USA: Diageo to bring its Roe & Co. Irish whiskey to the US
Spirits giant Diageo, early in 2017, unveiled a rather ambitious Irish whiskey plan that included building itself a new distillery in Dublin, Ireland, as well as releasing a new blended Irish whiskey known as Roe & Co. Fast forward two years later and both aspects of this are well under way, so much so that there are now designs on bringing the whiskey to American shores, The Whiskey Wash reported on March 25.
Roe & Co., according to those behind it, is a non-chill filtered Irish whiskey offering that’s been bottled at 45% ABV, or 90 proof. It’s named in honor of George Roe, a whiskey maker of note from the 19th century. This modern day version of his namesake spirit was crafted by Diageo master blender Caroline Martin and her team from stocks of “the very finest Irish whiskies.”
Martin also worked with a group of “hand-picked Irish bartenders who represent some of Dublin’s most celebrated cocktail establishments” in putting together this expression, targeting it towards cocktail use as part of a major focus.
“We’re extremely proud to partner with some of Dublin’s most innovative mixologists that helped create the unique blend of whiskeys aptly named Roe & Co, an homage to celebrated Irish whiskey-maker George Roe,” said Martin in a prepared statement. “After two years of experimenting with more than 100 prototype blends, the team landed on a smooth balance of quality malt and grain, aged in ex-bourbon casks, that truly personifies the spirit of a new frontier of Irish whiskey.”
As it stands now plans call for Roe & Co. to appear on store shelves initially in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland and Washington, D.C. You’ll find some official tasting notes and cocktail ideas below for your consideration. As for the distillery previously mentioned, it has been placed “on Thomas Street in Dublin, adjacent to where the old George Roe and Co distillery once sat in the converted former Guinness Power House. Production at the new St. James’s Gate distillery is slated to begin later this year.”
On the nose, Roe & Co is creamy, delightfully fragrant and remarkably rounded with notes of soft spice and mellow spun sugar along with warm hints of woody vanilla. The quality and perfect balance of the blend is immediately apparent on the palate through its velvety texture and sweet flavors including spiced pears and vanilla. The finish is lingering and gentle, ending with a light creaminess.
Roe & Co’s unique tasting notes make it perfect to serve as the feature of your cocktail of choice like a Roe & Roots (Roe & Co, fresh apple juice and club soda) or a Roe & Ginger Sour (Roe & Co, lemon juice, pear liqueur, sugar syrup and ginger), as well as on its own, with ice.
25 March, 2019
