From Hibernia Distillers in Ireland comes Hyde Irish Whiskey, a range of single malt Irish whiskies under the Hyde brand.
Hyde Irish Whiskey – Photo Supplied
The Irish Whiskey category is experiencing a renaissance with new brands emerging, new distilleries being built and the use of different cask finishes becoming more prominent. Hyde Irish Whiskey hails from Hibernia Distillers in Innishannon, West Cork, Ireland where they produce a range of Single Malt Irish Whiskey under the Hyde brand.
Hibernia Distillers was established in 2014 by Conor & Alan Hyde, a family who has been in the drinks business for twelve generations starting as tavern owners selling Irish whiskey and draught Irish Stout and now producing Irish Whiskey.
Hyde Irish Whiskey has been named in honour of Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland hence the President’s Cask features in the name. The whiskey is made using 100 per cent malted Irish barley and then aged for ten years. Spring water from West Cork is then used to bring down the ABV to 46%. The Irish whiskey is non-chill filtered and bottled in limited release batches of 5000 numbered bottles.
Hyde Irish Whiskey Tasting Notes
Hyde No.1 President’s Cask 10 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish
Hyde 10 yo Sherry Cask Finish is a Single Malt Pot Still Whiskey, aged for 10 years in flame charred, first fill, 200L ex bourbon barrels then transferred for 10 months into charred 250L Oloroso Hogshead sherry casks made from white oak. The expression is bottled in limited release batches of 5000 numbered bottles.
Hyde No 1 was awarded Double Gold / Best Single Malt Irish Whiskey at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirit Competition.
- ABV: 46%
- Colour: bright amber
- Nose: vanilla, fresh orchard fruit, spices, Christmas fruits with soft oak
- Palate: smooth, creamy and complex with loads of Christmas fruit and spice, caramel and plums
- Finish: rich with honey sweetness and spice, a fine balance of oak, lingers very long and warming, its about the finish
- Comments: a rich and complex Irish whiskey with an extremely long and satisfying finish that keeps on giving.
Hyde No.2 President’s Cask 10 Year Old Rum Cask Finish
Much like Hyde No. 1, Hyde No.2 President’s Cask 10 Year Old Rum Cask Finish is a Single Malt Pot Still Whiskey aged in flame charred, first fill, 200L ex Bourbon casks but finished into 200L charred Dark Caribbean Rum casks from Barbados.
- ABV: 46%
- Colour: amber-copper
- Nose: raisins, toffee and caramel followed by tropical fruit, mainly mango, coconut, pineapple
- Palate: toffee and molasses on the front palate, rich, spicy with vanilla, caramel, drier than the sherry cask finish
- Finish: spicy and dry, lingers long but not as long as the sherry cask
- Comments: a rich and spicy Irish whiskey with vanilla, toffee and and spice undertones
Hyde No. 3 Aras Cask Irish Whiskey Single Grain Pot Still Whiskey 6 yo Bourbon Matured
Hyde Single Grain Irish whiskey is made on a traditional ‘coffey still’ using pure corn/maize as the grain. The spirit comes from a single distillery location, is triple distilled and matured for over 6 years in flame charred, first fill, ex-bourbon Jack Daniels casks. Furthermore, it is made in small batches and not blended in any way. The year 1916 in the name is the year of Celebration of Irish rebellion.
- ABV: 46%
- Colour: golden
- Nose: bursting with vanilla, some oak
- Palate: big bold grain character, thinner on the palate, dry, spicy, lacks smoothness of sherry and rum expressions, hints of charred oak
- Finish: long and warm finish, a combination of oak and barley
- Comments: an Irish whiskey with a bold grain character
Hyde Irish Whiskey is a welcome addition to the new wave of Irish whiskies. The 10 yo sherry cask is a most impressive expression not only for fans of Irish whiskey but for Scotch whisky aficionados.
This article was originally published on May 4, 2016 on our sister website Gourmantic.
