In Monty Python’s life of Brian one of the best scenes in the film is when Pontius Pilate, with a speech impediment, can’t fathom why the soldiers laugh at his friend’s name.  Horrified that the common soldier is laughing at his mates name he tries to stifle the laugh. Again, and again the name” Biggus Dickus” is spoken and the platoon stifle laughs and sniggers. The soldiers lose it completely when Michael Palin’s character says “Do you know what my fwend, Biggus Dickus’s, wife’s name is? Incontinentia Buttocks.”

We have all been in a situation when something someone says is hilarious and they can’t see why it’s funny. Well recently I paid a visit to the “Dublin Liberties Distillery”, and a rather nice place it is too, 33 Mill Street, Dublin 8. The address is important here as the bottle I picked up harks back to a bygone age when the site was the home to a Tannery. Now for those of you who don’t know what a Tannery is, it’s where they make leather from animal skins and one of the ways they used to make it was to soak it in Urine.It might seem infantile and puerile but when I lifted the “Tannery edition” I couldn’t help but notice the pale-yellow gleam of the liquid in the bottle. Ok it’s no “Incontinentia Buttocks” but I giggled.

This distillery exclusive Blended whiskey is part of a vast array for sale from a Distillery that has only just had the paint dry i.e. it’s not their own spirit. So, it’s bought in, being finished to their specifications, from another distillery, or distilleries. The Tannery edition is “Double blended in first fill American Bourbon” casks, which means that after the Bourbon has been removed this is what replaced it. Normally first fill makes it quite dark and sweet, with bags of vanilla but this just doesn’t have that, or anything of any note about it, except the silly name. As Brian says, in the film, “You have to be different!”

Nose- Chopped Almonds, Oak, Surprisingly little Vanilla, Apple 1/3

Palate – Nothing to shocking here, fairly bland, Nutty, Oak, Malt 1/3

Finish- Short, no huge development, again the wood and the nuts 1/3

Value for money 0/1

Total 3/10

This has nothing distinctive about it and is utterly bland

For private Whiskey tastings contact info@ulsterwhiskey.com