Fans of Irish whiskey have quite a lot to look forward to this week. For starters, Powers has brought Three Swallow to the United States, and Teeling has announced their first commercially available batch of Single Pot Still whiskey. Ian Macleod Distillers debuted a new expression in the Smokehead range of heavily peated whiskies. And Craigellachie is taking a 51 year-old whisky on tour around the world and you can have a taste — for free. The year may be winding down but the spirits news just keeps on coming.
Irish Distillers Brings Powers Three Swallow To The US
While Powers Three Swallow has been available outside of the US for a while now, it hit US shelves this month. Three Swallow is a single pot still which features a mix of unmalted and malted barley in the mash. The whiskey aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished its maturation in oloroso sherry casks.
The name Three Swallow supposedly originates at the original John’s Lane Distillery where the Power family coaches were stabled. Each coach would be sent out with three coachmen, and on particularly long journeys they’d be equipped with a small flask, enough for each of the three coachmen to get a good swallow of whiskey. But not so much that he’d be unable to perform his work.
Additionally, the migration of the Irish Swallow usually signifies the beginning of the distillation season in Ireland. The brand has historically used swallows on their products to signify age, quality, and purity. Eventually all Powers products came to bear these swallows.
Powers Three Swallow is an Irish Distillers brand produced at Midleton Distillery. It’s bottled at 40% ABV.
Teeling Releases 6,000 Bottles of Teeling Single Pot Still
This week, Teeling announced the release of their first commercial whiskey release distilled at the brand’s Dublin distillery. Teeling Single Pot Still becomes the first new Dublin-distilled whiskey to be released for nearly 50 years. Back in September the brand released Celebratory Single Pot Still and auctioned off the first 100 bottles in aid of local Dublin charities.
Teeling Single Pot Still is produced using a recipe of 50% un-malted barley and 50% malted barley and aged in a range of virgin oak, ex-bourbon and ex-wine casks. Batch 1 is limited to 6,000 bottles. Unfortunately it is only available in Ireland so start booking your flights today. Bottled at 46% ABV, it carries a suggested retail price of $63.
Ian Macleod Distillers adds Smokehead Sherry Bomb
You’re familiar with the work of Ian Macleod Distillers, even if you aren’t familiar with the name. They’re behind brands like Tamdhu, Glengoyne, Shieldaig and Isle of Skye. They also have a line of peated single malts called Smokehead, and they’ve just released a new addition to the lineup.
Smokehead Sherry Bomb is a heavily-peated NAS single malt from Islay, although the actual distillery is undisclosed. It was matured fully in oloroso sherry casks and is bottled at 48% ABV. Only 18,000 bottles were produced, and it becomes available globally in November of 2018.
Craigellachie Launches 51 Year Old Whisky That You Can’t Collect
Over the past few months we’ve covered every manner of expensive, exclusive and hilariously rare release out there. Some are housed in ornate crystal decanters and sell for tens of thousands of dollars, but it doesn’t matter because there are only 5 bottles being made. Craigellachie have decided to go a different way with their new Craigellachie 51 Year single malt.
Global Ambassador Georgie Bell comments: “We wanted to do the unthinkable. We wanted to make a typically collectable scotch more accessible. We want to give as many people as we can, the chance to try this incredible whisky, because how often does a whisky of this age and calibre actually get tasted?”
From November 26th to 28th of 2018, Craigellachie will open a tiny pop-up bar called Bar 51 located inside London’s oldest whisky shop, Milroy’s of Soho. Fans can sample Craigellachie 51 Year along with other ages in the portfolio. The tour will then travel to Australia, South Africa and the United States throughout 2019.
Reservation requests are now being accepted for spots to Bar 51 in London. 150 tickets will be chosen at random and given away. You can enter to win a reservation now.
John Walker & Sons Private Collection 2018 Midnight Blend
Johnnie Walker has announced the fifth and final edition in the John Walker & Sons Private Collection. John Walker & Sons Private Collection 2018 Midnight Blend is a 28 year old peated blend. Caol Ila and Strathmill are highlighted in the blend which was created by master blender Jim Beveridge and his team.
The whisky comes in individually numbered collectible decanters and the release is limited to 3,888 bottles. It is bottled at 42.8% ABV and becomes available in November 2018 for a recommended retail price of $750.
Whether you’re hunting for Powers Three Swallow, Teeling Single Pot Still or a sip of Smokehead Sherry Bomb, we wish you good luck and a happy Friday.
With Distiller, you’ll always know what’s in the bottle before you spend a cent. Rate, Review, and Discover spirits! Head on over to Distiller, or download the app for iOS and Android today!
