Mit Glenfarclas holst Du Dir einen wuchtigen, würzigen und Sherry getriebenen Whisky ins Glas. Seit Generationen in der Hand der Familie Grant ist Glenfarclas heute eine der letzten Destillerien in schottischer Hand. Du bekommst einen ehrlichen, ungefärbten Whisky - einen echten Oldschool Scotch!
Yes, things can get fiery at Talisker
And that doesn't just apply to the character of the malt, which is also praised as the "Lava of the Cuillins". The 'Cuillins' are the imposing mountain range that rises dramatically on the horizon above Skye.
In November 1960 the distillery was destroyed by a fire. At that time, the copper boilers were still heated directly by a coal fire. One of the employees accidentally left a valve open on Spirit Still #1, the distillate overflowed, ignited - and that was it for now with Talisker.
Two years later, the distillery was rebuilt, following the original down to the smallest detail. So that nothing changes in the taste of the malt, which Robert Louis Stevenson once called the "King o' drinks".
What does talisker mean? Talisker translates to “water hole”.
Where is Talisker? Talisker Distillery is situated on Loch Harport, an estuary on the Isle of Skye. The distillery is thus assigned to the island whiskies or the region of Islands.
3 reasons to love Talisker
1) Because everything is back to how it used to be.
2) Because the way to the distillery is such a charming sheep slalom.
3) Because you're supposed to love everything that comes from Skye anyway.
How does Talisker whisky taste?
Fire. Pepper. power and depth. Peat, spiciness and sweetness. Talisker is not dissimilar to the massive Islay malts like Lagavulin or Ardbeg, but has its own character.
A bit of history on Talisker
Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill founded Talisker in 1831 on the shores of Loch Harport in remote West Skye. After the brothers died, the distillery initially went through a difficult period: the subsequent owners either went bankrupt or went to prison. Only under Alexander Grigor Allan and Roderick Kemp did things pick up again at the end of the 19th century.
In 1900, the Talisker Distillery received its own jetty, which significantly simplified transport. In addition, a field railway was built, which connected production facilities and the houses for the employees.
It was not until 1928 that Talisker switched from triple distillation (as is customary in Ireland) to the double distillation typical of Scotland. Incidentally, the distillery malted its own beer up until 1972. Today, like most distilleries in Scotland, they source their heavily peated malt from external malthouses.
The one dram from Talisker for the desert island
Try the Talisker Port Ruighe. A delicious variant of the maritime, smoky classic with a berry-fruity port wine finish. The post-maturation in port wine casks gives this Talisker new taste dimensions that you should have tasted.
Facts & figures about Talisker
Address: Carbost, Isle of Skye, Inverness-shire IV47 8SR
Founded: 1831 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill
Region: Island Whisky
Owner: Diageo
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Smoke: Heavily peated/ heavily peated/ heavily smoky
Status: active
Capacity: approx. 3,300,000 liters
Stills: 2 wash stills (14,706 l), 3 spirit stills (11,024 l)
Washbacks: 8, Douglas Spruce
Mashtun: Louder, 8 tons
Water: Private, unnamed springs and Burn am Cnoc nam Speireag
Visitor Centre: Yes
Telephone: +44 (0)1478 614308
Website: www.malts.com
What does Redbreast whiskey taste like?
Redbreast is a smooth whiskey that has delicious spice notes at the same time. This is an exciting feature of Single Pot Still Whiskey. A grainy, nutty and sweet character is skillfully combined with ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks at Redbreast. The triple distillation makes it particularly soft. Redbreast Whiskey has drawn wonderful vanilla, caramel and coconut aromas from the ex-bourbon casks. Aromas of strawberries with whipped cream and wild berries come out of the sherry casks. Sounds good? Then grab the Redbreast 12 years!
How is Redbreast Whiskey made?
Redbreast is made at Midleton Distillery in County Cork in the south of Ireland. It is one of the very few remaining single pot still whiskeys in Ireland, an endemic type of whiskey so to speak. Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey is unique to Ireland. What is Pot Still Whiskey? Pot still whiskey is made much like single malt Irish whiskey. The only difference between single malt and single pot still whiskey is the grain composition.
While Single Malt must be made from 100% malted barley, Single Pot Still is made from malted and unmalted barley. This is for historical reasons. Around 1785 this style of whiskey-making developed to avoid some of the taxes imposed on malted barley. Whiskey, once referred to as Pure Pot Still, has become a popular type of whiskey. The term single pot still is relatively new and, like single malt, describes the origin of a pot still whiskey from just one distillery.
In the case of Redbreast, this is the famous Midleton Distillery, which also produces the legendary Jameson Irish Blended Whiskey. The exciting thing: Jameson consists of a mixture of pot still and grain whiskey. That means, in principle, you can taste Jameson's fillet with Redbreast Whiskeys. It is distilled on the largest pot stills in the world. The copper stills of the Midleton Distillery hold 75,000 liters. The water for Redbreast comes from the River Dungourney, which flows directly through the distillery grounds.
Redbreast is triple distilled. Triple distillation is one of the major differences between Scotch whiskey and Irish whiskey. Even if there are a number of double distilled Irish whiskeys today (Connemara, Tyrconnel, Waterford). However, triple distillation is still a trademark of Irish whiskey. This makes Redbreast as a triple distilled single pot still whiskey a picture book Irish whiskey.
On the story of Redbreast
The story of Redbreast begins in 1857 with the London wine merchant W & A Gilbey. Success came quickly and the company expanded. By 1861, W & A Gilbey already had branches in Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh with their own barrel stores. In 1866 the company moved to Dublin, where it caused a sensation with its own pot still, bottling plant and then rare wax seals on the bottles. Spirits are quickly becoming an important part of the W&A Gilbey portfolio. By 1874 the company already had 300,000 gallons of whiskey in their own warehouses. The whiskey comes from different whiskey distilleries. At this point, Dublin is the international center of whiskey production. W & A Gilbey sells three brands of Irish Whiskey Castle U P Irish Whiskey 33% under proof, Castle U V Irish Whiskey 17% u.p. and Castle D O Irish Whiskey at cask strength.
In 1875, W & A Gilbey boasted the world's largest cask store of Irish whiskey outside of the distilleries themselves. In 1887 the good cooperation with the John Jameson & Sons Distillery expanded. W & A Gilbey sells "John Jameson & Son's 'sole make' pure and unblended Irish whiskey". W&A Gilbey supplies Jameson directly with their own wine and sherry casks. These, in turn, also drive Jameson's quality and reputation.
The predecessor of today's Redbreast Whiskey was created in 1903. The John Jameson & Son's Castle "JJ Liqueur" Whiskey 12 Years Old is sold with a bottle design similar to that of Redbreast today. Gilbey's sold its whiskey under the Castle brand name until the 1930s. In 1912 Gilbey's created the "Redbreast" J.J. Liqueur Whiskey 12 Years Old. He describes the whiskey as one of his most popular brands. This leads to the conclusion that Redbreast was previously used as a nickname for this bottling or something similar. The name Redbreast refers to it Robin Redbreast for the robin The name is associated with Gilbey's CEO who was a great bird enthusiast.
The 1920s were a bitter time for Ireland. Not only the whiskey industry was starving. The First World War, Prohibition in the USA, Ireland's most important export market, and the Irish War of Independence bring the economy to its knees. Everything is scarce and buying high-quality whiskey is out of the question for many Irish people. However, some luxury goods are found in the hands of the spiritual. So does one or the other whiskey. Thus, Redbreast is also known as "The Priest's Bottle" - the priest's bottle.
To avert the demise of Irish whiskey, the three big remaining whiskey producers dare to take a bold step. Former competitors John Jameson & Son, Cork Distillers Company and John Powers merge to form the Irish Distillers Group. 1970: Gilbey's convinces the Irish Distillers Group to continue supplying them with pot still whiskey for Redbreast. In the summer of 1971, however, the Bow Street Distillery (Jameson) in Dublin closed its doors.
The last bottling of Redbreast under the Gilbey's banner appears in 1985. Gilbey's finally sells the naming rights of the Redbreast brand to the Irish Distillers Group. In 1991, after almost 10 years of absence from the market, Redbreast can be reborn. In the meantime, production has moved to the Midleton Distillery, where the fine, triple-distilled brandy is produced. In 2005, the Redbreast 15 years came onto the market. The bottling was created in honor of the French importer La Maison Du Whiskey in Paris. More exciting bottlings follow. The future of Redbreast looks bright. Slainte!
Recommendations in the Redbreast range
The Redbreast 12 year old is the flagship of the special Irish whiskey. You can't avoid this classic if you want to try all representative types of whisky. This whiskey should not be missing in an Around The World Whiskey Tasting. With its 40% vol., the Redbreast 12 year old is particularly mild, making it a wonderful entry-level whiskey. In no time you have convinced your friends of whiskey.
The Redbreast Lustau is a variant with a higher sherry content. This means that more sherry casks were chosen for this bottling than for the Redbreast 12 year old. The oak barrels, in which the Spanish Oloroso Sherry previously slumbered, come from the renowned Bodega Lusta. In the Redbreast Lustau you will find delicious notes of dark fruits, dates, figs, liquorice and light roasted notes. Sounds tempting, right?
The Redreast 15 years is the upscale version of the Redbreast range. In contrast to the Redbreast 12 years, the Redbreast 15 years is bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill-filtered. This also gives stronger aromas in addition to the old age. Grab it if you want deep, rich aromas and the finest notes of spice. Finely balanced notes of berries and essential oils as well as a soft and noble mouthfeel convince with the Redbreast 15 years.
Do you like it strong? Then the Redbreast Cask Strength 12 Years is the right whiskey for you. This premium pot still whiskey doesn't do things half hearted. With a cask strength of between 55 and 60% vol., it brings the full potential of pot still whiskey to your palate. The Redbreast Cask Strength 12 year old will be released in batch. Therefore, the alcohol strength varies from batch to batch. This is noted on the label, e.g. “Batch No. B1/21” means batch 1 in 2021. Intense, sweet notes of marzipan and caramel leap out of the glass. On the palate, the Redbreast Cask Strength 12 Years ignites a firework of aromas with notes of dried fruits, tropical fruits, light citrus notes and a variety of spices. Toasted oak, vanilla and oak round off the whiskey. A hit!
The Redbreast 21 years represents the luxury segment of the brand. A real whiskey to indulge in. Here you can explore the full depth and complexity of Redbreast. The Redbreast 21 years spoils you with nutty notes, tropical fruits and a sublime composition of tannins and spices. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about sherry whiskeys, pot stills or Irish whiskey, this is the premier class! Only the Redbreast 27 years is able to top this taste experience. However, the redbreast has become even rarer than the robin for 27 years.
Facts & Figures about Redbreast
Address: Midleton Distillery, Old, Distillery Walk, Midleton, Co. Cork, P25 Y394, Ireland
Established: 1912 (Redbreast brand), 1991 (present production at Midleton Distillery)
Region: Ireland, County Cork
Owner: Pernod Ricard
Type: Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Smoke: Unpeated/ Non-smoky
Status: active
Capacity: approx. 64,000,00 lpa (litres per year)
Stills: 3 pot stills (75,000 l), 3 pot stills (in the Whiskey School), 11 column stills
Washbacks: 48
Mashtun: various
Water: River Dungourney
Visitor Centre: Yes
Telephone: +353214613594
Website: www.redbreastwhiskey.com
Directions to the Talisker Distillery
Bildnachweis/ Bildquelle: DIAGEO Germany GmbH
Leckere Experimente
Dass es bei Jameson nie langweilig wird, zeigen die experimentellen Kreationen Jameson Orange Whiskey und Jameson Cold Brew. Beim Jameson Orange Whiskey wurde Jameson Irish Whiskey mit Orangenaroma versetzt. Perfekt als Longdrink mit Limonade und Orangenzeste. Du magst Kaffee? Dann solltest Du unbedingt mal den Jameson Cold Brew probieren. Hier wurde Jameson mit leckerem Cold Brew kombiniert, einem Kaffee, der kalt aufgegossen wird. Eine neue Variante des Irish Coffee sozusagen. Denn dieser Drink wird nicht heiß getrunken, sondern kalt serviert. Oldschool neu denken? Probier mal Jameson Cold Brew mit Eis und Cola mit einer Orangenzeste. So kann man heute auch Whisky-Cola richtig gut machen!
Auch im Travel Retail Bereich ist immer etwas los bei Jameson. DerJameson Signature Release kommt mit einem höheren Anteil Single Pot Still Whiskey daher als der Standard. Auch der erhöhte Anteil Sherryfässer trägt zu einem fruchtigeren und volleren Geschmackserlebnis bei.
Spannend war auch die Jameson Deconstructed Serie mit dem Jameson Lively, dem Jameson Bold und Jameson Round. Beim Jameson Lively wurde der Fokus auf den Grain Whisky gelegt. Er ist somit leichter mit frischen Fruchtnote, Apfel und Ingwer. Der Jameson Round widmete sich dem Fasseinfluss. Hier wurde mit amerikanischen Eichenfässern, Sherryfässern und Madeirafässern gespielt. Vielseitige Aromen von Trockenobst, altem Leder und zarten Gewürzen waren hier zu finden. Jameson Bold legte den Fokus auf den würzig-getreidigen Pot Still Whiskey. Dadurch erhielt der Jameson Bold einen süß-malzigen Charakter und mannigfaltige Gewürzaromen.
Was ist eigentlich Pot Still Whiskey? Der Pot Still Whiskey ist eine besondere Whiskeysorte, die es nur Irland gibt. Sie wird im Grunde genau wie Single Malt Irish Whiskey hergestellt mit einem entscheidenden Unterschied. Single Malt Whisky/ Whiskey muss in Irland und Schottland aus 100% gemälzter Gerste hergestellt werden. Um einer hohen Besteuerung von gemälzter Gerste (malted barley) zu entgehen, begannen die gewitzten Iren schon früh mit einer Mischung von gemälzter und ungemälzter Gerste Whiskey zu brennen. Dieser vollmundige, getreidige Whiskey wurde wie Single Malt auf Pot Stills destilliert. Der Single Pot Still Whiskey war geboren. Pot Still Whiskey sagt man vollmundige Aromen von Gewürzen, Getreidenoten und intensiven Fruchtaromen nach. Der Pot Still Anteil in Jameson sorgt für die aromatische Tiefe und das Rückgrat. Möchtest Du einen Pot Still Whiskey probieren, so empfehlen wir Dir den Redbreast 12 Jahre oder den Green Spot Single Pot Still.
Dieser Pot Still Whiskey wird nun in der Midleton Distillery dreichfach destilliert. Die Pot Stills der Midleton Distillery sind mit 75.000 Litern Fassungsvermögen die derzeit größten Brennblasen dieser Art weltweit. Die Triple Distillation, die Dreichfach-Destillation, ist in Irland Tradition. In Irland ist man überzeugt, dass die dreifache Destillation einen weicheren, reineren Brand erzeugt. In Schottland ist die Auchentoshan Distillery in den Lowlands die einzige Whisky-Brennerei, die ausschließlich auf die dreifache Destillation setzt. In Schottland ist die zweifache Destillation üblich. Was nun besser ist, musst Du wohl mit Deinem Nosingglas herausfinden.
Der Grain Whiskey für den Jameson Blend wird ebenfalls in der Midleton Distillery hergestellt. Hier wird in Column Stills destilliert, Kolonnenbrennanlagen. Elf Kolonnen sorgen bei Midleton für eine durchlaufende Produktion von Grain Whiskey. Der Grain Whiskey ist leicht und süßlich und sorgt für die Leichtigkeit des Jameson Blends. Mit einem jährlichen Ausstoß von ca. 64 Millionen Litern New Make (alle Whiskeysorten zusammengerechnet) gehört Midleton zu den größten Whiskey-Destillerien der Welt.
Wie reift Jameson Whiskey? Damit sich ein Whiskey in Irland Whiskey nennen darf, muss er für mindestens drei Jahre in Fässern reifen. Meiste wird der Whiskey jedoch deutlich länger gelagert. Jameson reift in Eichenfässern, größtenteils Ex-Bourbon Barrels, aber auch in einem Teil Ex-Sherryfässern aus dem spanischen Jerez. In großen Lagerhäusern, eher Lagerhallen, reifen die Eichenfässer heran, bis sie schließlich zu den verschiedenen Jameson Abfüllungen vermählt werden. Bei der langjährigen Reifung gehen rund 2% des Whiskeys jährlich verloren. Dies nennen die Iren “Anteil der Engel”´, den Angels` Share.
Was macht Jameson Whiskey so mild? Es gibt vermutlich drei Gründe für die Leichtigkeit, mit der Jameson dem Gaumen schmeichelt. Einerseits verleiht der süße und leichte Grain Whiskey dem Blend Leichtigkeit. Zum Zweiten wird der würzigere und aromatischere Teil des Blends, der Single Pot Still Whiskey, dreifach destilliert. Der dritte Faktor ist die Abfüllung in niedrigen Volumenprozenten. Die meisten Jameson Whiskeys werden mit milden 40% Vol. abgefüllt und sind somit sehr angenehm zu trinken. Durch das schonende Herstellungsverfahren und die niedrigprozentige Abfüllung ist Jameson einer der mildesten Whiskeys der Welt.
Das Fass in Fokus - for the barrel lovers
Der Jameson Black Barrel ist unser Tipp, wenn Du Dich im Sortiment etwas nach oben tasten willst. Namensgebend für diese Jameson Abfüllung sind die stark ausgebrannten Eichenfässer, in denen der Jameson Black Barrel gereift wurde. Sie verleihen ihm Aromen tropischer Früchte wie Pfirsich, Guave und Kokosnuss sowie eine schöne Cremigkeit am Gaumen. Datteln und Walnüsse mit leichtem Zimt, Pfirsich und wieder Kokosnuss erwarten Dich im Geschmack.
Auch der Jameson Crested ist eine schöne Alternative zum klassischen Jameson. Früher hieß die Abfüllung einfach nur Crested Ten und zierte sich nicht mit dem Markennamen Jameson. Es handelte sich dabei um einen Blend mit Whiskeys, die zwischen 10 und 15 Jahren alt waren. Die genaue Zusammensetzung des Alters des Jameson Crested heute ist nicht bekannt. Er soll jedoch aus einer Mischung von 60% Single Pot Still und 40% Irish Grain Whiskey bestehen. Bei der Fassreifung wurden auch Sherryfässer verwendet. Das erklärt auch, warum wir im Jameson Crested mehr Tiefe und Volumen finden als im Standard von Jameson. Am Gaumen wirkt er vollmundiger, mit feinen Getreide- und Röstnoten, leichten Anklängen von Sherry und Schokoladennoten.
Der Dritte im Bunde (no pun intended) ist der Jameson Triple Triple. Seinen Titel entnimmt diese Jameson Kreation der traditionellen Dreifach-Destillation - triple distilled - und der dreifachen Fassreifung - triple matured -. Die Reifung des Jameson Triple Triple fand in Ex-Bourbon-, Ex-Sherry- und Ex-Malaga Fässern statt. So bekommt der Jameson Triple Triple ein rundes Bouquet von süßer Birne, Zitruszeste und dunklen Früchten. Am Gaumen erwarten Dich Gartenobst, schwarze Johannisbeeren, Pflaumen und leichte Gewürze.
