2009 Events

7-9pm, Thursday, January 29^th

Upstairs, Bowe's Pub, Fleet Street, Dublin 2

Michael Foggarty will propose the immediate establishment of the Irish Whiskey Society. All those interested in whiskey are welcome to attend and to contribute their thoughts on the direction the society should take.

There will be a couple of whiskeys to sample which have been very kindly donated by Cooley.

7-9pm, Thursday, February 26^th

Upstairs, Bowe's Pub, Fleet Street, Dublin 2

More discussion on the setup of the Irish Whiskey Society, along with several more whiskeys to sample.

7:30-9:30pm, Thursday, March 26^th

Upstairs in Bowe's Pub, 31 Fleet Street, Dublin 2.

Our now regular monthly meeting. This time there will be four whiskeys to try.

7:30-9:30pm, Thursday, April 30^th

Upstairs, Bowe's Pub, Fleet Street, Dublin 2

Update on the progress of formally establishing the society, and several more whiskey to sample.

7:30-9:30pm, Thursday, May 28^th

Upstairs, Bowe's Pub, Fleet Street, Dublin 2

We will taste a selection of standard Irish whiskeys blind. See how many you can identify.

7:30-9:30pm, Thursday, June 25^th

Upstairs, Bowe's Pub, Fleet Street, Dublin 2

We will compare six Irish whiskeys from the current and past Wild Geese range.

7:30-9:30pm, Thursday, July 30^th

Upstairs, Bowes Pub, Fleet Street, Dublin 2

This tasting is inspired by society member Peter White's assault on Mount Everest. Following his descent, he shared a bottle of Jameson Distillery Reserve with his Sherpa guides. Peter will describe his trip in a short, illustrated talk and explain why he likes this particular whiskey while we all partake.

To complete the evening, we have selected a further four whiskeys, Irish and Scottish, that have some association with mountains or altitude.

€10 for members (including those who join on the night)

€15 for visitors and guests, payable on the night

7:30-9:30pm, Thursday, August 27^th

Upstairs, Bowes Pub, Fleet Street, Dublin 2

Cooley Distillery's Master Blender, Noel Sweeney, will introduce us to the components that make up Connemara single malt whiskey. Cooley brand ambassador, John Cashman, will reveal Connemara's new packaging and explain the thinking behind the new look.

There should also be a chance to sample the brand new Connemara sherry finish.

€10 for members (including those who join on the night)

€15 for visitors and guests, payable on the night

7:30-9:30pm, Thursday, October 1^st

Brooks Hotel, Drury Street, Dublin 2

We get to try an exclusive bottling of two single casks selected by the society. Called "Grand Crew", it marks the closure of the Kilbeggan branch of the Grand Canal 50 years ago. The full story of this fascinating project can be found on the Grand Crew website.

We will round out the tasting with a few Tyrconnell single cask finishes. These are of a similar age to the Grand Crew and, of course, have been distilled and matured by Cooley too.

You can discuss this event on the IWS forum.

Please note that this meeting is not being held on the last Thursday of September since that is Arthur's Day.

7:30-9:30pm, Thursday, October 29^th

Brooks Hotel, Drury Street, Dublin 2

A friendly head-to-head between Diageo's Irish and Scottish whiskeys. Diageo ambassadors, Martin Duffy and Gregor Cattanach will fight the Bushmills and (as yet unspecified) Scotch corners respectively.

€10 for members, €15 for non-members.

7:45-9:45pm, Wednesday, November 25^th

Brooks Hotel, Drury Street, Dublin 2

To celebrate the end of a very successful first year, we will try some of the very best Irish whiskeys available. The provisional line-up includes Midleton Very Rare, Bushmills 21yo and Tyrconnell 15yo. There will also be a "surprise" from each of the three distilleries (ie Bushmills, Cooley and Midleton).

The entry charge remains at €10 for members, while for non-members it will be €20.

This meeting will be preceded by the AGM of the society at 7pm. Non-members should arrive at 7:45pm, for an 8pm start.

6:30-8:30pm, Thursday, February 12^th

Fitzwilliam Hotel, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2

To celebrate Cooley Distillery being awarded ‘World Distiller of the Year’ the Celtic Whiskey Shop is holding a Gold Medal Tasting hosted by their Chief Distiller & Blender, Noel Sweeney.

The whiskeys to be tasted are: Kilbeggan 15yo, Connemara, Connemara 12yo, Tyrconnell 10yo Sherry Finish, Tyrconnell 10yo Madeira Finish, Tyrconnell 15yo Single Cask, Greenore 8yo Single Grain, Lockes, Lockes 8yo.

6:30-8:30pm, Thursday, March 19^th

Fitzwilliam Hotel, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2

The Celtic Whiskey Shop will hold its annual ‘Whiskey Taster of the Year’ competition which is an opportunity to try eight good whiskeys and to practice your tasting skill. Cooley is sponsoring the trophy and some prizes of Connemara Single Malts.

Tickets are €22.50 and must be purchased in advance. Numbers will be limited to 45.

6:30-8:30pm, Thursday, April 16^th

Upstairs, Bowes Pub, Fleet Street, Dublin 2.

A tasting by the Managing Director of the recently re-opened Glenglassaugh Distillery, Stuart Nickerson. Stuart has previously managed Highland Park, Glenrothes, Balvenie and other major distilleries. As Glenglassaugh was closed for a number of years we will be tasting the 21 Year-Old and 30 Year-Old versions from the old distillery plus some new spirit from the re-opened distillery. Also Shane Fitzharris from the Irishman Whiskey showing their 3 brilliant whiskeys. Tickets are on sale at the Celtic Whiskey Shop, priced €12.50, numbers will be restricted to 30.

6:30-8:30pm, Thursday, May 7^th

Fitzwilliam Hotel, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2.

Presented By Dr Inatomi (one of the Japanese whisky industry’s most influential figures).

Tickets (€22.50) are on sale at the Celtic Whiskey Shop.

Thursday, June 11^th - Monday, June 15^th

Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 2.

Details here.

Friday, June 19^th - Saturday, June 20^th

Cooley Distillery, Louth

Organised by the Celtic Whiskey Shop.

7:30-8:30pm, Thursday, August 20^th

Grafton Suite, The Westbury Hotel, Dublin 2

O'Briens, the wine and spirits merchants, are hosting a tasting of Glenmorangie with whisky creator and Master Blender, Rachel Barrie.

Tickets €10. Bookings by telephone only. Contact Rebecca at 01 206 9003.

Saturday, September 12^th - Monday, September 14^th

Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin

Strictly for independent food and drinks producers, SeptemberFest is presented by Bord Bia at Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park. The event is open to consumers and entrance is free.

Cooley will be there, as will The Porterhouse (currently building a brand new distillery in Dingle). Last year you could also find The Irishman whiskey and Bunratty Poteen at SeptemberFest so let's hope they turn up again too.

There will also be lectures on the history of whiskey in Ireland, the production process and the use of whiskey in cocktails.

More details on the official website.

6-8:30pm, Wednesday, October 7^th

UCD Smurfit School

Cooley Distillery stands out as one of Ireland's success stories, a great example of an Irish-owned export company making a profit. Join Dr. John Teeling, Founder of Cooley Distillery & Jack Teeling, Sales & Marketing Director for a guest lecture followed by a whiskey masterclass with Cooleys Award winning Master Blender, Noel Sweeney.

Wednesday, October 14^th - Friday, October 16^th

From Dublin to Speyside

A 2 day (1 night) trip to the Scottish Highlands to visit 4 of Scotland’s finest distilleries. This trip is organised by the Celtic Whiskey Shop, Dublin.

6:30-8:30pm, Wednesday, October 28^th

No 23 Bar, Merrion Hotel, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2

The first in a possible series of "Whiskey Fireside Chats" at the Merrion Hotel. This will be a tasting of Irish and Scotch whiskeys, including Glenkinchie (12yr Lowland), Cragganmore (12yr Speyside), Royal Lochnagar (12yr Highland), Talisker (10yr Isle of Skye) and Caol Ila (12yr Isle of Islay).

Martin Duffy from Diageo will be your host, and tickets cost €25 per person (to include cânapés paired with the whiskey). There are just 25 places available – to make a reservation, call the Merrion Hotel on (01) 603 0600.

7:30-9:30pm, Thursday, November 19^th

Donnybrook Fair, 89 Morehampton Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4

Hosted by Barry Crockett, the Master Distiller of the Jameson Single Distillery at Midleton, the tastings include: Crested Ten, Jameson 12yo Special Reserve, Powers 12yo, Redbreast 12yo Pure Pot Still, Jameson Gold Reserve, Jameson 18yo Limited Reserve and the 25th edition of Midleton Very Rare, 2009. There will also be a selection of delicious Donnybrook Fair canapés.

€45 per head (or €80 for two), 40 places. Call (01) 668 3556 to book.

6:30-8:30pm, Tuesday, November 24^th

Four Seasons Hotel Dublin, Simmonscourt Road, Dublin 4

Master of Whiskey Martin Duffy will host an evening to celebrate the best of Celtic Whiskey, both Irish and Scottish, with special guests - Master Distiller of the Old Bushmills Distillery Colum Egan and Johnnie Walker and Classic Malts International Brand Ambassador Gregor Cattanach.

Guests will sample whiskey from Bushmills and Johnnie Walker, and two single malts from the Classic Malts Selection - Glenkinchie 12-year old and Talisker 10-year old.

50 places, €30 per person. Call Four Seasons Hotel Dublin on (01) 665 4000.

Wednesday, December 2^nd - Saturday, December 12^th

Around Ireland

Coming to a pub near you, these events are complimentary seminars exploring Bushmills Irish whiskey. They cover Irish whiskey history, production and Bushmills heritage.

We taste four out of the Bushmills family of whiskeys, plus a comparison tasting with another "mystery" whiskey. Because of the more intimate venues, the number of attendees is limited to just 25 per event. It is strongly encouraged that those wishing to attend the seminar call the pub in advance to reserve a place.

Martin Duffy (who hosted a very enjoyable evening for the Irish Whiskey Society in October) will conduct the following master classes:

Thu, Dec. 3rd, 18:30, The Railway Bar, Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo

Fri, Dec. 4th, 18:30, O'Connell's Pub, Galway, Co. Galway, (091) 563 634

Tue, Dec. 8th, 19:00, Freeney's Pub, Galway, Co. Galway, (091) 562 609

Thu, Dec. 10th, 19:30, South County Pub, West Village, Douglas, Co. Cork, (021) 489 1574

Fri, Dec. 11th, 19:30, John Cleere's Pub, Kilkenny

[Postponed until Feb 2010], Millennium Bar, Swords, Co. Dublin, (01) 840 7223

[Postponed until Feb 2010], Boomers, Clondalkin, Co. Dublin, (01) 464 1018

There are additional Bushmills Master Classes taking place all around Ireland that are being conducted by the Bushmills ambassadors. Just ask around to the various pubs.