Regular readers of HouseGoesHome will be aware that a delivery driver is dirty with me about all the booze that he drops on my doorstep.
Or, more accurately, he is dirty and jealous.
He’s been particularly annoyed lately because I was invited to an Irish whiskey tasting in the lead up to St Patrick’s Day.
Normally they send little vials of whiskey for virtual tastings, but the Irish Whiskey Association sent whole bottles.
Sláinte!
March 17 is a double celebration in my household as it’s also my birthday. I would love to visit Ireland one day, but in the meantime La Nina has thoughtfully sent so much rain to Sydney that I feel like I’m in County Clare … either there or wherever Noah’s Ark is meant to have floated.
Seriously, the rain here is INSANE.
Anyways, the tasting was organised by the Irish Whiskey Association because Australia is a key market for the spirit – sales of Irish whiskey have doubled and even more rapid growth is expected in years to come. However, the spirit tends to be a little overshadowed by Scotch and bourbon. Hence the awareness drive.
Opening five bottles of whiskey for little ‘ol me seemed a bit extreme, so I told DD to invite some mates along to help with the sampling. We shared the experience with Gav, Benny and Mark the Shark.
DD, bless him, styled the whiskey bottles with fairy lights so they looked all fancy for our guests.
I picked up the ingredients for a cheese plate to ensure everyone’s stomachs were lined and we settled in for a very posh virtual tasting, which included a welcome by William Lavelle, the Director of the Irish Whiskey Association, some comments from the Irish Consul-General to Sydney, then an introduction to the whiskies by those who know them best.
Tullamore DEW was discussed by Kevin Pigott, who is the Distillery Brand Ambassador (Ireland); The Whistler by Peter Cooney, Co-founder & Export Sales Director; The Dubliner by Stephanie Shen, Global Brand Ambassador; and Slane by Stuart Reeves and Linus Schaxmann, Brand Manager and Brand Ambassador respectively.
Kevin was a cack. I asked whether it was a spin out that Irish whiskey had fought back from oblivion to become one of the world’s fastest growing spirits. He agreed that it was pretty mindblowing considering Tullamore is just a tiny little town that “only has six women on Tinder”.
As for the verdict on the whiskies, everyone was blown away by the Dubliner Irish Whiskey & Honeycomb, which is the most divine liqueur. Nom nom.
There were also lots of thumbs up for the evocatively named The Whistler P.X. I Love You Single Malt Irish Whiskey. It’s called The Whistler because the founder’s dad wanders around the distillery whistling all the time and PX because its matured in PX sherry casks.
Although, as William noted, “we don’t wait for age statements, we just drink it when it’s ready”.
Not a bad way to spend a wet Thursday night, filled with laughter and lilting Irish accents. The boys had a grand time – I had to keep telling them to shush!
William also sent me an email this morning saying “we all enjoyed the sight of your stealing a cheeky kiss on-screen! 🙂 Thank for joining. Glad you enjoyed”.
Ooops! That would have been Benny arriving and not realising he was on camera …
Have a good weekend. Hopefully there are a few breaks in the rain.
Song of the day: The Cranberries “Zombie”
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