Back in the saddle. Review 259. Dingle 10 yo Irish single malt whiskey.

I don’t know about you and I hope you’re not in the same boat as me, but 2026 didn’t exactly get off on a flying start for me.

I already posted how a nasty fall late last year meant I broke a bone in my wrist, which in turn led to me pushing ‘pause’ on writing new content for my blog. As it literally took quite a bit of effort and also seeing how I barely could read my own handwriting the first couple of weeks - my GP would be envious, I saw little point in trying to force something even remotely decipherable on paper. As I write this, I’m still stuck with a cast and probably will be for another 2 weeks, but some flexibility in my arm and hand has returned, meaning I can actually write with pen and paper again to take some tasting notes.

But truth be told: a broken wrist turned out to be the least of my worries. The saying ‘misery loves company’ came nicely into play with all sorts of other annoying and irritating  stuff which I won’t bore you with, but suffice to say my enthusiasm for whisky, let alone to write about it, took a bit of a plunge in recent weeks.

Luckily I have a bunch of terrific whisky friends who I joined at the Liquid Leuven whiskyfestival late January and it proved to be just the antidote I needed. Nothing like good whisky and even better company to help lift the mood, and my emotional barometer went from ‘gloomy’ to ‘regained positivity’ as a consequence. I’m not out of the woods just yet, but at least I’m back in a position where I can put these negatives into perspective and focus on the positives again. Because whisky is indeed one of the positives in my life. It has given me so much, and I’m of course not simply talking about an all but overstocked liquor cabinet. And while I wouldn’t go as far as saying that picking up the whisky blog is ‘therapeutic’ in any way, I do feel as I need it, if only to have some sort of creative outlet and definitely to help me focus on what really matters.

So back in the saddle it is, and the next few weeks I’ll be spoiling myself with a few samples I brought home from Liquid Leuven. Samples from whiskies I am just very eager to dive into, be it because I have high hope for them, be it because they are quite ‘high end’ stuff. Possibly both…

Dingle 10 year old Irish single malt whiskey. 46.5% ABV, NC, UCF, 65% bourbon casks, 30% port casks and 5% PX casks. App €75-€80. Core range release.

As an fyi I’ll start by saying I’ve always enjoyed what I tried from Dingle, but it’s not as if I actively try to ‘catch ‘m all’. While I did review one or two – as far back as 2021, there is just too much whisky about to fully dedicate myself to chasing particular bottles or distilleries. For instance, while I tried a couple of them, their  ‘Wheel of the Year’ releases (a series of both pot still and single malt bottlings based around the theme of the Celtic Solar System) they did in recent times more or less passed me by, but when late last year they announced the introduction of a 10 year old core range single malt, I was all ears. If you remember how they released a small batch, one off 10 year old back in 2023, retailing for an eyewatering €385 (!): I’m not going to lie, that seriously pissed me off as no matter how special, this  was a downright cash grab any way you look at it. However, it appears this was indeed a one off folly, and their other releases were and are much more ‘in check’ and reasonable in terms of pricing. So when they announced a core range 10 year old, fair to say I was intrigued.  The ‘issue’ was that it wasn’t instantly released in all of their markets, meaning I had to wait and be patient until it would be introduced over here. Luckily that seems to be imminent, because they had it at the Liquid Leuven Festival as a sort of teaser/sneak preview. As these things go, by the time I got to their stand my palate was more or less already drowned into x number of other things I tried that afternoon, but I came prepared with empty sample bottles to bring one home to try later…

Nose

A tad vegetal – funky  - farmy straight off the bat. Exactly what I’ve come to know and love from Dingle. There’s (unripe) green apples, accompanied by a bready – yeasty note, hints of oranges and a (faint) note of milk chocolate with a bit of a lactic touch to it.

Palate

Again, a subtle yet distinct farmy – funky note on the arrival, leaning onto a combo of  lactic/bread like notes and milk chocolate. The fruit is there, but I need to dig for it a bit. The mouthfeel is dry and perhaps ever so slightly thin. Which is about the only point of critique I can come up with, to be honest.

Finish

warming, spices and wood spice linger on for quite a while.

Final thoughts

Solid stuff! Despite the triple cask maturation, the spirit still stands tall. And ftr: that’s by no means a bad thing! Having said that, the different wood types do add a nice balance and richness to things. €80 or there about isn’t exactly cheap for a 10 yo whisk(e)y, but then again Dingle never was and seeing their commitment to quality and the scale of their operation - from what I could find they fill around 2 casks per day, which mounts up to some 180,000 LPA, or app. 100,000 bottles /year for whiskey and another 100,000/year for their gin and vodka-  probably never will be. So in short: I definitely see myself buying this 10 year old hen it hits the market over here in Belgium. Provided they manage to keep the price in check, I even think it has the ability and potential to make ‘regular appearances’ in my cabinet.