It’s in the village of Drumshanbo, in the heart of rural Ireland, that Patrick J. Rigney decided to build his own distillery. He was looking for a wild place, and he found it near Connacht, on the shores of Lough Allen, at the foothills of Sliabh an Iarainn (The Iron Mountain, a large 585 metres high hill in County Leitrim). The Shed Distillery‘s production started in 2014, and on the 21st of December, for the Winter solstice, that all the team laid down their first cask of yet to become whiskey. The distillery features five pot stills, three for whiskey and two for their gunpowder Irish gin, and two column stills for their vodka. They use Irish barley for their single pot still whiskey, both malted and unmalted, as well as Irish Barra oats, and Irish malted barley for their single malt. And that’s the Single Malt that we’re going to taste: the Drumshanbo Galánta.
Drumshanbo Galánta Review
Galánta is the first triple distilled single malt whiskey from Drumshanbo. Whilst the age of the liquid is not disclosed, it will be less than 7 years old since it’s a 2021 release. It was matured in first fill bourbon casks from Kentucky, before being bottled, unchill filtered and without colouring, at 46% ABV. Twelve hundred bottles were released, costing about €120 in Ireland (a couple bottles are still available at Irish Malts at the time of writing), €109 in France at Prestige Whisky, or about £95 at TWE.
Colour:
Amber
Nose:
Vanilla, honey, warm spices, orchard fruits (apricot, peach, plum), caramel and toffee, roasted almonds.
Palate:
Thinner mouthfeel than expected, even though this has not been chill filtered. Vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, walnut, toffee, apple, plum and a gentle touch of oak. Feels a bit bourbon-y, were the casks still quite wet (probably not, I know)?
Finish:
Same. Medium length
Comments:
This Drumshanbo Galánta is good, even though I think it lacks a bit of character and something differentiating. But it’s well made, let’s see how it gets with a few more years under its belt. A bit expensive, as usual with new Irish distilleries. I’d be curious about trying their Single Pot Still too.