A year on from the previous ‘Estate Series’ release – which paid respects to the near 300-year-old Fercullen brand home – this year’s dram is a homage to the Italian Gardens, the centrepiece of the Powerscourt Gardens, previously cited in National Geographic.
The producer has described the drink as having nose notes of fruit, cherry, fig and marmalade, a soft grain sweet mouthfeel with honey and lemon notes, followed by a long and fruity finish with a pleasant coating of summer fruit oils.
The Amarone cask finish is said to be Italian influenced, blended with a special-Grain Irish whiskey. Powerscourt Distillery’s new head of Whiskey & Product Development John Cashman has previously worked for several distilleries under the Beam Suntory umbrella, and it’s said that his unique knowledge on Fercullen whiskeys helped with the blend of this release. For The Italian Gardens, he combined an a Fercullen 19-year-old malt with an Amarone cask finish with a 12-year-old grain Irish whiskey.
Bottled at 46% ABV, the RSP for the bottle is €75 and will be available to purchase from June 20th 2022.