Dingle distillery has just launched its first core whiskey Dingle Single Malt, a milestone for the distillery after a few limited releases in the past few years. It was one of the first ‘new wave’ Irish whiskey distilleries to bring its own distillate to the market, instead of bottling spirits from Ireland’s three established sources .
Dingle whiskey is triple distilled in copper pot stills and matured in a combination of PX sherry (61%) and bourbon casks (39%), all first-fill. It contains predominantly five to seven year-old spirit.
Dingle Single Malt Whiskey (46,3%, OB 2021, 50.000 btl.)
Nose: plenty of young, malty notes, with hints of vanilla and a lot of grains or wholegrain bread. Light citrus and pear. Over time these are joined by blackcurrant notes and a hint of milk chocolate from the sherry casks, as well as some leafy notes, liquorice and a hint of pine wood.
Mouth: more youthful sweetness now. There’s a big hint of red apples, with a generous dose of caramel and vanilla notes and a grainy, slightly spirity layer underneath. A minty / herbal edge and soft pepper. Bread crust. Faint hints of yellow raisins and vanilla pastry.
Finish: more caramel and spice, mainly aniseed.
Given the current high standards of start-up distilleries, this doesn’t really cut the mustard for me. Not bad for a first wide release, but I don’t get the positivity. Tasted blind I would have thought it was a (cheaper) blend. It is already available from the distillery website, as well as select retailers like The Whisky Exchange.