In a world-first, the foundations of flavour can now be individually experienced through one of the most ambitious whiskey launches to date, bringing something utterly unique to the world of spirits and the luxury Irish whiskey category. Senses is a spirits project unlike any other, born from a shared goal of expressing taste’s five building blocks – Bitter, Sour, Salt, Umami, and Sweet – through a set of five individually crafted and finished 23 year old Single Malt Irish whiskeys. The launch is a collaboration between Damien Grey, Two Michelin Star chef and founder of Dublin’s Liath Restaurant, and Rupert Egan, Head Bonder of Egan’s Irish Whiskey.
To realise their vision, Grey and Egan enlisted the expertise of some of the world’s finest wine and spirits producers, including Godet, the world’s oldest Cognac family, to secure the right finishing casks needed to gently introduce each of the five taste characteristics. Some barrels took as much as 18 months to source and select with several cask partners having not collaborated with the whiskey world, until now. Only 200 sets will ever be produced, priced at €5,950 (£5,069).
Each comes in a collector’s case, which holds five 700ml bespoke bottles of 23 year old Single Malt Irish whiskeys, a sample box featuring five 40ml tasting phials and a series of beautifully produced cards chronicling the three-year whiskey development journey. Purchasers can also look forward to a complementary table for two at Liath R.