by John Dowd
For the Irish and Scottish, whiskey is mixed deeply with the blood of their cultural histories. Both countries tout the original invention of whiskey, whose ancient name was the ‘water of life,’ or aqua vitae. Centuries on, both Scotch and Irish whiskey rank in the top sales of liquor, worldwide. Last weekend, in an effort to honor that history, and to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the Bitterroot Celtic Society and the Daly Mansion Preservation Trust came together to host a tasting of strictly Irish whiskey at the mansion.
This was fitting, as Marcus Daly himself immigrated from Ireland in the late 1800s. His home and property, today referred to as the Daly Mansion, is also where the Bitterroot Celtic Society hosts the Bitterroot Celtic Games and Gathering every year.
The tasting was hosted by Terry Cody, a board member of the Bitterroot Celtic Society and event coordinator for the Bitterroot Celtic Games and Gathering. Cody is a self-taught whiskey enthusiast, who has helped with other tastings hosted by the Celtic Games and their whiskey ambassador, Elliot “Whiskey Wizard” McFarlane. The event this last weekend was the sixth such event Cody has led, and his fourth one with the Mansion.
According to Cody, much of what he has learned has come from watching other hosts, picking their brains, then reading and watching YouTube videos. In fact, he highly recommends watching videos and tasting along with the video hosts to learn your way around bottles and spirits, as well as the spirit history.
Since attending his first tasting, Cody has become a collector himself, and loves to talk about spirits, especially Irish whiskey. According to Cody, Irish whiskey is a different breed, and differs from its cousin, Scotch, in a few key ways. For those seasoned in tasting spirits, they may often recognize an Irish by the common notes of buttery, baked sugar cookie, freshly cut apples, and most notably a sweet creamy finish. According to Cody, this is by design. A technical aspect unique to Irish whiskeys is that they are triple distilled, using copper pot stills. The process takes a single run, unlike many more modern column stills. The redistilling produces the recognizably easy drinking spirit that Cody is fond of. This seems apropos, for thoughts of sad Irish tales and tears come to mind, with images of washing those sorrows away with a good creamy Irish dram.
During the tasting last Saturday, eight representations were showcased, including Green Spot, Blue Spot, Red Spot, Red Breast 15, Writers Tears Japanese Cask, Middleton Very Rare, Cooley Rare and Paddy’s. To sweeten the experience, a very rare and expensive offering from Bushmills was also brought for participants to explore. Cody explained that this was a good choice, as the distillery that produced it is the oldest official distillery in Ireland, having been established in 1608.
Of all the Irish he drinks, one of Cody’s top favorites is Yellow Spot, and though he loves his Irish whiskeys, Cody says he can always appreciate a good scotch. When comparing the two, Cody described the Irish process as requiring a spirit to be aged only three years, while scotch must sit in a barrel for five. Part of this stems from the climate, as the colder northern climate in Scotland necessitates a longer time required to reach a proper age. This often leads scotch to very high age statements. Because of this, and the fact that Irish is slightly less strict on the requirements, regarding where the barrel comes from, Cody and others predict the sales of Irish whiskey will overtake those of scotch world-wide by 2030. Both of these elements can also mean that Irish is often much more affordable than good scotch.
When speaking on the merits of aging whiskey, Cody explained that many people think the mash bill, or recipe, for the whiskey most strongly affects the taste. However, according to Cody, “all of it comes down to the barrel.” Cody also prefers his whiskey at “cask strength,” which is close to how it came out of the barrel and a higher alcohol by volume content. Most whiskeys may come off the shelf at 40%, which is the minimum legal requirement to be a whiskey. Cody believes, at those higher concentrations, there is more flavor to unravel. A person can always add water, explained Cody, but it cannot be taken away.
The tasting also used Glencairn whiskey tasting glasses. When asked why they use these specialized glasses, Cody said, “The way it’s fluted, it’s a true tasting glass. It concentrates the aroma up to the nose.” The glasses also allow, with their particular shape, the rolling of the glass to allow oxygen into the whiskey and the ethanol to evaporate, leaving the pour at the height of taste.
When asked about training one’s palate to pick up on all the notes, Cody walked through the process. A taster looks at the color, then rotates the glass to coat it on the inside. When set to stand, the “legs,” or droplets form and run down the inside. The speed of these legs showcases how “oily” the whiskey is and tells how it will coat the inside of the mouth. According to Cody, whiskey is best enjoyed around room temperature, to maximize flavor, and will always taste different to every person as everyone’s palate is unique. Following a host, or tasting with other participants, helps put words to the tastes we all experience. Creating that “taste vocabulary” is a good place to start when developing a good palate. It also helps to do what the participants did last weekend and try to taste several side-by-side to compare them, and to do so during an official tasting.
“Drinking whiskey should not be to get drunk. If so, then you are drinking the wrong stuff. It should be for the appreciation of the whiskey. Some people work their whole lives to make that whiskey drinkable,” said Cody. He then spoke of the process that gets that bottle to the customer, including the growers of the grains, the coopers that make the barrels, the malting of the grains, the distilling and even the tasters that ensure a consistent product of quality is produced and sold. For him, that work and culture is what drew him to whiskey. “I was just enthralled by the history,” said Cody.
Participants of the tastings hosted by the Bitterroot Celtic Society can look forward to learning much more, as each bottle and whiskey offering brings forth a host of history. The Saturday participants bought tickets online through the mansion, ahead of time. For those interested in attending one of these tastings, there are several done during the Bitterroot Celtic Games and Gathering over the summer. These are limited by attendance, to make sure all participants can taste all the offerings. With last year’s games drawing over 7,500 people over the two days, Cody recommends participants get their tickets early.
Tickets will be $45, and there will be around 30 seats available. The tasting will be the Saturday and Sunday of the games in August. The event this last Saturday was hosted at the Daly Mansion, and charcuterie boards with foods paired with the featured whiskeys were provided by Seppi’s European Market and Deli. For more information on the Daly Mansion and the other events they host there, interested parties can visit the website, dalymansion.org.
As for the Bitterroot Celtic Society, according to organization president, Laura Reichart, “it’s not just about the games.” She said they host events like this tasting, history programs and much more. For more information on the Bitterroot Celtic Society and the games, parties can visit bcgg.org.