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Irish Whiskey Magazine - Tastings - The Silkie

The Silkie

The first release from the newly formed Sliabh Liag distillery in Co. Donegal. A blended whiskey bottled at 40% ABV and retailing at a RRP of €47.

John Moriarty Notes

Nose:

Oodles of ripe green apples, butterscotch surrounds the fruitiness with a gentle hug that typifies the sweetness expected from a good Irish whiskey.
 

Palate:

Spicy, fiery ginger notes shine – akin to the ‘very hot ginger beer’ found in  supermarkets, but then this layer of spice subsides in favour of some of the nose notes falling in to place; barley notes, the flavour you’d expect from  rushed biscuits used in your mother’s banoffee pie, with some light citrus zest present.
 

Finish:

Medium finish, spices ebb as the sweet, malty notes do a little dance before subsiding.

 

Overall:

A solid whiskey, well worth trying and a good sign of what might come from the distillery in future years if they look to build their spirit’s character based upon the breadth of flavours present in this initial release. 

 

 

Stuart Irvine Notes

Nose:

Very light and easy going with creamy grains, banana, banoffee pie, oak vanilla and soft green apple. Typical Co. Louth nose. There’s very little spice going on and it needs no water  whatsoever. Little touches of citrus lemon also pop up here and there.
 

Palate:

Thin and quite watery. Can immediately tell that this should’ve been presented at a higher percentage of ABV. More green apple, smooth oak, vanilla cream, light oak spice and citrus that now feels more orange in nature. Again it’s all very safe, in fact maybe a little too safe.
 

Finish:

Pretty short with some touches
of fruit.
 

Overall:

Overall this is a very easy drinking blend that could’ve done with a good bit more oomph. This would serve well as a beginner’s whiskey but, as stated, it’s all a little too safe and in my opinion this feels a little overpriced for my liking.

Irish-Whiskey-Magazine-John Moriarty

John Moriarty

Bar Manager with 5* Park Hotel Kenmare, Co. Kerry for 34 years. Brings people to their ‘senses’ regularly conducts Whiskey Master Classes professionally within the hotel, the Dublin Bar Academy and throughout Ireland. Involved with the Whiskey school at Dingle Whiskey Distillery. Teaches but is a ‘Whiskey student for ever’ learning constantly from John C. McDougall, Rachel McNeill & Prof Paul Hughes. Has achieved a General Cert in distillation with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.

Irish-Whiskey-Magazine-Stuart Irvine

Stuart Irvine

Stuart Irvine is a whiskey blogger based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Since first getting into whiskey around 5 years ago Stuart has amassed an incredible knowledge of all whiskeys and he has since started up his own highly  respected blog “Whisky Belfast”, is active on twitter as @Whisky_Belfast and contributes regularly on Facebook. Stuart regularly attends whiskey events both in his native Belfast, and further afield.

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