Slane Irish Whiskey

Slane Irish Whiskey was launched in 2017, and represents Brown Forman's first foray into the Irish whiskey category. The venerable Kentucky distiller has been on something of an expansion kick in recent years, branching out into Ireland as well as Scotland and introducing new products from its American stocks.

The Slane brand name comes from the Slane Castle, a castle belonging to the aristocratic Conyngham family and located about 30 minutes from Dublin. Several years ago, the Conynghams became interested in developing their own brand of Irish whiskey. Rather than build their own distillery, they partnered with Cooley Distillery, sourcing spirit and bottling it under their own brand.

But as the Irish whiskey boom progressed, stock became harder to source. The Conynghams had the property and the desire, but they lacked the spirits industry expertise they knew they'd need to successfully construct and operate their own distillery. So, they partnered with Brown Forman to help design and build a distillery and tasting room on the grounds of their ancestral castle.

Slane Irish Whiskey takes many of its complex and smooth qualities from their signature Triple Casking process. Whiskey is aged in three varieties of casks: Virgin and Seasoned casks raised by hand at the venerated Brown-Forman Cooperages, and Oloroso sherry casks by way of Jerez in Spain. Once the liquid has been aged to perfection, it is masterfully blended to create an exceptional Irish whiskey.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Sweet oak and toasted barley at first, with layers of caramel and ginger developing later on.

Palate: Victoria Sponge Cake with plenty of jam and cream in the middle. A touch of butterscotch.

Finish: More toasty notes linger on the finish.