Roe & Co 2021 Cask Strength

Roe & Co has only made an appearance on our shelves in the last number of years so as a brand it’s still very much infancy.

However, there is a huge back story which many may not be aware of, the name dates back to the 19th century when George Roe & Co were amongst the biggest exporters of Irish whiskey worldwide from their 17-acre site just off Thomas street in Dublin. Like many other distilleries they closed in the early part of the 20th century as the Irish whiskey industry fell from grace.

Thankfully Irish whiskey has seen a huge resurgence in the last 15 years and with that the Roe & Co name has been reborn with its new state of the art distillery again taking pride of place just off Thomas Street.

While the standard Roe & Co blend is a now a familiar site the distillery has quietly been releasing annual limited releases which are pushing the boundaries of the brand to critical acclaim.

In the last few days, we have got our hands on some stock of the latest release which is the third edition. It’s a 13-year-old single grain finished in alligator char oak casks.

Now what is alligator char I hear you ask? It’s when the casks have been heat treated to such an extent that the wood resembles the texture and graphic of that similar to the skin of an Alligator.

When I tasted it, like its 2020 predecessor, it showed a real complexity and depth of flavour. Whiskey aromas and flavours are a personal thing, but I couldn’t escape the treacle and leather from the nose. The finish as expected is long, lingering with notes of sweetness and wood spice

It’s bottled at 56.8% and would be a worthy addition to your collection retailing at €74.

AVAILABLE ONLINE & IN-STORE