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Luxco has introduced its first-ever Irish whiskey, The Quiet Man, which is set to launch in two different varieties in the U.S. this month. Quiet Man is produced through Luxco’s partnership with Niche Drinks in Derry, Ireland, and is the first Irish whiskey bottled in Derry in more than 100 years.
The Quiet Man brand was born when Ciaran Mulgrew, managing director and co-owner of Niche Drinks and founder of The Quiet Man, decided to create a whiskey to honor his father, John Mulgrew.
“The Quiet Man is a completely unique combination of hand selected whiskeys, finished in first-fill bourbon barrels, creating sweet and spicy notes,” Ciaran Mulgrew said. “In more than 50 years behind the bar, my father saw and heard it all, but like all good bartenders, John Mulgrew was true to the code and told no tales. He was ‘The Quiet Man,’ or as they say in the pubs of Ireland, ‘An Fear Ciuin.’”
Distilled in traditional Irish pot stills, matured in oak barrels, and re-casked in first-fill bourbon casks, The Quiet Man will be available in two varieties: The Quiet Man Traditional Blended Irish Whiskey and The Quiet Man 8 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey, both bottled at 80 proof and sold in 750ml bottles. The Traditional Blended Irish Whiskey is aged four years and reportedly has a high malt percentage compared to most blends.
“The difference between a good whiskey and a great whiskey lies not just in picking the best ingredients and having the most skilled distiller,” Mulgrew added. “It lies in selecting the finest barrels to let the whiskey mature in. Our unique process of finishing the aging in barrels that previously held bourbon but never whiskey allows The Quiet Man to soak up those wonderfully sweet yet spicy oak flavors, and the result is two great Irish whiskeys.”
The Quiet Man is currently available in Germany, South Africa, Canada and Ireland, and was first bottled in June 2015. It will be available in the U.S. in January, through a joint venture between Luxco and Niche Drinks, whose partnership dates back to 1986.
Suggested retail price is $39.99 for the blended variety and $49.99 for the single malt variety.
Tasted The Quiet Man blend at a blind tasting in Dublin and found it a very pleasant dram indeed.
It compares very well to other brands in the market.
I gave it 77.
My winner was Kilbeggan blend with 83 and the actual winner for The Irish Whiskey Awards 2015 was Tullamore DEW 12 which I gave a 76.
There were 15 entrants in the category with 64 being my lowest score.
Slainte
Whiskey Nut