A (late) September Check in here on Substack
Virtual Tastings Now Offered, Whiskey Smash Cocktail, Donegal Distilling, and Irish Whiskey Festivals...
I made it…and managed to get this out on the last day of the month. It’s been wonderfully cool here in Northern California over the last few weeks which means that the grapes are taking their time coming to ripeness, so 2023 will be a “late” harvest by recent standards. And with the Rugby World Cup well and truly underway, with some great results for Ireland to date, there have been plenty of ex-pat gatherings!
I’m excited to share that I’m now offering virtual Irish Whiskey Tasting & Cocktail Making Experiences and will be kicking these off in December for the Holiday Season. If you’re thinking about what to do for your end-of-year virtual gathering I’d be happy to chat with you about what I can offer.
I debuted a Cheese & Irish Whiskey Pairing Experience at the Napa Valley Yacht Club earlier in September and it was exquisite. We showed Fercullen Falls from Powerscourt Distillery and The Hanson from JJ Corry with two cheese from Marin County, and all of the hard work of experimenting with various parings paid off. I plan to offer this experience virtually in addition to the above offerings.
There’s chocolate again in my future with another sold out event at Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco on the books for mid-October
And listen to one of the most enjoyable podcasts that I’ve recorded below, with James Doherty and Graeme Bell of Sliabh Liag Distillers in Donegal. We’re overrun with lemons so get the Whiskey Smash back on your cocktail radar, and if you’re thinking of heading to Ireland I’ve penned a piece on Irish Whiskey Festivals so that you can made your trip even more whiskey focused!
Sláinte ☘️🥃
Andrew
🍸🕔 Cocktail Hour
We seem to have an endless supply of lemons from our very happy lemon tree so as the saying goes “When life gives you lemons…make a whiskey smash…” So I did and again used the first ever 100% Rye Irish Whiskey from Powers.
Full recipe here and video below.
🎧 New Podcast Episode
In Episode 16 I got to spend some time back in May with James Doherty, owner, and Graeme Bell, distiller at the Ardara Distillery in Donegal which is home to Sliabh Liag Distillers.
Hands up, it was my first time visiting Donegal, and I suspect I’m not the only Irish person who’s guilty of that. James and Graeme were incredibly generous with their time as we talked about lots of things. The background to Sliabh Liag, the Ardara Distillery, and their Silkie Whiskey Label. How two Englishmen ended up in this beautiful part of Ireland, sometimes referred to as the Forgotten County due to its remoteness. We touched on Donegal's distilling past and James’ ancestry which included some illicit spirit making. We talked about “grains in” whiskey making as Sliabh Liag is currently the only distillery on the island that uses this approach.
More Podcast listening options on the Irish Whiskey LAD website here and you can listen to more “My Favo(u)rite Irish…” podcasts here.
🎪 From The Blog - Irish Whiskey Festivals in Ireland
I’ve been wanting to write this piece for a while and I finally got to it. As tourism rebounds post-pandemic there are so many reasons for whiskey lovers to visit the Emerald Isle, and to that long list we can now add some incredible whiskey festivals. I think I’ve listed them all here on the blog section of my website and if I’ve missed any please let me know.
📰 Irish Whiskey News
A selection of news about Irish Whiskey from the past few weeks;
Jameson sales up 10% globally last year to record 10.7m cases - The Irish Times
1841 spirit of Donegal whiskey revived by Sliabh Liag Distillers - The Irish News
John's Lane Cask Strength becomes the newest member of the Powers Irish Whiskey family - Dublin Live
Irish Distillers Opens Redeveloped Midleton Distillery Experience - Business Plus
Wicklow distillery debuts 15-year-old Irish whiskey - Irish Independent
Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn