We sampled them blind and simply voted on the one we liked the most. Only then was it revealed what went into each whiskey. To finish the evening, Alex gave us several of the basic components that he has available in his top secret cask warehouse:
- 5 year old Cooley grain, matured in bourbon barrels
- 5 year old Cooley grain, matured in Californian red wine casks
- 5 year old triple-distilled malt (from, um, another distillery)
Many unique blends were pipetted into existence and quaffed into oblivion, never to be tasted again. Fun!
Some months later, the blend we chose that night has now been hand-bottled and labelled by several members of the society committee.
It is a combination of these components:
It weighs in at 46% ABV. Here are the official tasting notes:
The entire run of 300 bottles is available exclusively to members of the Irish Whiskey Society (sure it's just one more reason to join). |
| Photo courtesy of the Irish Whiskey Society |
It is a combination of these components:
- 2009 Cooley grain, matured in 2nd-fill bourbon casks
- 2001 malt, matured in 2nd-fill bourbon
- 1991 crystal malt, matured in a hogshead
It weighs in at 46% ABV. Here are the official tasting notes:
Nose
Cut hay bales and lemon zest with top notes of hibiscus.
Palate
Toffee fudge and demerara sugar, followed by figs and dried apricots, with a hint of cardamom pod.
Finish
A clean citrus note on the finish which is long and satisfying.