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Two Companies Inspired By Location & Energised By Nature..

26 Degree “IPA1A” Cask Finish

We may have a different climate to Florida, but at Clonakilty Distillery, we feel just as inspired by our location on the Irish Wild Atlantic Way. 

26 Degree “IPA1A” Cask Finish is the third release from Clonakilty Distillery’s collaborations series.This collaboration brings together two companies energised by nature to create a whiskey which reflects each special place.

Available in-store & online Friday November 6th 

Once again we have turned to Paul Corbett, Head Distiller to talk us through this unique whiskey. 

Q. Tell us a bit about 26 Degrees Brewing? 

A. Well their based in Pompano Beach, Florida and they take inspiration from the Atlantic ocean much like ourselves at Clonakilty. They are crafting beers to celebrate this special location. 

Q. What beer was used in this particular collaboration?

A. 26 Degree’s “IPA1A” which is named after the highway running the length of Florida’s East Coast. What struck me about this IPA is how balanced it is. There’s a tendency these days to go for a hops, hops & more hops approach. However, here the brewers started with a sweet malty backbone and then added the hops to accentuate that. The result is a really well balanced beer. 

Q. Why did you bottle at 46%?  

A. With this particular whiskey I felt 46% had the best balanced of flavours. The sweetness from the malty backbone was still really coming through with just a slight hint of the hops. 

Q. How long was the whiskey in the cask for?

A. Just over three weeks so not a huge amount of time. You don’t want to keep a whiskey in an IPA cask for too long because the flavours from the hops can be really intense and this shouldn’t come through too much in the whiskey. What you really want is a whiskey where the hops compliment but not overpower. 

Q. What should people expect from this whiskey?

A. So coming through for me straight away is a satsuma, sweet orange mandarin aroma but there’s also a lot of vanilla & sweetness like creme brulee …….actually what it really reminds me of is a Super Split ice cream from when I was young. 

On the palette it’s actually quite complex, there’s a lot more dark chocolate & sweetness from the malt backbone. The hops are there in the background bringing that slight orange flavour and there’s also some kind of candied ginger notes. 

The finish is long, like it just keeps going. There’s a lot of sweetness like an orange drizzle cake, cocoa nibs again that vanilla…..just really lingering, it’s really lovely. 

Paul (r) & Ewan (l) discussing this collaboration

About the Whiskey
On Sale:
In store & available online Friday November 6th 
Price: €85.00
Limited Release: 750 bottles in total, only 185 bottles kept for Ireland.
Best Enjoyed: Reminiscing on fond childhood memories. 

Tasting Notes
Nose: Satsuma mandarin, mint, ginger, crème brulee
Palette: Candied ginger, floral hops, dark chocolate orange and tangerine
Finish: Orange drizzle cake, cocoa nibs, hops.

Available from the distillery shop & online store 

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Facebook:@clonakiltydistillery
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Website: www.clonakiltydistillery.ie

Prepare For The Mother of All Storms…

Pelican “Mother of All Storms” Barley Wine Cask Finish 

Expect high winds and crashing waves when The Mother of All Storms finally hits Irish shores. 

Pelican “Mother of All Storms” Barley Wine Cask Finish is the second release in Clonakilty Distillery’s collaboration series. Perhaps it was the resemblance in our respective Pacific and Atlantic Ocean locations that helped this partnership blend so well.

Available From Friday November 16th 

We sat down with Paul Corbett, Head Distiller at Clonakilty Distillery to learn more about this collaboration.

Q. Tell us a bit about the Pelican Brewing Company?

A. The Pelican Brewing Company are based in Pacific City, Oregon. Like ourselves they are located on the coast but it’s a different ocean….they’re on the Pacific, we’re on the Atlantic. They are a small brewery with big ambitions to create something unique and sensory.

Q. What beer was used in this particular collaboration?

A. Pelican’s “Mother of All Storms” Barely Wine which is a really big beer, usually 10 to 14 percent alcohol content. For me it’s a real showcase of malt or the flavours that you can get from malt. To get the ABV that high the brewer has to pack as much barely as possible for the yeast to ferment it all down, resulting in such a high point of alcohol. Because of this you should be getting lots of flavours from the malt like biscuit, bread, nut and just a little bit of spice. 

Q. What led you to believe this beer would work well with Clonakilty whiskey? 

A. Well I thought we’d try and get more of that biscuit breadiness, to compliment all the grain that’s already in the whiskey. These beers are brewed so big and there’s so much sugar going into the fermenter, that the yeast acts differently and produces more fruity esters. This means there should also be dark fruit notes along with those biscuity, bready, nutty flavours…….what I would describe as a Christmas cake or pudding. I thought that this would be really interesting to add to the whiskey. 

Q. Why did you choose to bottle at 46% ABV? 

A. So this the first time we’ve bottled at 46%. When I’m going to blend a whiskey I don’t have any ABV in mind, I take it out at cask strength, do a series of dilutions and pick whichever I fell has the best ratio of flavours. 

At 46% I thought this particular whiskey best emphasized the Christmas cake & spicy fruit notes I was looking for, along with the bready malt. 

Q. How long was the whiskey in the cask for?

A. With these barrels, it was just over three and half months. It didn’t need a huge amount of time in the barely wine as it’s really flavourful. At the end of the day I want these flavours to compliment but not overpower the whiskey……it’s really important to know the difference. 

Q. What should people expect from this whiskey?

A. So straight away I get some clove, cut straw, nutmeg and warm spices on the nose. I also get that nuttiness coming through in the taste, it’s very creamy with a slight leather from the malt…… to be honest it really just reminds me of Christmas cake or pudding. 

The finish has dried peels, fruits, spiciness from the oak and an almost vanilla creaminess from the wood. 

Paul Corbett, Head Distiller (L) & Ewan Paterson, Tours Supervisor (R)

About the Whiskey
On Sale:
In store & available online Friday October 16th 
Price: €85.00
Limited Release: 1,500 bottles in total, only 378 bottles kept for Ireland.
Best Enjoyed: With winds in excess of 60mph.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Warm spice, cut straw, clove, nutmeg, ground almond, vanilla
Palette: Almond, barley, raisins, sultanas and leather
Finish: Dried peels, mixed spice, straw and vanilla

Available from the Distillery Shop in Clonakilty & Online Store 

SOCIAL MEDIA
Tag Us
Twitter:@clondistillery
Facebook:@clonakiltydistillery
Instagram:@clonakiltydistillery

Website: www.clonakiltydistillery.ie

VISITOR CENTRE TEMPORARILY CLOSED

In line with the current Government advice, we have, regretfully made the decision to temporarily close our Visitor Centre and Shop.

We plan to re-open in early December, should conditions permit.

We’re still here, beavering away behind the scenes, distilling more of our award-winning New-Make Spirit and Minke Gin, as well as producing our Clonakilty Distillery hand sanitiser.

OUR ONLINE SHOP IS STILL OPEN

You can order your favourite Clonakilty whiskeys, Minke gin and gifts -with FREE SHIPPING to Ireland and the UK.

We’ll be adding some exciting gift options to our online store very soon – perfect for that socially distanced shopping spree!

Until we see you all again, stay safe. Hopefully, in a few months, we’ll get to welcome you all back to Clonakilty Distillery.

Is fada an bóthar nach mbíonn casadh ann.