The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
Lambay Small Batch Blend
Irish WhiskeyIssue 28

Lambay Small Batch Blend

Lambay Whiskey (Baring Family & Maison Camus) · Sourced and blended (finished on Lambay Island)

$3080 (40% ABV) proofNAS (No Age Statement)Dublin, a privately owned sanctuary of seabirds and grey seals where the Baring family
Lambay Small Batch Blend is a whiskey born from an unlikely marriage — Irish triple-distilled spirit and French cognac cooperage, united by an island in the Irish Sea. The Cognac cask finish is not a gimmick; it adds a genuine floral and stone-fruit dimension that most blended Irish whiskeys lack entirely. And the sea-air finishing gives the whole package a maritime lightness that makes it dangerously easy to drink. At around $30, it's one of the most interesting experiments in Irish whiskey — and a reminder that where your casks breathe matters as much as what's inside them. Cocktail — "The Island Sour": Combine 2 oz Lambay Small Batch, 1 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.75 oz honey syrup, and 1 egg white. Dry shake vigorously, then shake with ice. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a few drops of Angostura on the foam. The honey and Cognac-cask character play beautifully against the citrus acid.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Honey and warm porridge open gently, joined by torn orange peel and a soft floral quality from the Cognac cask influence. Beneath it, a subtle maritime freshness — clean and briny — that whispers of the island.

Palate

Smooth and medium-bodied. Creamy vanilla and peppery barley lead, with notes of peach and strawberry emerging from the Cognac finish. A gentle minerality and saline undertone add complexity to the otherwise approachable palate.

Finish

Medium-length and warming, with lingering cassia, chamomile, and a whisper of sea salt that invites another sip. Whiskey

Specifications
Distillation
Triple distilled
Maturation
Ex-bourbon barrels, finished in Cognac casks from Maison Camus; casks exposed to sea air on Lambay Island
Serve & Pair

Cocktail Suggestion

Cocktail — "The Island Sour": Combine 2 oz Lambay Small Batch, 1 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.75 oz honey syrup, and 1 egg white. Dry shake vigorously, then shake with ice. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a few drops of Angostura on the foam. The honey and Cognac-cask character play beautifully against the citrus acid.

Food Pairing

Fresh oysters on the half shell with a mignonette of shallot and champagne vinegar. The maritime whiskey echoes the brine of the oyster — a natural coastal pairing.

Train These Aromas
Comments

Be the first to comment.

Leave a comment

0 / 4,000

First-time comments are reviewed before appearing. Be kind, be specific, no spam.

More Irish Whiskey Reviews
Writers' Tears Cask Strength 2022 Edition
Irish Whiskey

Writers' Tears Cask Strength 2022 Edition

Writers' Tears

The 2022 cask strength release demonstrates why Writers' Tears has earned a loyal following. The combination of single pot still and single malt at full proof delivers density without sacrificing the elegance that defines the brand. A drop of water opens it beautifully.

107 proof
Kilbeggan Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Peated
Irish Whiskey

Kilbeggan Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Peated

Kilbeggan

This bottling from one of Ireland's oldest distilleries proves that peat need not be an Islay monopoly. The flame here is Irish turf — softer, earthier, more herbaceous than Scottish peat — and it plays beautifully against the pot still's inherent oiliness. An underrated expression that deserves wider attention.

86 proof
Waterford Sheestown Edition 8.1 Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Irish Whiskey

Waterford Sheestown Edition 8.1 Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Waterford

Waterford's single farm origin concept makes the barrel's influence a controlled variable, letting the barley itself speak. This Sheestown edition shows how terroir and restrained oak maturation can produce a whiskey of elegant precision. It's intellectual without being austere.

100 proof
Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest Tree No. 4
Irish Whiskey

Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest Tree No. 4

Midleton

Midleton's Dair Ghaelach series is a masterclass in how maturation vessel transforms spirit. Tree No. 4 from Bluebell Forest showcases the furnace-like intensity of virgin Irish oak tamed by the decades-long patience of pot still maturation. At cask strength, it's a riveting study in heat shaped by time—bold, complex, and unmistakably Irish.

114.2 proof