Irish Times.... Winter Food & Wine Guide

Jameson Caskmates, A Union made in Heaven. The Taste Magazine Nov 2014

 

• Craft Beer / Drinks / News / Whiskey

A Union Made in Heaven – Jameson Caskmates where Jameson Whiskey meets Irish Craft Stout by Robert Jacob

by Robert Jacob· November 18, 2014

Jameson and craft Irish stout are no strangers behind the bar, but for the first time ever they’ve swapped casks to create Jameson Caskmates, created exclusively by the Midleton Distillery in collaboration with the Franciscan Well Brewery in Cork.
A truly great whiskey celebrating the great things that can happen when two great things cross paths. This special whiskey takes the name Caskmates because stout and whiskey have both spent time in each other’s casks and just 3,500 bottles have been created.
Last year Jameson gave some of their whiskey barrels to the Franciscan Well Brewery, who used them to age their craft stout. Once the stout had been bottled, the seasoned barrels were returned and used to finish Jameson Original whiskey.
The time spent in the stout-seasoned barrels delivers unique notes of coffee, cocoa and hops to Jameson Caskmates while still retaining all the triple distilled smoothness of Jameson Original. This whiskey will appeal to both whiskey and stout lovers who appreciate bold and memorable flavours.

Lidl.... Christmas Magazine 2014

                                     A Lidl ***** Bit of Magic.         Christmas 2014 

Here is my full review :

                      A complete New Classic Christmas

The cook at Christmas will always have a hard time, but what a little bit of planning & help can do is  pre-empt the panic.

At Lidl this Christmas,you will find  all the traditional favourites as well as some with a modern twist in helping you to create marvellous festive meals.

So if you want to make this Christmas one to remember, simply pay a visit to your local Lidl.

Christmas ‘s Eve

Keep entertaining simple on Christmas ‘s eve and you’ll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the festivities as well.

For an elegant, easy to prepare supper, a seafood buffet will make an impressive choice. At Lidl, you will find a superb choice of top quality fish and shellfish.

Mix some sweet Inismara  Queen Scallops, cooked fan-tail prawns with some mixed leaves into a warm Seafood Medley. Irish Crab claws, Wafer thin slices of dry-cured salmon carpaccio and succulent sliced smoked trout.

The New Age of Irish Whiskey. The Taste Magazine Nov 2014

• News / Whiskey

                                             The New Age of Irish Whiskey by Robert Jacob

by Robert Jacob · November 3, 2014

With four of the largest spirits companies in the world, now selling Irish Whiskey and many new distilleries coming on stream, the Irish Whiskey Industry is at the beginning of a new Golden age.
Distillers such as Midleton in Co. Cork , Cooley Distillery in Co. Louth and Bushmills in Co . Antrim, have been successfully operating in Ireland for many years, but now; What with Whiskey drinkers broadening their tastes and consumers demanding more diversity and quality, new small craft distillers are embracing the opportunity to fill a niche in the market with small batch and high value brands. Jack Teeling from Teeling Whiskey in Dublin is one of the names that immediately comes to mind, a young blood who is really doing well and a great innovator in the industry. Another is the Dingle distillery in Co Kerry, while their cask Whiskey won’t be ready until Dec 2015, they are successfully turning their hand at Artisan Pot Still Gin & Vodka.