Alex Conyngham, founder of Slane Irish Whiskey invited an intimate group of guests to indulge in a delectable dinner while becoming an Irish blender for the evening.
Conyngham grew up and lives in Slane Castle that’s adjacent to Slane Distillery and has had an innate passion for whiskey for as long as he can remember. Having a rather uniquely eventful childhood, the Slane Whiskey co-founder not only had a bar within his living quarters, but he also had a nightclub in the basement in which he ran when he was in college. Those early years set the stage for Conyngham’s current passion, creating smooth, complex, and robust whiskey.
Slane Irish Whiskey brings grain and malt whiskeys together through the distinctive flavors of three casks. Conyngham deconstructed Slane’s Triple Casked Irish Whiskey into its individual caskings; New American Oak barrels, Tennessee Whiskey barrels, and Oloroso Sherry barrels and led guests through a tasting explaining the blending process. The evening took place at 10x Grammy Award winner Manny Marroquin’s new restaurant, Verse combining Conyngham’s love of music and whiskey into one setting. The sleek, elegant yet relaxed supper club has incorporated the sound quality of a premier recording studio ensuring the ultimate listening experience for diners.
During the Slane Irish Whiskey tasting Conyngham explained, “we decided to make this our own, try something different so we did a secondary maturation, and that’s where this triple casking comes in.” He describes the whiskey as “smooth” with “strong hints of vanilla” as well as “lingering hints of dry fruit and caramelized wood sugar.” After a brief crash course in Slane history and the triple casked blending process, guests were invited to try a hand at becoming an Irish blender by mixing each of the three caskings in an effort to get as close to the actual Slane blend as possible. Following the blend session, the group enjoyed an exquisite dinner while taking in a captivating live performance. The evening concluded with guests getting the chance to taste Slane Special Edition, the recently released whiskey commemorating the 40th anniversary of the famed Slane Castle Concerts by Alex Conyngham’s father, Lord Henry Conyngham.
