Dingle Distillery in Co Kerry was one of the first of the new generation of Irish whiskey producers. Earlier this month they celebrated a significant milestone with the release of Dingle Single Malt. Up until now, all of the Dingle releases have been once-off small batch whiskies. It is argued by many that a distillery is defined not by these, interesting though they are, but by the core expressions available to buy at all times.
While most of the younger generation of distilleries buy in whiskey to finish or mature further, Dingle has only ever sold whiskey produced by themselves. Hence the small-batch releases up to now. Founded in 2012, they have built up sufficient reserves to be able to supply the growing market for Irish whiskey. Sales of Irish whiskey worldwide have been growing, reaching almost 144 million bottles in 2019, but have been affected by the pandemic in 2020. Some 50,000 bottles of Dingle Single Malt have been produced already this year and it is hoped that will grow to 100,000 by the end of this year and reach half a million bottles by 2023.
Aged
Dingle Single Malt is a triple-distilled non-chill filtered whiskey that has been aged in a mix of Pedro Ximénez sherry and bourbon first fill casks. Most of the spirit used has been aged for six to seven years in cask. It is bottled at a warming 46.3 per cent abv. Obviously many will use it as a base for cocktails, but it probably deserves to be consumed solo with a little ice.
Dingle Single Malt is a nicely balanced whiskey, smooth but not too heavy, with a fresh nose with herbs and lemon zest, honeyed on the palate with pears, butterscotch and vanilla and a good lingering finish.
Dingle Single Malt is available directly from the distillery (dingledistillery.ie), irishmalts.com, and specialist off-licences, for €55.
