Sipped or mixed, stirred, shaken, neat or on the rocks… These selection of spirits and liqueurs will give you a taste of the new and the timeless, the local and the international, the crowd pleasers and a few unusual delights. We’ve wrapped up our most loved tipples for you to sip on over the festive season. So have a look and enjoy them your way this Christmas!
Jameson Blender’s Dog – €70
A signature bottle by Head Blender Billy Leighton, it’s a combination of grain and pot still whiskeys, aged in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry barrels. Mellow and with a pleasant spiciness and notes of caramelised sugar. Rich and smooth, it’s an elegant example of fine Irish Whiskey.
Available at O’Briens
Glendalough Porter Barrel 10 Year Old Irish Whiskey – €46 (Duty Free), €58 (Duty Paid)
10 year old is the latest from the Glendalough Distillery which was started by five friends with a passion for reviving the heritage of craft distilling in Ireland. The perfect tipple to share with friends by the fire on a cold winter’s night.
Available exclusively at The Loop in Dublin Airport
Prizefight Irish Whiskey – €49.99
Launched just weeks ago, this new whiskey celebrates the bond between Ireland and America. It’s distilled at West Cork Distillery and aged in barrels sourced from Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire, USA. Fresh and lively, it offers a mix of crisp white fruit, white pepper and an herbal note.
Available at the Celtic Whiskey Shop
Redbreast Lustau Edition – €69
A single pot still Irish whiskey aged in Bourbon and Sherry casks for 9 to 12 years and finished for another year in first fill casks that have been seasoned with oloroso sherry from the prestigious Bodegas Lustau in Jerez. Deep and spicy, it benefits from a nutty toastiness thanks to the Sherry influence.
Available at James Fox
Teeling Small Batch – €38.99
Aged in ex-rum barrels and at 46% ABV, its strength is balanced by a mellow palate with hints of vanilla, sweet spices, dried apricots and candied orange. Smooth and youthful, with a pleasant dry, cedary finish.
Available at the Celtic Whiskey Shop
Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin – €44 (on offer from €49)
Launched just last May, this premium gin has quickly became a favourite for gin lovers. It’s slow distilled by hand with oriental botanicals and gunpowder tea at The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim.
Available at O’Briens Wines
El Jimador Tequila Blanco – €35
Clear and fresh, this Tequila is made with 100% blue agave bottled in-state. It’s double distilled and very pure, smooth and versatile. It has a dry, citrusy and lightly toasted flavour, and it’s a great Tequila for cocktails as it blends very well with mixers.
Available at O’Briens Wines
Rum Santa Teresa 1796 – €56.99
A fine sipping Venezuelan rum aged in a solera system with rums aged between 8 and 12 years old going into Bourbon barrels for a further year. It’s dry and deep, a good one for whiskey lovers that will appreciate more complex and less sweetness.
Available at the Celtic Whiskey Shop
Micil Irish Poitín – €37
Carefully handcrafted in a micro-distillery in Galway. Named after Micil Mac Chearra, the current distiller’s great, great, great grandfather, and created in a time-honoured tradition. Smooth and with a subtle cereal note, it’s all you can want from a traditional poitín.
Available at Mitchel and Son
Woodford Reserve – €43
An American Bourbon with a twist: the use of rye in the mash gives it a surprising spiciness that contrasts very well with the sweeter notes we know and love in the style. Marmalade notes and toffee dominate and a creamy, rich texture make it quite a treat.
Available at O’Briens Wines
St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur – €41.50
This natural, artisanal French liqueur has tropical fruits aromas and a captivating floral character. It’s made from 100% fresh, hand selected elderflower blossoms and it’s a beautiful addition to gin or vodka cocktails.
Available at O’Briens Wine
Coole Swan Irish Cream Liqueur – €20
Whiskey, chocolate and cream combine in this crafted liqueur made using the very best, all natural ingredients. It’s smooth and sweet but not overwhelming, a lovely one to sip on the rocks or to make sweet cocktails.
Available at SuperValu
Muldoon Irish Whiskey Liqueur – €30.99
A mellow and warming whiskey liqueur rich in flavours of butterscotch, caramel and citrus peel. A worthy winner of a Gold Medal at the 2014 Irish Whiskey Awards.
Available at the Celtic Whiskey Shop
Causes & Cures Semi-Dry White Vermouth – €21 (on offer from €24)
A clean and balanced vermouth with a remarkable depth and a rich texture. On the palate, mellow citrus notes blend with orange and aniseed together with a gentle sweetness. A cracking Vermouth, delicious on its own with ice and a twist of orange.
Available at Mitchel and Son
Highbank Orchards Organic Orchard Liqueur – From €9.90 to €65
This is a great Highbank creation, made with 100% organic apples with smoot tannins coming from the fruit. It is a rich, smooth liqueur, ideal for after dinner drinks and specialist cocktails, especially with ginger and cinnamon.
Available at highbankorchards.com
Gabriela’s passion for writing is only matched by her love for food and wine. Journalist, confectioner and sommelier, she fell in love with Ireland years ago and moved from Venezuela to Dublin in 2014.
Since then, she has written about and worked in the local food scene, and she’s determined to discover and share the different traditions, flavours and places that have led Irish food and drink to fascinate her.
Gabriela Guédez Gabriela Guédez
