Baoilleach An Chéad Cask Strength Irish Whiskey
I’ve done a thing! I made the decision to finally remove all social media apps from my personal phone and frankly, I don’t know why I haven’t done this sooner. I’ve grown tired of the constant adverts, suggested reels that I wasn’t looking for and the fact that I saw less and less of the material from those I had actually chosen to follow.
I’d also gotten a bit sick of the ever-changing algorithms that decide whether your ‘content’ is worthy of being ‘pushed’ onto others’ feeds. Instagram has been my platform of choice for the longest time, but I’ve lost interest in it. I remember the heady days of when it was about photographs.
But since the explosion of TikTok, reels have become the de facto content style of choice on Instagram. Interestingly though if the reel is over 3 minutes long you get told that it won’t be recommended to as many people outside of your already existing followers. Long story short I’ve become tired of having to work extra hard for followers and provide content that is undoubtedly making money for Meta but doing zero for my bank balance.
So, I will definitely be much less active on Instagram going forward. Even my YouTube channel will be a case of ‘as and when’ I can be bothered recording and uploading videos and not a mad pressure to make sure I have weekly reviews.
There are plenty of reasons to get off unsocial media these days. Authenticity is at an all-time low, we’re still surrounded by the ‘everything is awesome’ mentality, it’s full of AI slop and even much of the engagement that can be found (which has been precious little in my case) on the platforms isn’t much craic these days.
Primarily I’ve removed my apps to buy back my time. I want to use my time in more rewarding ways than the endless scroll, away from the curated hell of the attention economy that is everything Meta these days.
Authenticity is definitely not a problem for the distillery that comes under my focus for this review.
Nestled on a hillside overlooking Mulroy Bay near the village of Carrigart in County Donegal, Baoilleach Distillery is one of the smallest distilleries in Ireland. Owner operator Michael O’Boyle is producing around 50-70 casks of whiskey per year focusing on mixed mash bills comprising malted barley, green barley, oats, maize, rye and peated grains.
They even grow some of their own grains and produce an annual harvest whiskey called Grán na hÁite, Grains of the Place in English. Much like the much lauded Springbank Local Barely or Bruichladdich’s Islay Barley releases this is designed to show case the flavours of the local Donegal landscape.
Prior to this review I had only ever tried Michael’s poitín but was mightily impressed. I knew that they indicated that whiskey from the Baoilleach Distillery could be exceptional.
I was able to do this review thanks to the lads at Dram of the Month who very kindly left two of their tasting packs with Anthony and the gang at Irish Whiskey Auctions just before they shipped over my stash of bottles curated from the distant shores of Florida. I’ve been staring at many new releases in Ireland with envious eyes over the last 20 months or so and I’m delighted to now be able to try some of the exciting releases from the likes of Echlinville, Boann, Hinch, Bushmills, Two Stacks and of course Baoilleach.
Baoilleach An Chéad Cask Strength 58.7%
€165/£140/$190
A mixed mash bill of barley, green barley, oats and rye
Matured in ex-bourbon quarter casks and a ruby port hogshead
Nose: A gentle sweet peat greets your olfactory system first followed by strawberry laces, raspberry coulis and stewed blackberries. Vanilla, sea salt and an earthy balsamic glaze. Time brings fudge and a little oakiness. What stands out is there is no alcohol burn, this is very well integrated.
Water brings out dark chocolate infused with chilli, a little rubber and some creosote.
Palate: The arrival is thick, chewy and spicy! Biscuity malt, spicy rye and oat creaminess. Red fruit and black cherry, cracked black pepper, cinnamon, clove and a heavily charred pineapple note.
Water brings out caramel, toasted coconut and dark chilli chocolate.
Finish: Medium in length with fruit compte, peppery spice, oak and a gentle smokiness.
Score: 7 out of 10
Overall: This is a very impressive first outing from Baoilleach. To be fair after trying their poitín I was pretty confident that their whiskey would be as equally as impressive and I’m glad to have been proved right.
The nose is sublime, an enticing mix of stewed fruit, campfire smoke and mild salinity. The palate struggles a little to keep pace with the nose. It’s a little spicy and aggressive on arrival and needs a drop or two of water to tame it.
For such a young whiskey the overall effect is extremely impressive. It’s expensive for sure but that is the price to pay for such loving craft and small output. If this whiskey sounds like something in your wheelhouse the distillery online shop still has some availability.
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