Hyde Whiskey in Skibereen is a new Irish whiskey venture and is not to be confused with any other whiskey companies in West Cork. In common with most new Irish Whiskey start-ups, their initial release is based on a high quality offering that Hyde have worked their magic on from an established distillery. In this case, Hyde have sourced a ten-year-old single malt from the Cooley stable matured in first fill flame-charred Kentucky Bourbon Casks and finished in vintage sherry casks for an extra mellow sweetness.
"Nose - On the nose, the virgin oak from the first fill bourbon barrels is dominant after ten years of maturation. There is also some fruit as one would expect from the sherry influence which reminds me of dark Irish Fruitfield Marmalade. The nose is shorter than I would have expected.
Taste - Tasting, the initial impression is malt heavy with a warm and full mouth fill. Again, the oak is quite pronounced along with some bitter-sweet dried fruits and orchard fruits, burnt oak notes and black pepper spiciness. Surprisingly smooth on the tongue for a double distilled whiskey at 46%! The addition of a splash of water yields an exceptionally smooth and mellow ball of malt to swirl in the hand.
Finish - The finish is long and is dominated by burnt oak and pepper with a hint of bitter chocolate in the background.
The Oloroso Sherry Cask finish has definitely added some real magic to this ten year old malt. An interesting experiment might be to follow the Irish Distillers Green Spot–Yellow Spot model and see what a 12 or 15 year old variant with an additional 2 to 5 years of Sherry or other influence could produce!" -Irishwhiskey.com
"Nose - On the nose, the virgin oak from the first fill bourbon barrels is dominant after ten years of maturation. There is also some fruit as one would expect from the sherry influence which reminds me of dark Irish Fruitfield Marmalade. The nose is shorter than I would have expected.
Taste - Tasting, the initial impression is malt heavy with a warm and full mouth fill. Again, the oak is quite pronounced along with some bitter-sweet dried fruits and orchard fruits, burnt oak notes and black pepper spiciness. Surprisingly smooth on the tongue for a double distilled whiskey at 46%! The addition of a splash of water yields an exceptionally smooth and mellow ball of malt to swirl in the hand.
Finish - The finish is long and is dominated by burnt oak and pepper with a hint of bitter chocolate in the background.
The Oloroso Sherry Cask finish has definitely added some real magic to this ten year old malt. An interesting experiment might be to follow the Irish Distillers Green Spot–Yellow Spot model and see what a 12 or 15 year old variant with an additional 2 to 5 years of Sherry or other influence could produce!" -Irishwhiskey.com
