Replay: Tasting Event with W.D. O’Connell Whiskey Merchants
February 7, 2022
We had a fantastic night of whiskey sampling and stories with Daithi O’Connell and Tom Draths from W.D. O’Connell Whiskey Merchants who joined us live from their new, freezing cold, warehouse and headquarters in Co. Waterford.
We tasted the following three whiskeys, learned about their style, journey and taste:
The first triple-distilled peated Irish single malt in a century, the Bill Phil is steeped in history. This is the bottle that launched W.D. O’Connell back in November 2019, and its name has a family history reaching back to Daithí’s great-grandfather.
The Bill Phil is batched each year, and while each batch is different from the previous, every bottle has the distinct peated characteristics that Bill Phil fans love about this whiskey.
Matured exclusively in first-fill bourbon barrels, it is distinctly peated. You’ll get fresh charcoal, a creamy texture, and rich malt & citrus flavours with a delicate smokey finish. You won’t be disappointed.
Bottled at 47.5%, non chill filtered, no added color.
W.D. O’Connell launched their first single grain whiskey with The Bourbon & Rye Series, a reference to the casks used to give the bottle its distinct, full-bodied characteristics.
Two grain whiskeys were vatted together to create this unique expression – a 10 year old single grain matured in ex-bourbon barrels and a 12 year old single grain, first matured for 10 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then matured for 2 years in ex-rye casks.
The Bourbon & Rye is the first of what will be a long line of single grain releases, an often overlooked, important part of Irish whiskey tradition.
Bottled at 48%, non chill filtered, no added color.
A unique collaboration with Western Herd Brewing in Co. Clare in the West of Ireland. This 5 and a half year double distilled single malt was aged initially in ex-bourbon barrels before being placed for a number of months into a Western Herd Imperial Stout barrel. Upon tasting it was determined that the porter influence was too prominent and so the liquid was moved to a rum barrel to allow a sweetness pair with the bitterness of the stout for a wonderful balance of white pepper, dark beer, crumbly graham crackers and a thick pouring of caramel sauce.
Watch the full replay of our event here:
Take a tour of W.D. O’Connell’s new warehouse and headquarters here:
Purchase these whiskeys from Folsom Wine & Spirits by clicking here.
Club Exclusive:
If you’d like to be the first to be able to purchase one of 188 bottles from the US-exclusive Single Cask From Clare to Here, then click on the image below and add your email details. While it may be late summer before this whiskey arrives to the United States, you’ll receive 24 hours advance notice to purchase before the general public.
