Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Review

Drumshanbo
Single Pot Still
Irish Whiskey
The Shed Distillery
86 Proof
MSRP: $65.99
Review

Please enjoy our Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Review!

The Shed Distillery

The Shed Distillery, located in Drumshanbo, County Leitrim, Ireland, was founded in 2014 by P.J. Rigney. Situated in rural Ireland, The Shed distillery has five copper pot stills, all crafted by Arnold Holstein in Germany. Three stills are for Irish Whiskey production and the other two are dedicated to making Gunpowder Irish Gin. In addition, 2 copper column stills are used for the production of The Shed’s Sausage Tree Pure Irish Vodka.

The Details: Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Review

To set the stage, let’s review the requirements for Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. In addition to following the standard rules for Irish Whiskey, Single Pot Still needs to meet the following requirements:
–It is a spirit distilled from a mash of a combination of unpeated malted barley, unmalted barley and other unmalted cereals.
–The mash must contain a minimum of 30% malted barley and a minimum of 30% unmalted barley and be distilled in pot stills.
–It is typically triple distilled, however double distilled is also acceptable. Large pot stills are usually used.
–It must be produced at a single distillery

For this particular whiskey, the grains used are a combination of malted Irish barley, un-malted Irish barley, and Irish Barra oats. While we aren’t told the exact proportions of each, we know that there must be at least 30% each of malted and unmalted barley. Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is triple distilled, although we know that is not a requirement. The whiskey was aged primarily in first fill Kentucky Bourbon barrels, with a smaller percentage of first fill Oloroso Sherry casks.

Tasting Notes – Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Fresh green apples, tangerines, blackberry jam; mild light honey sweetness, light caramel, malt; alcohol appropriate for the proof
👉🏻Taste: Green apples, tangerines, caramel, blackberry jam, moderate sugar sweetness; tart orange peel later on; medium bodied
👉🏻Finish: Mild capsaicin spice; somewhat dry; mild lingering sugar sweetness; tart orange peel, dry balsa wood, slight barrel char; moderately long with a pleasant warmth

The nose of Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey initially has sweet, yet tangy, fruits, like green apples and tangerines. There is a mild simple syrup sweetness with malty overtones, as well as a touch of blackberry jam and light caramel. The alcohol vapor is appropriate for the proof.

Many of those same flavors continue into the taste, with green apples, tangerines, caramel and blackberry jam. The taste is a bit more sweet than the nose, and moderate in degree, with the sweetness coming primarily from white sugar. Later on, tart orange peel appears and continues into the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, quite ample for this whiskey’s 86 proof.

In the finish, the tart orange peel is joined by a mild capsaicin spice. In addition, the mouthfeel rapidly becomes more dry, although a mild sugar sweetness lingers on. The flavors increasingly turn to a dry balsa wood with subtle barrel char and the lingering tart orange peel. Those notes persist throughout the remainder of the moderately long finish. In the end, I am left with a pleasant warmth.

An Unexpected Flavor Progression

The flavor progression in this whiskey was a bit unexpected from my initial nosing. The sweet, yet tangy, fruit flavors dominate in the nose initially, with little foreboding of the flavors to come. As the taste was noticeably sweeter than would have been predicted by the nose, I was a bit surprised by the dry mouthfeel and flavors of the finish. However, the subtle barrel char is not unexpected since ex-bourbon barrels are the predominant barrel used for maturation.

Conclusion – Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Review

All in all, this is a very enjoyable, albeit a bit unpredictable, whiskey. It provides more than ample flavors and body for its proof, while remaining quite easy to drink. If you are a fan of Irish Whiskeys which begin with fruits and end on the drier side, then you’ll want to give Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey a try. Have you had it? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Review! If you would like to review the basics of Irish Whiskey, then you’ll want to read our article “What is Irish Whiskey?” Or maybe you are interested in some related whiskey reviews? If so, then read our Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon, our Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon Cask Strength and our Keeper’s Heart 10 Year Single Malt Irish Whiskey reviews!

Note: This bottle was graciously provided by the brand for my review!

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