touch of berries coming through. The real payoff is the spice on the medium finish, where bold maraschino cherry notes take center stage. Easily a daily sipper if you’re into sweet, spicy profiles with lingering cherry.