And here it is, the very first Dingle Single Malt. Well, actually not the first one, because a bunch of small-batch releases have preceded it. But it is the first to be included in the core range. A true milestone for the small Irish distillery.
Located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the town of the same name, Dingle Distillery opened its doors in 2012. It was the first in a slew of new distilleries in Ireland, where it had previously been just the three big players for years.
However, it was not the only thing that was quite groundbreaking at the time, the distillery chose to produce single pot still whiskey in addition to single malt. Nowadays you see that single pot still has been adopted by many new Irish distilleries, but back in 2012, this was really quite unique. This traditional Irish way of making whiskey had all but disappeared, were it not for Irish Distillers who, for many years, were the only ones keeping this method alive. And suddenly there was also Dingle!
The first whiskey was released in December 2015, after which a whole series of small-batch releases were launched in the years that followed. Both single pot still and single malt. And now there is finally this first core range bottle with a stunning new label: the Dingle Single Malt.
This Dingle has matured in 1st fill PX Sherry (61%) and 1st fill Bourbon (39%) casks, consisting mainly of 6 to 7 year old spirit.
Dingle Single Malt tasting notes:
Nose: Fresh lemons and pears. Honey and blueberries. Raisins and dried apricots. Vanilla and dark chocolate. A bit of mint in the back, followed by kiwi. A touch of spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
Taste: slightly malty and plenty of chocolate and a hint of banana candies. Raisins. Caramel and vanilla. Red apples and a hint of grapefruit. Later also black pepper.
Finish: mid-long to long and a bit dry. with the same spices and chocolate. Slightly woody.
Well, this is a lovely surprise. I think Dingle can be proud of this first core range bottling. It’s really well put together, which has resulted in a pleasant and enjoyable young single malt. This was by the way the first single malt that I tasted from Dingle, but it has made me very curious about what else is to come from this young Irish distillery. One to keep an eye on!
