Inishowen Peated

At the end of the 19th Century, A.A. Watt Distillery from Derry brought introduced Inishowed Irish Whiskey. The name is derived from the beautiful peninsula in the west of Ireland, where you'll also find the famous Burt Castle. Quite a bit of poteen - illicit spirit - was produced in that area. Around 1822 no less than 800 stills were active in the Inishowen region. Today, Inishowen is produced by Cooley. It's a blend of grain and malt whiskeys. The maltwhiskey is distilled from 30% peated malt. It is the only peated blend coming from Ireland.

After pouring it, a whiff of peat is the first thing that you notice, only to have it dissappear never to return. The fresh aromas of apples and green grapes take over, along with some grain and vanilla notes.

It's very soft and sweet on the palate and the peat has a very hard time manifesting itself.

The finish is a trifle dry and spicy. At the death, with a bit of good will, you'll taste just a little bit of peat.

Whisky guru Jim Murray gives this one in his 2008 bible a whopping 98! While this one is absolutely not bad, it's a far cry from the best whisky I've ever tasted (the max I've ever awarded a whisky was a 97 for a ond Glen Garioch, not so long ago). Inishowen is worth every penny for it is pretty cheap. A very good blend, to be sure, and might be a good introduction to the world of peated whiskies.

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