Another week, another great Tweet Tasting organised by The Whisky Wire.
The spirits we’re tasting this time are from the Dublin Whiskey Company’s ‘Dublin Liberties‘ Irish Whiskey brand.
The company was taken over by the Quintessential Brands Group in 2016 and the building of a new Distillery in the centre of Historic Dublin shows a confidence in the Irish Whiskey sector.
Dublin Liberties currently produces two expressions; Copper Alley and Oak Devil and we’re getting a chance to sample both.
Our notes are below.
Oak Devil
Oak Devil is a blend of double-distilled malt and grain whiskies which are matured in bourbon oak casks. It’s bottled at 46% ABV and non chill-filtered.
Nose
Quite spicy initially but quickly becomes orchard fruity – apples, pears and pear drops.
As it opens up, caramel appears and the combination becomes like a cake mix.
Very pleasant nose.
Palate
Sugary sweet and quite oily initially – smooth light honey. A peppery note quickly catches the back of the throat, but it’s pleasantly sweet with apples and tropical fruit.
Finish
The honey sweetness continues through to the finish with a strong dry spicy note until the end. Hint of aniseed balls in the final flavour.
Copper Alley
Copper Alley is a limited single malt whiskey which was matured for over ten years in Bourbon Oak before being finished in Oloroso Sherry casks.
It’s bottled at 46% ABV and non chill-filtered.
Nose
Subtle nose – but initial flavours of aniseed, dried fruit and slightly savoury – cooked bacon rinds and blue cheese.
Palate
Greater complexity immediate with dark sherried flavour. The bright ‘green’ flavours such apple and pear are dominant and fighting it out with the dark fruits and dry leather.
Seems to balance after a while (or perhaps my tastebuds did) and flavours become more integrated.
Finish
Good finish dry, leathery with cocoa. Punch of black pepper and an oilyness which holds the flavour in the mouth for a while.
Overall
I liked both of these whiskies, but would only consider buying a bottle of the Oak Devil. The bright fruity flavours and good balance of malt and grain make it a very approachable and enjoyable dram on its own. It would also hold its own well in cocktail.
The sherry finish in the Copper Alley definitely brings more complexity. That 30 year old Oloroso cask introduces some interesting flavours such as the savoury (bacon / blue cheese) hints in addition to the dried fruits and leather.
I did find however that these sherry flavours clashed slightly with the green fruit flavours from the malt so it fell a bit short for me.
As with any drink, it’s personal preference and although Copper Alley wasn’t a winner for me, I look forward to seeing what Dublin Liberties do in the futures as this is a style of Irish Whiskey which I very much enjoyed.
Thanks as always to Steve Rush and Dublin Liberties for the samples.
Braw Spirit 