Sliabh Liag Distillery Dark Silkie Irish Whiskey

Sliabh Liag Distillery Dark Silkie is a blended Irish whiskey bottled at 46 per cent without chill filtration.

Three components build it. The core is a triple-distilled single malt matured in sherry casks and made from barley peated to 22 parts per million, which is unusual in an Irish context. That is blended with a double-distilled single malt raised in ex-bourbon barrels, and with grain whiskey aged in virgin oak, which brings sweetness and a fresh woody edge. Leaving it unfiltered keeps the texture intact at bottling strength. The Donegal distillery behind it takes its name from the sea cliffs at Slieve League, and the silkie of the label is the seal-woman of local folklore.

Dried fruit and sherried sweetness meet a low, smoky rumble and a warm, spicy finish. Drink it neat in a tulip glass, with a few drops of water to open it up, or over one large rock. It also stands up well in an Old Fashioned.