McFadden Irish whiskey

[Mr Booze]

I recently found a bottle of McFadden Irish whiskey at the local shop. Found almost nothing about it online. It is from the West Cork Distillers, who curiously don't list it as a product on their own website:

http://westcorkdistillers.com/home/index.html

There are two old topics about them on the forum here:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1899&p=16429&hilit=west+cork+distillers#p16429

and here:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1874&p=16191&hilit=west+cork+distillers#p16191

Seems like they really flew under the radar. Curiously the bottle claims it is matured in Irish oak, which is a rarity I would think. Sorry but I haven't tried it yet. Just checking in here first before I give it a go. Any one know if it is any good? Cheers.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Hi Mr Booze, any chance you can get a picture up.

Also may have a good close look at the label and detail it for us here too.

The devil is in the detail.

[Mr Booze]

might not be able to take a pic for a while, but I found a picture of some bottles on the internet:

http://www.doingitlocal.com/wp-content/ ... 24x768.jpg

Oh it looks like the same label as reported on several months ago:

http://irishwhiskeyblog.com/2013/09/18/ ... art-2.aspx
(edited this link, hopefully will work)

Well almost the same. It does say whiskey and not "spirit drink". I'll let you know what I make of it when I get to it. Cheers.

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

Those links aren't working on my phone. I have seen the label and it's claiming to be whiskey.
It states ' Aged in Oak and Sherry casks. Aged 3 years.'

This qualifies them. I think the jury is still out on them until we get some solid information about their distilling process, cask selection and maturation process.

[Fionnán]

i'll try to hold my tongue as i try to give new distillers the benefit of the doubt whenever possible but some of what they've released is pretty sketchy to say the least and, although not every distiller needs or wants to be shooting for quality, to make cheap grain spirits and market them as 'artisan traditional etc' or to rebrand corner-cutting schemes as 'innovative food technology' is insincere and quite frankly dishonest (not to mention a complete insult to the distillers who are doing genuinely innovative and interesting things.) If they were level with their customers about what they're making, it'd be one thing but to pass oak-chipped, malt liquor blended 'premium spirit' off as some craft west cork traditional drink is pretty offensive to me as a whiskey lover. Similarly, although they're not allowed to label many of their products as whiskey, they're clearly looking to trade off of irish whiskey's good name (i also have a marketing friend in the states who assures me that they're looking to push it in that category over there.)

If they do now have a legal 'whiskey' in their portfolio (3 years is the absolute legal minimum) it seems that they've shot for the bottom bar and i wouldnt trust enough to bother buying it.

Again, I'm always hoping they'll come clean about what they're doing or that this is all just preparatory fundraising for something more interesting.

[Raven]

In complete agreement with you, Fionnan. As Irish Whiskey Chaser said
earlier'The devil is in the detail'.According to the detail of the label for this
item on Irish Whiskey Blog this is described as 'Spirit drink - a blend of whiskey
and malt'. The Kennedy label has already been redesigned for obvious reasons in
my opinion. I have wrote on this item before. Disappointing for the industry again just
my opinion.

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

If they had a operational distillery you'd think they'd be boasting about it and eager to have everyone talking about it. You see how enthusiast Dingle, Walch and Teelings are.

Does anyone know anything about their operation. Is it grain, how many times is it distilled?

They don't market Kennedy in Russia. I think it's Cavanagh there. Is there a way to check where it's bonded, even to see if their using barrels.
They state that they use Irish Oak. Does anyone know a cooperage that makes barrels from Irish oak?

I'm inclined to agree with Fionnán too.

I would love to be proven wrong. There will have to be stricter industry standards.

[charleymcguffin]

Hi First post .I was trying to get any information that I could on West cork as I was more than a little confused by their labeling which seems designed to obfuscate. The reference to the use of cask oak aging ( shavings?)rather than aging in oak casks being a case in point. I have only seen the attached video on the operation from The West Cork Enterprise Board....
http://youtu.be/tAsAEdT4oAc
I see stainless steel containers ,a bottling line and a stack of barrels but little else to indicate a working distillery. They also produce Poitin and vodka ,are these from grain or are they by products of whey production from Carbery ?
Any insight into this operation would be useful.

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

Hi Charley,

As yet we have very little information about the West Cork Distillery. There has been a few post here regarding their operations and confusing and misleading labels. Hopefully we will be able to get more info and answers many of the questions that have been asked about them.