July 2010 - 'The Pure Drop' (29th)

[jcskinner]

The Irish Whiskey Society is proud to announce that bookings are now open for our next tasting, which is set to be something special indeed.

July's tasting will feature no compromise and no half-measures. We're going to be supping the pure drop - whiskey as God intended.

Whiskey has a reputation of being a strong spirit, but many people are perhaps unaware that by the time whiskey reaches the bottle it has usually been diluted down by distillers to between 40% and 46% alcohol by volume.

When it leaves the cask, however, it is usually significantly higher in alcohol again, sometimes up to 70%! Many aficionados prefer this unadulterated, undiluted form of whiskey - but it's not for the faint-hearted!

The society's president Gary Mongey is a passionate fan of drinking whiskey at cask-strength, and he will be presenting his own personal guide to enjoying drams at a strength higher than many of us are used to.

With a range of tasty whiskeys from Ireland and Scotland, he'll be showing us how different levels of dilution with water can affect how a whiskey smells and tastes, and also comparing some standard whiskeys with their bigger, beefier cask-strength cousins.

This special tasting is intended to introduce the wonderful world of cask strength whiskey, and restore the ancient art of adding water to your own personal taste and not to a level dictated by legislation, distilleries and manufacturers.

But if this still isn't enough to tempt you, we have an extra-special surprise dram that will only be available to attendees on the night. Swathed in secrecy, all that is known is that it is a first in the world of whiskey and we've got the only bottle in existence!

So if you want to taste the pure drop in the expert company of Gary, and experience a bit of whiskey history, book your place NOW at http://bookwhen.com/iws.

As the whiskeys we'll be tasting are higher in alcohol than even regular whiskey fans may be used to, the society would like to urge everyone to ensure they have eaten properly in advance of the tasting. As always, we promote the responsible enjoyment of whiskey.

[Fionnán]

sounds fantastic, and i'll actually be able to make this one as i'm heading out this wednesday for the rest of the summer

[uncle fester]

So how did this one go?
When I finish tag rugby in UCD, I'll be free on Thursdays to come along to one of these events.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Yes, I'd like a synopsys too ... any silver tongued attendees out there to fill us in

[DavidH]

I'll be uploading the pics and bottle list later. I'll let yiz know when that's done.

[DavidH]

Details posted now.

For me, best thing about the night was the selection of whiskeys. As a novice on the Scottish side, it felt like someone had said "Allow me to cut through the confusion, here are some excellent whiskies you should try".