Friday the 13th Grab Bag

Welcome to the St. Patrick's Day weekend. There's a lot to cover today, so let's get started.

Events in Lawrenceville

We have our regular wine tastings this weekend, 4-6pm today, and 2-4pm tomorrow. Click here for the tasting menu.

Events in Woodbridge

We're also having our regular weekend wine tastings in Woodbridge. The hours are 4-6pm today, and 1-3pm tomorrow. Click here for the menu.

It's a pretty busy rest of the month in Woodbridge, with Brunello Tuesdays, the Penn Brewery tasting on March 20, the Yards Brewery tasting on March 26, the Hiro Junmai Sake tasting on March 27, and the Vermont Brewers Tap Takeover, also on March 27. Keep track of our own version of March Madness via our website's Events page.

What to Drink for St. Patrick's Day

This is the final installment, and we'll first conclude our review of Irish whiskey.

Teeling Irish Whiskey. Teeling's Flagship Irish whiskey is their attempt to create the most interesting Blended Irish whiskey. This small batch bottling consists of hand selected casks which are given further maturation in ex-rum barrels imparting extra character and smooth flavor unique to Irish whiskey. Bottling at 46% with no chill filtration completes an Irish whiskey of true character.

NOSE: An inviting nose where vanilla and spice dances with bright sweet notes of Rum.

TASTE: While being very approachable, the influence of the rum cask and higher percentage alcohol creates a unique smooth, sweet, slightly woody marriage that sparkles on the tongue.

FINISH: Slightly moorish, sweet spice finish complimented by woody undertones.

The Knot. The Knot is a spirit that blends a proprietary recipe of spices with Irish whiskey. Really, it's more liqueur than whiskey, but as a crossover, we'll keep it here.

Delightful bouquet of butterscotch, hazelnut, old cigarette ashes, spices, fennel and honey. Entry is intensely herbal and semisweet; the midpalate is medicinal, a touch smoky, herbal and honeyed. Finishes with a notable honey taste and an end taste reminiscent of Drambuie. At 100 proof, The Knot has a higher alcohol content than most Irish whiskey.

With Tullamore D.E.W., it's hard to escape the power of three. Three natural ingredients, three varieties of grain, three distillations and a blend of all three types of Irish whiskey - pot still, malt and grain. We believe it's this trinity that closes the typically unbridgeable gap between our whiskey's world-renowned smoothness and the gentle complexity in every drop.

What's D.E.W.? Daniel E. Williams was certainly made of the rare stuff. His earliest days in the distillery were spent shovelling malted barley; his nights spent sleeping in the hayloft. He was the ultimate self-made man, propelling himself quickly through the ranks. In 1873 he became General Manager and ultimately owner of the distillery. Single-handedly, he began to turn a good whiskey great. Some time later, this accomplished, he proudly marked every bottle from the Tullamore Distillery with the initials D.E.W.

The Original. The early floral yet biscuit flavor reflects the grain whiskey, while the soft spicy notes can be attributed to the pot still whiskey in the blend. The citrus flavor is contributed by the malt. Finally notice the nutty or even marzipan note combined with distinctive vanilla in the finish – imparted by the sherry and bourbon casks used in maturation.

12 Year. Like Tullamore D.E.W. Original, Tullamore D.E.W. 12yo Special Reserve is a triple distilled blend of all three types of Irish whiskey. However, it has a high proportion of pot still and malt whiskeys, matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, for 12 to 15 years. A very fine aged whiskey with great complexity.

Phoenix. This special limited edition is a triple distilled blend of all three types of Irish whiskey; golden grain, malt and pure pot still whiskey. It is characterized by its high content pot still whiskey finished in old oloroso sherry casks and comes to you at 55% ABV. Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix is a medium bodied whiskey, with distinctive sherry notes and pleasantly spicy creamy pot still whiskey flavors nicely balanced. Addition of a little water releases layers of caramel sweetness, delicate floral notes and oak tannins.

Finally, let's not forget the great Irish beers that we have in stock: Guinness, Harp, Killian's, Murphy's, and Smithwicks.

Click on any of these links for the earlier installments:
Part 1: Irish liqueurs
Part 2: Irish-style domestic Craft Beer
Part 3: Singles
Part 4A: Irish whiskey
Part 4B: Irish whiskey

New Products

Vicolo Primitivo. Primitivo is a cousin of American Zinfandel. From Puglia, in Southern Italy, this wine is ripe, fruit forward and soft with a touch of spice. It is a perfect wine with many foods like BBQ, pizza, pasta or burgers. Only $5.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Sláinte to everyone. Have a fun and safe weekend.