The Midleton Single Cask bottling is available from the Celtic Whiskey Shop in Dublin. The light amber color indicates little or no added caramel coloring unlike its better known Midleton Very Rare sibling. The nose is pleasantly assertively. But it's the taste that catches your attention in unexpected ways.

 

Without thinking about it, most people drink whiskey using only the center of their tongue, leaving large portions of their tastebuds unexposed. If you do that with the Midleton you may be surprised that such a highly reputed whiskey would be merely pleasant but unremarkable with a finish that disappears immediately. But if you use your entire tongue by letting the whiskey flow gently over the sides of your tongue (don't swish it around). Then the flavors burst forth with spice, oak, fruit ( a whole basket of fruit at that), caramel, vanilla, and on, with a finish that goes on forever. You can try this technique with other whiskeys but it does not produce the same dramatic differences as it does with this issue. There's much to appreciate with this one. A special drink.

The Locke's Grand Crew is special in many ways. It was born of a collaboration between the Irish Whiskey Society (IWS), the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI), the Heritage Boat Association (HBA) and  Cooley Distillery, all of whom were brought together by the leadership of IWS founder Michael Slevin. You need a bit of history to appreciate the hard work behind it.

Locke's Distillery in Kilbeggan used to transport its whiskey to Dublin via the Grand Canal until about 50 years ago. The once vibrant and vital commercial route closed in 1959 as traffic and the Irish economy contracted. The HBA, the IWAI and others preserved the memory of Canal operations and some of the equipment, but portions of the Canal became unnavigable, including the 8-mile spur leading to Kilbeggan.

Although the Grand Crew whiskey was distilled at Cooley's Co. Louth facility, it was matured at the Locke's Distillery.  Members of the IWS selected the whiskeys to be bottled. And members of the HBA and IWAI did the formidable work to get the cask carted along the closed 8-mile Kilbeggan spur to the mainline of the Canal, where it continued its journey by canal boat to Dublin. It's a wonderful story. You can read David Havelin's account of it here. There's also Michael's detailed telling with many pictures at the IWAI site here.

Cooley also should be lauded for its far-sighted commitment in reviving the Locke's distillery after a 53-year shutdown.  Just this year Cooley issued the first whiskey distilled at Kilbeggan. I plan to write more about those in future.

Grand Crew itself is worth the lengthy intro.  Light amber color, classic whiskey nose, flavors of oak, caramel, flashes of chocolate, vanilla, pepper in a burst of taste that lasts and mellows exceedingly well.

Connemara Single Cask, Peated Single Malt, Cask K92/33 4083, Casked 26 August 1992, Bottle #64, Bottled 20 June 2008. 46% ABV

Cooley's peated Connemara portfolio is one of my favorites. But it's not for everybody. I find that people either love it or hate it with few exceptions. It's robust, lively and assertive. Prior to sampling this Single Cask issue I preferred the cask strength bottling over both the 12-year-old and the "regular" Connemara.  The color is straw-like and the nose is subtle but distinctly smoky peat, perhaps even more so than the cask strength. A stay on the tongue belies your expectations as it is soft, warm and full-flavored -- a flash of smoke then mellow fruits, even honey -- and a very pleasant finish.

This is among very few whiskeys for which I immediately thought of food pairings. One of my brothers independently thought the same. The food we each came up with was, of all things, honeydew melon. I tried the pair together later and it actually works. 

As far as Connemara love-hate goes, I offered (insisted really) that a few Connemara haters try it. And much to their surprise they liked it very much.  This is a great bottling to be savored and shared.

The Bushmills Single Cask Rum Cask is one of three single cask offerings from the distillery. The other two are Bourbon Barrel and Sherry Hogshead. It's light amber in color (notice how the premium special-issue whiskeys tend not to be be gussied up with caramel coloring?) and the nose is pleasantly full, reminiscent of cocoa and with the distinctive Bushmills malt character.  It's warm and soft on the tongue with a filling taste that again makes me think of cocoa, oak, fruit (apple maybe) and a rich warm finish. Lots going on there. A very nice drink.

You also can order your own labels with your name printed on the front. The order slip is attached to the neck of the bottle. A very nice whiskey, and I'm very much looking forward to trying the bourbon and sherry finishes.

If you want a special and different treat in your whiskey drinking, watch for single cask bottlings where and when able. These are more direct expressions of the craft of whiskey making, and the virtual opposite of mass-produced spirits. They will give you depth in flavor as well as a deeper appreciation for the complexity and variations that make whiskey such an enjoyable pasttime.