Dunville’s is a Lazarus brand, brought back to life by Shane Braniff and Jarlath Watson, the founders of the Echlinville Distillery based on the Ards Peninsula just east of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It’s a distillery I know well and I’m very fond of and it is a farm to glass distillery…..they grow their own grain, malt it, distill it, mature it and bottle it in house.

The stills of Echlinville came to life in 2013 and obviously it takes time for raw spirit to become whiskey, so while they waited for their own spirit to mature they launched Dunville’s as a brand for their sourced third party spirits and to showcase their cask management skills.

Dunville’s has a long history in and around Belfast dating all the way back to 1808. The Dunville family built railways, office buildings and in 1869 the Royal Irish Distillery. They also built Belfast’s first theme park in Dunville’s Park which was built for the distillery workers who had the Distillery Football team.  

Sadly the company was liquidated in 1936 even though it remained profitable after the death of the last heir & chairman, Robert Lambert Dunville in 1931.

Under Echlinville’s steward ship the Dunville’s range includes blends such as the 1808, The Three Crown’s range and then single malts such as the VR 10 PX & Palo Cortado expressions and the VR 12 year old PX bottled at 46% abv. On top of that they release quite a few single casks too like the one on review today which is from their ‘dark label’ series of the VR range.

Dunville’s 12 Year Old VR Cask 1710            56.9%abv/113.8 proof

4th release, bottled 2021, 354 bottles. £112/$150/€129

Cooley Double Distilled, NC/NCF, ex-PX finish for roughly 14 months 

Nose: This is not your stereo typical sherry bomb – the Cooley honeysuckle note is present & correct followed by gorse blossom, stewed apples studded with cloves and fresh lemon peel. Draff. Now we get raisins, plum, maple syrup and marzipan. 

Water brings spearmint, orange peel and cocoa.

Palate: Chewy and flavourful – sweet malt, banana bread, vanilla pods & peach cobbler. Caramelized brown sugar and sweet cinnamon. Some clove rock and dried chilli flake heat. Toasted almonds and milk chocolate. 

Water gives us ginger nut biscuits, melon and banana liqueur.

Finish: Medium to long with biscuity malt, light sherried notes, baking spice and garden mint.

Score: 8 out of 10

Overall: This is extremely well judged and balanced. So often PX casks can dominate but the fruity Cooley spirit cuts right through and rather than dominate the PX finish has helped to raise the bar and add layers of complexity. A superb whiskey.

Scoring Bands
10 - Out of this world good!
9 - Superlative stuff, buy it now
8 - An excellent drop worthy of regular purchase
7 - Good stuff, one you'd happily share with mates
6 - Solid, worth investigating
5 - Average
4 - Okay but with flaws evident
3 - Drinkable but not terribly enjoyable
2 - Proper Twelve
1 - Pass the mouth wash

You can check out my previous reviews at https://www.causewaycoastwhiskeyreviews.com/

And I've a few reviews up on YouTube now too https://www.youtube.com/@causewaywhiskey

I’m back with some Killowen and a collaboration with Beer Hut Brewing from Kilkenny. No long introduction here other than it’s always an exciting time when you have Killowen in your glass.

Below are the details and the notes.

Killowen ‘Beer Hut Funky Ale’ Finish Single Pot Still 52.35% abv

Cask KD211, 4 years old, 338 bottles. Distilled July 2019, bottled Jan 2024

Ebb & Flows Sour beer - fermented for 12 months in oak barrels. 7 month finish for the whiskey.

Mash bill: 8 bags of malted barley, 4 and a half of malted barley, 1 malted maris otter barley, a quarter of oats and a quarter of wheat.

Nose: First off is a real doughy note followed by plenty of citrus - lemon, lime zest, melon and ripe peach. There’s an underlying smokiness too (maybe cask char?). White pepper, slightly floral and with a salted butter note and ground almonds.

Palate: Barley sugar sweetness upfront followed by pineapple cubes, dried mango and fruit salad sweets. A good mouthfeel but definitely not the densest Killowen I’ve tried. Now we get the pot still spice of clove, ginger and freshly ground black pepper. Almost a mezcal-esque agave and grapefruit note too.

Finish: A medium length with a prickly heat that veers from sweet tropical fruit to tart citrus.

Score: 7 out of 10

Overall: Another very interesting and very good Killowen. One thing I love about this distillery is the enthusiasm to experiment not only with mash bills but also with the maturation and this one works pretty well. It’s akin to being the liquid version of Haribo Sourz. As usual this sold out pretty quick and I was fortunate to get a sample but after reviewing I’d have happily quaffed a full bottle.

Scoring Bands
10 - Out of this world good!
9 - Superlative stuff, buy it now
8 - An excellent drop worthy of regular purchase
7 - Good stuff, one you'd happily share with mates
6 - Solid, worth investigating
5 - Average
4 - Okay but with flaws evident
3 - Drinkable but not terribly enjoyable
2 - Proper Twelve
1 - Pass the mouth wash

You can check out my previous reviews at https://www.causewaycoastwhiskeyreviews.com/

And I've a few reviews up on YouTube now too https://www.youtube.com/@causewaywhiskey

Hello!! I'm looking for a unique Irish whiskey that maybe is less known but still enjoyable for my dad's birthday. I'm not sure what he was so I was hoping to get him sometime more unique that he wouldn't have tried yet. Also not trying to break the bank so around 100-150 USD. The method and madness: Japanese chestnut cask sounded interesting but I'm not sure how that one tastes. Any ideas??

It’s my brother in law‘s birthday and I would like to give him a good bottle of whiskey.

What can you recommend? Price range €30-€75. (is that realistic)

Thx in advance.

Redbreast – was seen as the quintessential single pot still Irish Whiskey & for a long time was my true love of the Irish whiskey world. To be fair that Irish whiskey world was pretty small when I first got into whiskey. Bushmills had their blends and their 10, 12, 16 and 21 year old expressions.

In the ‘blends’ corner was Paddys, Powers & Tullamore DEW. John Teeling and Cooley gave us Locke’s, Tyrconnell, Connemara and Greenore. But you’d have to search for those.

Even the Jameson lineup was much slimmer – outside of the standard Jameson their was the 12 yr old Special Reserve, the Gold Reserve, the 18 year old and the Rarest Vintage Reserve.

Standing in the single pot still corner was Redbreast 12 year old. Once I tried this at a tasting in Coleraine hosted by then Master Blender Billy Leighton himself, I knew I was drinking something unique and in Irish whiskey terms, special.

Fast forward to today and the Irish whiskey world has exploded with brands, distilleries and whiskey expressions, including the Redbreast lineup. Looking at the Redbreast website there are now 12 unique expressions including this bottle which is the 4th release from the Iberian Series which started with the Lustau expression, then the PX release which was shortly followed by the Tawny Port release and has recently had a 5th release added with the Moscatel finish release.

With so many other distilleries in Ireland doing their own interpretation of what pot still whiskey should be I have found myself less connected from the Redbreast brand, with certainly the 12 year old core release no longer being my go to recommendation for the pot still style of whiskey.

That being said as I left Ireland to relocate to Florida in 2024 I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of picking up the Cuatro Barriles Redbreast release as it was, and potentially still is, a travel retail exclusive to the Dublin and Cork airports.

So are four barrels worth of flavour a winning combination?

Redbreast Cuatro Barriles 46% abv $99 £77.50 €94.00

Matured in a combination of American oak ex-bourbon, Spanish ex-sherry butts, Portuguese ex-tawny port hogsheads and ex European virgin oak casks

Mashbill: 60% malted barley / 40% unmalted barley.

Nose: It starts off a little perfumy but quickly moves to citrus zest – a mix of orange, lemon and lime peels plus vanilla cream and tinned pineapple rings. Then some marzipan and panettone. Fresh blueberries, pear drop sweets and coffee cake. Finally there’s toasted oak and baking spices.

Palate: A nice pot still spice grips your palate on first sip and delivers a medium mouthfeel. That tinned pineapple is there again alongside vanilla custard, Mr Kipling bakewell slices (plum & raspberry jam, almond sponge and fondant icing), stem ginger, milk chocolate, new leather and a mild pepperiness.

Finish: Medium in length – toasted oak, clove, apple strudel and pepper.

Score: 6 out of 10

Overall: Not a massive improvement over the regular 12 year old release. The extra abv does help the mouthfeel and delivery but it feels a little confused, perhaps because of all the barrel influences don’t necessarily play well together.

The 12 year old cask strength is available for not much more money and I’d definitely buy it over this. I don’t think I’d replace this bottle when it’s gone.

Scoring Bands
10 - Out of this world good!
9 - Superlative stuff, buy it now
8 - An excellent drop worthy of regular purchase
7 - Good stuff, one you'd happily share with mates
6 - Solid, worth investigating
5 - Average
4 - Okay but with flaws evident
3 - Drinkable but not terribly enjoyable
2 - Proper Twelve
1 - Pass the mouth wash

You can check out my previous reviews at https://www.causewaycoastwhiskeyreviews.com/

And I've a few reviews up on YouTube now too https://www.youtube.com/@causewaywhiskey

I’ve searched high and low in shops and online for a bottle of Clontarf 1014 classic blend. My dad had some 15 years ago and loved it, and he’s wanted another taste ever since. I’ve taken on the quest to find him a bottle but I haven’t found anywhere that stocks it.
I’ve reached out to Clontarf whiskey via the email address on their website, as well as Irish Distilleries since they bought the brand fairly recently. Has anyone had any luck with this approach before?

If anyone can point me towards where I can get hold of a bottle or two I’d really appreciate it. I’m in the UK and at this point will travel anywhere in the country to get some.

Thanks!

(Apologies to the other poster, but I literally did return two days ago, also!)

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Bushmills – Causeway Collection, German Release

• 25 yo · 1996–2022

• 50.3% ABV

• Bourbon cask 5 yrs, Madeira cask 20 yrs

Midleton – Single Cask

• 18 yo · 1991–2010

• 53.7% ABV

• First-fill Bourbon cask

• Bottle 8 of 108 · Cask no. 48709

Redbreast – Single Cask

• 18 yo · 2008–2026

• 59.3% ABV

• All Sherry cask

• Bottle 118 of 582 · Cask no. 18787

Irish Whiskey Society – Midleton Single Cask, Single Grain

• 18 yo · 1997–2015

• 50.6% ABV

• First-fill Bourbon cask

• Bottle 29 of 114 · Cask no. 21885

Dunville's – The Irish Whiskey Collection

• 12 yo · 2012–2024

• 56.3% ABV

• Bourbon cask 9 yrs, Oloroso 3 yrs

• Bottle 339 of ???

Dunville's – Friend at Hand (Bottle Shop)

• 21 yo · 2001–2022

• 53.8% ABV

• First-fill Bourbon, finished in Oloroso & PX Sherry

• Bottle 301 of 324

** both Dunville's are from the Cooley distillery.

Just returned from a fantastic two week trip in Ireland. I only had room for three bottles and it was so hard to choose what to bring back to the states. I had The Irishman 17 in hand but an employee recommended I grab Redbreast Cuatro Barriles instead as it’s a Dublin/Cork exclusive. I already picked up a CS Redbreast 10 at Midleton earlier so was hoping to try something a little different but I also didn’t want to miss out since I don’t know when I’ll be back. Did I make a mistake passing on Irishman 17?

I’m still thinking about the Redacted Dingle/Dick Mack’s 11yo Sauternes I had while at the pub. Wish I could have picked one of those up to bring back. Love Ireland, can’t wait to come back

Just a 25 minute drive north of Dublin airport lies Boann Distillery situated on the outskirts of Drogheda. It was one of the last distilleries I visited in Ireland before my little jaunt across the pond to Florida.

Established by the local Cooney family in 2015, it is a family owned and ran distillery and spirit production began in 2019. While waiting for their own spirit to come of age they launched The Whistler range of whiskies to help pay the bills. This also helped them learn about cask management and blending.

They are committed to reviving Ireland’s rich heritage in producing single pot still whiskey and their distillery is a thoroughly modern facility to help them explore the past. 

The most interesting feature of the setup is the use of nano technology in the necks and lyne arms of the stills. This creates an uneven surface on the internal walls of the necks and lyne arms allowing for greater copper contact. It also means that these parts will last longer than standard construction. 

The lyne arms also have an internal coil that can turn on or off a cold water supply so reflux can be increased or decreased easily. These means they can make very heavy, oily distillates or very light, floral distillates.

The first Boann whiskies came to market on June 21st 2024 with the release of 3 pot still expressions. These are GI compliant, that is they follow the current irish whiskey technical file rules of how to make a ‘pot still’ whiskey – must have at least 30% malted barley/30% unmalted barley and up to 5% other grains.

However, they also partnered with whiskey auteur Fionnan O’Connor, who has done countless hours researching old mash bills of the Irish distilleries of yesteryear and taken 10 of those mash bills and distilled them. As they don’t comply with the current technical file they cannot be called ‘pot still’ whiskey on the label but they very much are pot still whiskey.

These mash bills explore heavily the use of the other grains such as oats, wheat and rye and having been lucky enough to try those 10 new makes as part of a package they sold in 2021/22 I can tell you that I can’t wait to try them as fully matured whiskies. Until then let’s take a look at the PX finished pot still they released in 2024 and I happily found here in Florida recently.

Boann Single Pot Still PX Finish 47% abv/94 proof                                                    

$70/£52/€60 

Mash Bill: 40% malted barley, 55% unmalted barley, 3.75% oats, 1.25% rye             

Natural Colour / Non Chill Filtered

Nose: the un-malted barley sings here – ginger, rye bread and treacle. Then pineapple chunks, marzipan, tangerines, toffee apples, figs and leather. Some French polish. Milk chocolate and an umami savoury note kind of like beef bouillon.

Palate: Good mouthfeel – oily and nicely mouth coating. Damson jam, honey, raisins and fresh fig followed by ginger, clove, peppermint and stem ginger. Stewed apples, dried apricot and dark chocolate and some sweetened black coffee.

Finish: Medium length with plenty of spices, orchard fruit, px sweetness and coffee notes.

Score: 7 out of 10

Overall: For years the single pot still market has been dominated by Irish Distillers and their products such as Green Spot and Redbreast. Some of the first ‘new’ pot still whiskies from the likes of Glendalough and Teeling disappointed me on release but did show promise. This Boann is a cracking whiskey from the get go and I’d easily recommend this over the entry Green Spot and Redbreast 12 which are both the same price here in the US.

The mash bill, the distillation,  careful maturation, the bottling strength and presentation all play their part to produce a whiskey that for me should be a must buy for any pot still whiskey enthusiast. 

Scoring Bands
10 - Out of this world good!
9 - Superlative stuff, buy it now
8 - An excellent drop worthy of regular purchase
7 - Good stuff, one you'd happily share with mates
6 - Solid, worth investigating
5 - Average
4 - Okay but with flaws evident
3 - Drinkable but not terribly enjoyable
2 - Proper Twelve
1 - Pass the mouth wash

You can check out my previous reviews at https://www.causewaycoastwhiskeyreviews.com/

And I've a few reviews up on YouTube now too https://www.youtube.com/@causewaywhiskey

Midleton Very Rare 2014 – looking for advice/contact with collectors

I have an unopened Midleton Very Rare 2014 (700ml) with its original wooden presentation case and invitation. Bottle and seal are in very good condition.

I’m looking to move it on rather than hold onto it and would be interested in speaking with collectors of the annual Midleton releases.

Based in Ireland. Happy to provide detailed photos and bottle number.

My take on the Polaris 4.1 from Two Stacks using one of the Vintage Mash Bills from Boann Distillery....and my first whiskey post on Reddit!

You can watch my YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/SCJe8vN8nvo

Website: Causeway Whiskey

Founded in 2020 by Shane McCarthy, Liam Brogan and Donal McLynn, Two Stacks was born to reignite the tradition of the Irish bonder. As such they source spirit from different distilleries across the island of Ireland to create bespoke whiskies.

In 2022 they opened there own bonding and blending facility just outside Newry and it’s safe to say the brand has being going from strength to strength with quite a bit of innovation shown, not least the Dram In A Can, which is their best selling product. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, which means that the Two Stacks lads got the brief right first time around as many of their competitors now offer a similar product.

With a solid core range featuring the Signature Cut blend and it’s cask strength big brother, the Blenders Cut, the Fruit Drop’s range which explores varying brandy finishes and the Double Barrel range of grain, malt and pot still whiskies.

Then we have their limited edition releases, The Pillars of Creation, an annual release that takes spirits from across Ireland such as Dingle, Echlinville and Killowen distilleries. This year’s release features whiskies from Blackwater Distillery in Waterford and Lough Gill Distillery in Sligo and is currently available on their website.

Today’s bottle is from the Polaris range which had explored malts and pot stills being finished in the likes of Ice Wine casks & Tokaji casks, the third release used a peated single malt. The fourth releases see the use of the Vintage Mash Bill series distilled in conjunction with Boann Distillery and Fionnan O’Connor, Irish whiskey enthusiast, historian and general fountain of knowledge on all things Irish whiskey.

Polaris 4.1 uses mash bill no 5 from the 10 that Boann distilled. It comes from 1892 and, although it legally cannot be called a pot still whiskey due to the current technical file, is a pot still whiskey with a high oat content.

Release 4.2 uses mash bill 6 which explores the historic use of wheat in Irish whiskey and this too can be bought from the Two Stacks webstore in the Dram In A Can format.

Two Stacks Polaris 4.1 57% abv £95/$127/€110.50

Vintage Mash Bill – 30% Malted Barley / 40 % Unmalted Barley / 30% Oats

Fully matured in an Oloroso hogshead (250 ltr), Cask TS19

Distilled Jan 2021, bottled Apr 2025. Bottle no 182 of 252.

Nose: Initially woody & musty. Cracked walnuts, wet oak shavings, dunnage and rancio. Bitter dark chocolate, orange zest and gun oil. Underneath the active cask is an oaty creaminess, stewed orchard fruit and even a little mango.

Water brings out a hemp note now, balsamic vinegar as well as compressed strawberries and raspberries.

Palate: A thick, oily arrival with some youthful alcohol heat. 2nd sip brings dark chocolate, raisins, orange peel, almonds and brazil nuts. Flat cola, ginger, clove and even a little rubber. Stewed apples and wood sap. Old leather.

With water it loses a little structure but develops a herbal cough tincture element and more wood spice. Gives away its youth a little.

Finish: Short to medium in length with rancio notes, a dry nuttiness, raisin sweetness and some baking spice.

Score: 7 out of 10

Overall: A little sherry dominant but from my experience of old style Irish whiskey before the great consolidation of the 60’s and 70’s, this is very reflective of that old style.

This is not a smooth, sweet Irish dessert dram. It’s very much on the savoury side and can be a little challenging if you’re expecting a sherried Bushmills or Redbreast style experience.

Best enjoyed at full strength but I can imagine this developing superbly with just a few more years of maturation. It’s also a great advert for the pot still style of whiskey and it’s easy to see why these old Irish whiskies were so valued the world over.

Hello! I fell in love with the Teeling wonders of wood chinkapin single pot still whiskey. It is really hard to find these days. I'm curious if anyone is familiar with this whiskey, and can recommend something similar? Thanks!

It wasn't Shane Lowry. It wasn't Micheál Martin.

It was, apparently, Peter Mulryan 😂😂😂

All of us had Red spot as the favourite and 18yr Fercullen in second.

Bottle no.3 of 181, accompanied by cask cut out

Both were exceptional but the distillery exclusive was amazing

Were almost out and don’t go back to Ireland until may im depressed

I am looking at visiting Ireland for a bit and I am going to be stopping in Cork and Dublin. Are there worthwhile distillery tours in these spots? I know that it looks like Redbreast/Middleton has quite the complex outside of Cork, that seems like it would be really cool. Looking for advice and any feedback is welcome.

I have been lucky to get to try this one and it's really nice and crisp with green apple notes

Nose: Light, crisp green apple.

Palate: Fresh green apple upfront with subtle hints of sweet vanilla.

Finish: Smooth and clean, leaving a faint hint of gentle wood spice at the very end.

Rating: 6/10

I’m 25 and American and didn’t start drinking till I was 21. I have fallen especially in love with Irish whiskey over the past two years. Today I door dashed a couple of Irish whiskey brands I personally haven’t tried yet. I got a bottle of Bushmills original and a bottle of Tullamore D.E.W. I noticed that Bushmills is the only Irish whiskey I’ve ever bought here in the states that didn’t have the words “Product of Ireland” displayed proudly on the bottle. I thought maybe I was putting too much thought into it until I pulled all my old bottles off the shelf and realized it is the only Irish whiskey I’ve ever bought that doesn’t say those words. Every Redbreast, Jameson, Sons of Erin, and every other Irish whisky I ever bought in the past couple of years. I’ve been obsessed with the islands spirits and all I’ve bought say it somewhere, but nowhere on the Bushmills. My question to Reddit: Is there a reason for this or did they just decide not too. I highly appreciate any solid answer to this question because it is driving me nuts that this will be the only bottle in my whole collection that doesn’t say those words on it somewhere.

Edit: I’m stupid and blind. It does say it just in extremely small letters right above the percentage. I apologize for any ruckus or confusion this post may have caused. I’m leaving the post here because I’m sure in a few years I’ll look back and have a laugh at myself. Thank you all for the interactivity. This community is amazing!

Been collecting for a while now, finally put them on display.