For many a year now, indeed for most of their history, Irish Whiskey has always lived in the shadow of its more prominent whisky neighbour Scotland. Scotch whisky has indeed outstripped Irish whiskey in terms of output, number of distilleries and market share. But Irish whiskey has always had that good vibe about it, an air of respectability in the eyes of the whisky world, and quite rightly so. Fast forward to the present day, and suffice to say that Irish Whiskey is now growing in prominence again, leading experts in the world of Irish Whiskey to deem this a '3rd Golden Age' for Irish whiskey, the first two arguably coming during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The reason for the prominence of Irish Whiskey, in sgwhisky's humble opinion, is due not just to the marketing efforts of marketing giants Pernod Ricard and Diageo - who own the two largest Irish distilleries Jameson and Bushmills - but simply because Irish whiskey is great in its own right. I remember the first time I had a dram of Irish Whiskey. It was the 27th of November 2010 in a pub in Dublin, courtesy of a wonderful Irish couple I had just met, and it was Jameson whiskey. It wasn't powerful and overwhelming, but it was exceedingly good at what it was, clean, sweet, slightly spicy and very very easy drinking. Suffice to say then, it is true that Irish whiskey deserves its good name based on its own efforts.
But let's get to the main topic before digression takes too much control. On Thursday, sgwhisky was once again lucky enough to be at the Highlander Bar to attend The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey tasting. The name refers to the Irish that left Ireland after it fell to the British leader William of Orange, and the connotation is that like all geese, they leave their homes but they always come back. Personally, I never really had a good feeling about fancy names (I think naming special expressions by fancy names is already one thing, to name a whiskey in general with a special name is a whole other) but I have learnt that in life, one must never judge a book by its cover, and as I always say: the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
As a whiskey hence, The Wild Geese is definitely gaining prominence. It is an independently bottled Irish whiskey, with the owners sourcing their whiskey from Cooley, the only independently owned distillery in Ireland. The Wild Geese also markets itself as a premium whiskey, and stresses their dedication to picking a perfect mix of different malt and grain whiskies and blending them till they are satisfied that they have a good product. The end results is four premium blends/single malt expressions, three of which were available for tasting at the bar that day. The three available were the Rare Irish blend, the Limited Edition 4th Centennial blend and the Single Malt expression. The last of the three, the Single Malt expression, was actually one of the 4 finalists in the World Whiskey awards, representing the pick of the no age statement single malt bunch. These three whiskies are also well received by whisky guru Jim Murray, the pick of the bunch for him being the Limited Edition blend, which garnered a whopping 93/100.
L-R: The Limited Edition Blend, the Single Malt and Rare Irish Blend.
So without further ado, here is sgwhisky's review of the three whiskies on show:
The Wild Geese Rare Irish Whiskey (Extreme Right)
Distillery: The Wild Geese (Cooley)
Country: Ireland
Type: Blended Whiskey
Age Statement: Nil
Alc/Vol: 43%
Nose: Highly floral with clear notes of lavender, rose hips and honeysuckle. This is complemented by notes of heather honey and vanilla (22)
Taste/Palate: Lovely spice and very floral. The notes of honeysuckle and lavender continue on the palate, with a sweet cream like creaminess before the strong cereal notes come in (21)
Finish: Woody and lightly fruity with notes of sweet berries and cereal notes (20)
Overall: Nicely balanced and very clean, what one would expect from an Irish whiskey (21) 84/100
The Wild Geese Limited Edition 4th Centennial Blended Whiskey (Extreme Left)
Distillery: The Wild Geese (Cooley)
Country: Ireland
Type: Blended Whiskey
Age Statement: Nil
Alc/Vol: 43%
Nose: Undoubtedly the nose of the day. Clean and crisps notes of honey, rich barley and a clean citrus that comes to the fore with just a splash of water. Mellow, well controlled and very clean and enticing (23)
Taste/Palate: Highly honey sweet entry with notes of light spice. The honey then comes back again before a light grain note settles at the back of the throat. (23)
Finish: A very light finish with cereal notes and a light oakiness. A bit flat sadly. (20)
Overall: I had hoped for a longer finish but I can see why people have great things to say about this whiskey. Amazing nose and taste (22) 88/100
The Wild Geese Single Malt Whiskey (Centre)
Distillery: The Wild Geese (Cooley)
Country: Ireland
Type: Single Malt Whiskey
Age Statement: Nil
Alc/Vol: 43%
Nose: Fruity, malty and floral with notes of berries and sour plums. However, it was still very closed and reserved on the nose (21)
Taste/Palate: If the Limited Edition was the nose of the day, this was definitely the entry of the day. Amazing maltiness and oak interplay with a really buttery and creamy consistency. A real earthiness about this malt with slightest hint of white pepper. (24)
Finish: Sadly again slightly too light (but perhaps this is a trait of Irish Whiskey) with a light oak finish (20)
Overall: The taste stood out in this one, and it loses a bit on the overall balance due to the slightly underwhelming nose and finish. BUT, this was Sgwhisky's pick of the day, simply by virtue of an amazing flavour burst on the palate (22) 87/100
In the end, it was three decently good whiskies, but what is clear is that The Wild Geese Whiskey, like its fellow distillers in Ireland, are exceedingly good at creating clean, light and very easy drinking whiskey that fills a niche in the whiskey market. Perfect for a hot day and for the times you just want to sit relax and have a good fruity, floral and light dram or if you want to introduce a person to the world of whisky, The Wild Geese would certainly be one whiskey you want to keep handy on your shelf.
L-R: Ian Smart and Andre Levy
Sgwhisky would like to end this post by giving everyone excerpts of an exclusive interview with Andre Levy and Ian Smart, the Chairman and Director of Business Development of the brand respectively. Both were present at the tasting, and shared their knowledge and expertise with all who were present there.
Speaking on the Singapore market, both agreed that this was a growing market and that appreciation of whiskey has clearly grown here in Singapore. Ian, who lived in Singapore before, stated that people are now accepting a plethora of brands, and Andre believed that Singaporeans today are cultivating their own tastes and preferences.
The ability to look beyond the marketing hype and strong presences of the bigger brands is one thing that gives Andre the believe that Singaporeans now are consciously searching for whiskies that suit their own liking, and this desire to try new whiskies in the search of what they really want and like is a source of great encouragement. The complexity of The Wild Geese Whiskey as a dram and its accessibility as a product makes it unique and rare, and this is something that gives it a great advantage in Andre's opinion. It is their hope that this Super Premium Irish whiskey will hence be a real hit amongst Singaporeans.
Sgwhisky would like to take this opportunity to thank Andre and Ian, as well as Sonny and all at the Highlander Bar for this wonderful experience. All the best to The Wild Geese as it makes its maiden flight into the Singapore market (pun totally intended)
Found at: Highlander Bar
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