Latest Legendary Silkie Irish Whiskey Takes On A Peaty Edge

by Nino Kilgore-Marchetti
May 26, 2020

Of peaty whisk(e)y it is known that Scotland has much more of a reputation for this style versus its island neighbor to the west, Ireland. There are those, however, who feel there should be nothing that limits Irish whiskey from embracing peat as well, and such is indeed the case with the recently launched The Legendary Dark Silkie Irish Whiskey.

The Legendary Dark Silkie Irish Whiskey, according to those behind it, is said to be be a variant of Sliabh Liag Distillers‘ Legendary Silkie Irish Whiskey. This latter is a recreation of a 19th century Donegal (a region of Ireland) whiskey. As for Dark Silkie, it has at its core a “triple distilled peated single malt which is matured in sherry casks. This single malt is peated to 55ppm (parts per million) which after the triple distillation results in a phenol level around 22ppm giving a rich, sweet, smoky flavour.

“The peated single malt is blended with a double distilled single malt matured in bourbon barrels and soft grain whiskey matured in virgin oak casks.”

“The Dark Silkie is the first addition to the Silkie range and adds a smoky overlay to the signature Silkie style,” said James Doherty, founder and managing director of Sliabh Liag Distillers, in a prepared statement. “It has always been my intention to bring peat smoke to blends and this is the first time we have been able to source the right smoky whiskeys for our Silkie.

“It’s the perfect stepping-stone for introducing the dry, rich, smoky style that we believe is true to Donegal and the wild Atlantic coast.”

Dark Silkie is hand bottled at Sliabh Liag Distillers in Carrick, County Donegal and, in keeping “with the strong tradition of storytelling still prevalent in Donegal, The Dark Silkie is named after the Silkies of the Donegal coast. “Silkies are mermaid-like mythical shapeshifters, who shed their seal skin coats on a sandy moonlit shore to become beautiful sea maidens.”

This whiskey, bottled at 46% ABV, prices around €42, or about $50 USD. Official tasting notes indicate it has, “on the nose, fresh apple, pipe tobacco and the comforting dry smoke of a peat fire. To taste, the whiskey is super soft with a salted-caramel sweetness, dark chocolate and liquorice, oak, leather and a dry spicy smoke.

“The finish is warming with smoky malt, peanut butter and melts away.”