Before I get there, though,
what exactly is Irish whiskey? First and foremost, it must be a complete
product of Ireland, distilled from a mash of malted cereals with or without
unmalted grains. It must be fermented with yeast and distilled at less than
94.8% ABV. Here’s a tricky part: when distilled, it must have an aroma and
taste of the representative grains, with no additives other than water and
caramel coloring. It must age at least three years in 700 or fewer liter oak
containers.
Beyond those requirements,
Irish whiskey falls under four categories: single
pot still, single malt, single grain, and blended.
The
Quiet Man is a venture of US-based Luxco and Niche Drinks
of County Derby in Northern Ireland. The whiskey enjoyed distribution throughout
Europe before making its US debut in 2016. There were talks of building a
distillery in County Derry, but those fell by the wayside in 2018. Regardless, the
brand is going strong today, but the actual distiller remains undisclosed.
“Now that I am making my own whiskey, I am naming it after my father. As a bartender, he saw a lot of things and heard a lot of stories, but like all good bartenders, he was true to his code and told no tales. My father, John Mulgrew, ‘The Quiet Man’, or as they say in Ireland ‘An Fear Ciuin.’” – Ciaran Mulgrew, founder of The Quiet Man
The
Quiet Man is available in two versions: a blended Irish whiskey and an 8-year
Irish single malt. I’m sipping on the latter. Like most Irish whiskey, it is triple-distilled
in copper pot stills from a 100% malted barley mash. It is then aged in
first-fill former Bourbon barrels for at least eight years and bottled at 40%
ABV (80°) with a retail price between $42.99 and $49.99.
Before
I go further, I’d like to thank Luxco for sending me a sample of The Quiet Man
in exchange for a no-strings-attached, honest review. Now it is time to #DrinkCurious
and learn what this whiskey is all about.
Appearance: Sipped
neat in a Glencairn glass, The Quiet Man was brilliant gold. It formed a bold
rim with husky, fast legs that crashed back to the pool of whiskey.
Nose: A
floral fragrance accompanied by caramel, honey, citrus, and lightly-toasted
oak. When I drew the aroma into my mouth, citrus and vanilla tangoed across my
tongue.
Palate: A full-bodied, somewhat creamy mouthfeel greeted
my palate. The front featured banana, apricot, apple, and vanilla, while the
middle offered nutmeg and orange zest. Clove, cinnamon, coffee, and oak
comprised the back.
Finish: Flavors of oak spice, coffee, and clove were
joined by apricot and orange zest. The finish was long and lingering, and I was
admittedly taken aback that something at 40% ABV could make my hard palate
tingle.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: An eight-year Irish single malt whiskey for
$42.99 sounds like a heck of a deal if it is enjoyable. The Quiet Man may tell
no secrets, but the whiskey named for him is full of flavor and character. I savored
it, and I believe you will, too. The Quiet Man 8-Year Single Malt has earned
every bit of my Bottle rating.
Cheers!
My Simple, Easy to
Understand Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.
I would just like to point out that there is no County Derby ion the island of Ireland North or South.
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing that out. It should be County Derry, and I've updated it. Cheers!
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