JJ Corry bottles its oldest Irish whiskey to date

by Owen Bellwood

Ireland’s Chapel Gate Irish Whiskey Co has launched 27-year-old single cask expression JJ Corry The Chosen, the brand’s oldest release to date.

The single cask, single malt whisky has been released in collaboration with contemporary Irish design houses J Hill's Standard and John Galvin Design. Aged for 27 years, The Chosen has been bottled at 52% ABV. The Irish whiskey is described as being “rich and superbly elegant with notes of toffee, rancio, dried mango and chestnut”. Founder of JJ Corry Irish Whiskey, Louise McGuane, said: "The Chosen is a celebration of excellence in Irish whiskey and contemporary Irish design. Irish whiskey has not been celebrated for its quality and rarity, as perhaps other categories have. We have some of the finest mature stock of whiskey in the world and yet I feel the industry undersells itself. I wanted to change that. "We are curators of casks and creators of individual whiskey flavours. We constantly source and taste, knowing the personality of each cask that we own. Occasionally we come across such an exceptional cask that it merits its own unique release and this was the case with The Chosen. We waited until the cask reached its absolute peak of maturation before we released it." The Irish whiskey bonder has released 100 bottles of The Chosen, each packaged in a crystal decanter created by J Hill's Standard and housed in a wooden cabinet designed by John Galvin Design. McGuane added: "The rugged landscape of Co. Clare where JJ Corry matures and blends whiskey also boasts many important grasslands and is an internationally recognised habitat for wildlife. The bespoke grass cut on the decanters and cabinets reflects the close bond between this special whiskey house and the environment in which it is perfected. It has been a great pleasure to be part of its realisation." The Chosen will retail for £6,500 (US$8,300) and is available internationally from Bordeaux Index, Fine & Rare and in Ireland at The Celtic Whiskey Shop.