More on Irish Whisky (Plus 11-year-old Stout)

Well, it's that time of the year. Our Disney-fied version of St. Patrick's day is in full commercial gear, leprechauns and pots of gold a'plenty. Fortunately, more serious people are delving into actual Irish culture. John Foyston reports that whisky expert (say with a brogue now, you lot) Stuart Ramsay is doing some beer-and-Irish-whisky tastings for the season. And these are two events you should really consider seriously. (Predictably, the article from the print edition isn't online. No idea how you're losing subscribers, fellas! John posted the press release on his blog, though.)

And the perfect Celtic marriage is a dram of whiskey and a porter back. I've teamed up with Ireland's only independent distillery, several local breweries and some stellar drinking establishments to explore this union.

We'll be tasting Kilbeggan, The Tyrconnell single malt and Connemara peated single malt.They are the award-winning juices from Cooley, Ireland's only independent, Irish-owned distillery. The distillery was nominated World and European Distiller of the year in 2008 for their portfolio of whiskey, so the drams and the craic will be good. I've asked some Oregon brewers to bring their porters or stouts to pair with the whiskey, and two of the chefs (Ten 01's Mike Perez and Joshua Boyd at Harborside) have designed a menu around the whiskey and beer.

There are some whisky tastings at various places, but here are the two events that will attract the particular attention of beer lovers:

Monday, March 16th 6:30 pm
Highland Still House Celtic Festival,
201 South 2nd Street, Oregon City. 503-723-6789

The three Cooley whiskies, Southern Oregon Porter and Still House appetizers. The brewer, Anders Johansen, will be joining us.
$25 at the tent entrance. Please RSVP.



Tuesday, March 17th 5:00 pm
McCormick & Schmick's Harborside at the Marina
503-220-1865

The three Cooley whiskies paired with beers from Full Sail's Master Brewer, John Harris. (Including John's 11 Year Old Imperial Stout with the Connemara.) Chef Joshua Boyd has prepared a special menu for the event. At 5pm guests will gather in the bar of the restaurant; the pairing and the food begin at 5:30 pm on the mezzanine level. Mr. Harris will be joining us. $25. Please RSVP to the restaurant (and copy me if you wish) Be sure to ask for the $25 Irish Whiskey and Beer Tasting.

Twenty five bucks for that Harris 11-year-old plus whisky--hard to beat that deal.

Lew on Irish Whisky

In the debate among whisk(e)ys, bourbon and Scotch generally manage a filibuster. Irish Whisky, gentle, softspoken, demure, stands in the corner smiling coyly. Lew Bryson has a nice article today that gives Éire her due.

“There’s been such a huge amount of new Irish whiskeys coming on the market,” David Quinn told me. He’s the head of quality control at the Midleton Distillery, where they make Jameson, Redbreast, Powers, and others. (He’s also the former master distiller at Bushmills, so the man knows his whiskey.) “[They’re coming] not just from ourselves but from all the Irish whiskey makers as well. People are becoming more aware of the styles of Irish whiskey, that it’s not just sort of a tag-on to Scotch, or anything else, that it’s an identifiable category all in itself.” New expressions of Irish whiskey, the biggest rush of them in years, makes for customer curiosity and increased trial.

The article discusses the business and craft of Irish whisky--far too long for me to comment on. But here's one bit I'll throw at you by way of piquing interest.

Bushmills has been experimenting with different wood aging techniques. I’ve been filling my flask lately with a 21 year old Bushmills that was finished in madeira barrels; it’s a popular pass-around at get-togethers. They’ve also done something no other Irish or Scottish whiskey-maker I know has done: they used caramel malt in their 1608 400th anniversary whiskey. Brewers use different malts all the time, but whiskey-makers use just pale malts . . . until now. Look for more innovation going forward from Bushmills.

Lots more, and for anyone with even a passing interest in Irish whiskys, very much worth a read.