With St Patrick’s Day almost upon us and the first rays of spring sunshine warming our skin, there’s no better time to break out some Dubliner Irish whiskey and celebrate.

Dubliner Irish Whiskey is produced in the Liberties area of Dublin, historically known for its working-class roots, with the brewing, distilling, and textile industries being significant employers. The building that now houses the Dubliner distillery was originally designed as a mill and was a tannery used to cure rabbit skins for much of its history.

Today, it’s home to the three stills that produce over 700,000 litres of Irish whiskey each year, using malt sourced from Irish farmers and water from an on-site well. There are five very different blends in the Dubliner lineup, including two liqueurs, so we tried out a couple to get a measure of the whiskey. 

Dubliner Bourbon Cask Irish Whiskey
£32

Like all of the liquor produced by the distillery, this blend of single malt and grain Irish whiskey is aged for at least three years before bottling. That ageing takes place in bourbon casks to infuse the spirit with flavour and colour. What we particularly enjoyed was the smoothness of the whiskey — there wasn’t an overly harsh bite, which is nice in such a young spirit.

There’s a subtle scent on the nose, with hints of sweetness and vanilla. Notes of vanilla mixed with orchard fruits start on the palate, opening to sweetness, with honey and caramel taking centre stage. A spicy hint of pepper warms the mouth through the finish, giving just a little kick and keeping things lively.

Dubliner Bourbon Cask whiskey is great to sip neat, over ice, or as the base for your favourite whiskey cocktail.

Dubliner Irish Whiskey and Dubliner Whiskey & Honeycomb Liqueur

Dubliner Whiskey & Honeycomb Liqueur
£25

If your palate is more inclined to the sweet stuff, this should be right up your street. Dubliner Whiskey & Honeycomb Liqueur expertly blends whiskey with the sweetness of rich honeycomb, making for a smooth, syrupy glassful.

On the nose, the hint of honey is immediately present, with caramel notes mixed in the background. Given that it’s a honeycomb and whiskey liqueur, the sweetness on the palate is well-balanced. It comes to the fore in the mouth, with the caramel and warming whiskey notes supporting it well. It has a syrupy mouthfeel but isn’t heavy, giving the mouth and tongue a gentle sugar-coated sensation. As the honeyed sweetness fades away, the gentle spice of the whiskey comes through, finishing the mouthful nicely. 

For those who aren’t fans of such saccharine spirits, this might miss the mark, but despite the expectation that it will be very sweet, it’s really well-balanced between honeyed tones and spirit punch. It’s one to be savoured as an after-dinner drink over ice or added to a hot chocolate for a lovely boozy brew.

Sam Huff
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