The Taoscán
The first and only whiskey of its kind, The Taoscán is the world’s first Port & Chestnut finished whiskey; a unique blend of barrels brought together in perfect harmony. Restoring Irish whiskey to its rightful place as a global leader takes a whiskey of extraordinary character; The Taoscán is that whiskey.
HISTORIC. INNOVATIVE. UNIQUE.
There is no whiskey on earth like The Taoscán. While its formative years in American Oak Bourbon casks and Sherry Oloroso butts imparted vanilla, cedar, oaked musk and notes of rich maple syrup, caramelised figs and juicy raisins, it is the finishing period that delivered a whiskey of era-defining complexity and flavour.
The Taoscán could have been released after its time in American Oak and Sherry Oloroso as a great whiskey. But epitomising our willingness to push boundaries, it was then split across many barrels for two years. Through experimentation and a honed appreciation for flavour, a skilfully balanced blend of the whiskey’s time in Virgin Chestnut and Tawny Port casks delivered a whiskey of groundbreaking complexity and innovation. The Taoscán is the world’s first Tawny Port and Chestnut single malt whiskey.
A UNIQUE WHISKEY
AN HISTORIC WHISKEY
Most would refer to a measure of whiskey as a dram. But travel back in time just over a hundred years and it would be a taoscán you’d order at the bar. Irish whiskey was the global leader, its reputation for skilful crafting and superior quality famed around the world. With 84% of all whiskey sold globally in the 19th-century originating in Ireland, its reach was unrivalled. As the Gaelic word for a small measure, ‘a taoscán’ had become as popular as the spirit itself.
But a century of turmoil, conflict, trade wars and political wrangling saw Irish whiskey’s fortunes falter and with it, ‘taoscán’ fell out of use. With the rise of Scotch, a ‘dram’ took over and cemented its place in the language of whiskey. ‘A taoscán’ of whiskey was consigned to the history books, but it never lost its place in our hearts.
The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is on a mission to restore Irish whiskey to its rightful place as the source of the finest whiskeys in the world. The Taoscán embodies that mission in both its name and its craft. By resurrecting the art of whiskey-making that had been pushed to one side by the rise of blends and mass production, but adding scientific awareness, we’re lifting the craft to new heights.
A CREATIVELY CRAFTED WHISKEY
To reinstate a global star takes a whiskey crafted with a respect for the art of the old whiskey masters; standing on the shoulders of our forefathers we see further. But to elevate that craft and bring it into the 21st-century takes science, experimentation and a willingness to question conventional wisdom.
For its final two years, The Taoscán was split across a treasure trove of barrels; from Chestnut, Cherry and Mulberry to Sauternes, Amarone, Banyuls, Port and Riversaults. After two years soaking in the rich notes of these barrels, the tasting began. The whiskeys finished in Chestnut and Tawny Port were found to have reached their world-beating flavour profiles whilst the others were left to continue their journey. Both could have been released separately as pure expressions of their time in each cask. But blended together in a carefully considered balance, their flavours are undeniably complex, drawing on their separate paths and coming together in a dynamic harmony of flavour and aroma to create the world’s first-ever Tawny Port and Chestnut whiskey.
Honouring the skilled art of the old master blenders, but adding 21st-century science has created a single malt destined to restore Irish whiskey’s reputation for mellow smoothness and intricate layering of flavour. The Taoscán epitomises the ingenuity and appreciation for wood that saw it win Silver at the World Whiskies Awards, only losing out to our own The Devil’s Keep which was crowned Best Single Malt in Ireland under the no age statement category.
AN ICONIC HEIRLOOM
For the man or woman in your life who has everything, The Taoscán is a one-of-a-kind. From the exquisite surrounds conceived by an award-winning designer to the unique whiskey finished in Tawny Port and Chestnut casks, The Taoscán is a gift of incomparable thought and beauty.
The joy of that first glimpse of the leather handle and the copper stems as they unwrap the skilfully designed stand will only be surpassed by the first sip. For the connoisseur, The Taoscán is a truly unique addition to their collection.
AN INVESTMENT IN AN AWARD-WINNING FUTURE
With only 4,000 released; 3,000 for bars and restaurants and just 1,000 being made available to the public as the Collector’s Edition, with the majority destined to be consumed, The Taoscán is also a potential investment. A first-of-its-kind, creatively crafted debut that showcases the skill and ingenuity of a company that has won praise and accolades across the board. From the Best Single Malt in Ireland under the no age statement category at the World Whiskies Awards for The Devil’s Keep to a coveted Master Medal at The Spirits Business Awards for The Brollach, The Taoscán has an award-winning pedigree. With awards, rarity and momentous releases determining a bottle’s investment potential, The Taoscán is destined for greatness.
TASTING NOTES
The Nose: Warm banana bread studded with candied walnut comes to the fore, joined by the rich sweetness of golden syrup and the mellow vanilla of a coke float, balanced out with just a hint of sourness.
The Palate: A rich spice travels through the mid-palate, rounded out with a smooth viscosity that engulfs the whole mouth with an exceptional creaminess. On the back palate, a slightly dry mouthfeel melts into an enveloping luxuriance with warming notes of vanilla, toasted nuts and the joyful memories of campfire s’mores.
The Finish: A medium to long finish of roasted chestnuts and a hint of spice calls to mind the warm embrace of home.
TOAST TO A WORLD-CLASS WHISKEY
This is not a whiskey to hide away in a dusty corner of the drinks cabinet. The Taoscán is different. This is a whiskey to take centre-stage and reclaim Ireland’s reputation as the global leader of the whiskey industry. Skilfully designed by the award-winning designer, Tiago Russo, The Taoscán offers every element for the perfect pour. The walnut wood stand and copper detailing draw inspiration from the cooperage of barrels. The Finn glasses are scientifically designed to enhance the whiskey’s flavours. The copper and glass pipette delivers the optimum droplet of water to release the full complexity of its rich notes.
THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION
Just 1,000 bottles of The Taoscán have been reserved for the ultimate whiskey connoisseur and collector. Numbers 1-1,000, the first releases of The Taoscan, are presented in an elegant clear perspex and walnut wood box, highlighting the elegantly understated luxury of the design. An engraved label displays the number of your bottle, making this a collector’s piece to treasure.
By Master Of Whiskey, Jay Bradley
The Taoscán has its roots in the same liquid as The Emerald Isle and The Devil’s Keep; ex-Bushmills, triple distilled and matured in Bourbon for 11 years. But it’s the journey it then took that created a truly unique single malt; the world’s first and only Tawny Port and Chestnut whiskey.
Moving the liquid from Bourbon casks to Sherry Oloroso added layers of fruit and maple syrup, but I felt it needed more. So I experimented. I split it across an array of barrels, from Mulberry to Sauternes, Chestnut to Amarone. There’s an element of the ‘mad scientist’ to my work, I test, I taste, I score. I make endless notes on what a particular wood does to a whiskey, and how the humidity levels affect it, taking notes and comparing data on each to see what works. During these regular tastings I found a handful of the French Oak barrels that had previously held Tawny Port scored highly, but then I tasted the virgin French Chestnut and it was incredible, but with a completely unique flavour unlike anything I’d tasted before. It featured a lot of cola, like the cola bottle sweets you might have had as a child which was unbelievably intriguing.
So I brought in some more experts, to get more opinions. We tasted the whiskeys and we played around with them, blending different casks together in different ratios to see what that did to the score. And we found that, not only did the combination of the two beat their individual scores, it scored off-the-charts for a whiskey that’s relatively young at 15 years. So I continued to work on the ratios to get the perfect balance of Tawny Port and Chestnut, until the world’s first Port & Chestnut whiskey was born.
By Tiago Russo, Chief Design Officer
Reinventing and developing the ultimate whiskey bar experience – this was the one and only concept behind The Taoscán, and one of the greatest challenges in disrupting tradition whilst creating the perfect tasting experience.
In contrast to the experience boxes launched in the past, the vision of The Taoscán was to create a perfect whiskey tasting experience, especially focused on exclusive bars and private venues, with everything associated with a fully immersive whiskey tasting compiled into one single product.
With that in mind, every single element was not just collated, but specifically designed for this product, from the bottle to the glasses, the pipette to the coasters. Every single detail had to complement each other, providing the drinker with the ultimate experience and allowing them to fully enjoy the whiskey without any external accessories. But alongside this functionality, it had to offer a luxurious, desirable experience.
From the walnut wood stand, to the copper frame, The Taoscán’s stand was conceived to allow the drinker a full view of the amber liquid and its elegant accompaniments. The wood calls to mind the rich, dark tones of an elegant bar, while the copper stems and detailing honour the cooperage of barrels and the tones of a distillery. The leather handle allows it to be lifted down from the top shelf and placed in front of the drinker, with a Finn glass, carafe of spring water, copper and glass pipette and a solid metal coaster sitting alongside the bottle to provide the perfect pour.
Along with The Devil’s Keep and The Emerald Isle, The Taoscán marks another pivotal moment in my career. In 2022, it equalled The Devil’s Keep’s momentous win at the A’Design Awards, becoming only the second Single Malt in history to win a high Gold. While I design for the pure love and passion for creating products that will be treasured long after I’ve gone, I won’t deny that these awards are a truly exceptional achievement and one I could barely dare to dream of.
AWARDS
The Taoscán brings the innovation and expertise of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. to the world’s top bars and the whiskey collections of connoisseurs. It is a whiskey with a prestigious pedigree, a remarkable story and a bright future; it tells the tale of Irish whiskey’s rise, fall and rebirth. By reviving the whiskey-making art and restoring Irish whiskey’s reputation for masterful craftsmanship and a tailored approach to whiskey, The Taoscán is a world-class, unique whiskey.
A ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCE
Designed to offer the perfect single serve for the aficionado, The Taoscán’s rare whiskey is accompanied by a Finn glass, a copper and glass pipette, an elegant metal coaster, obsidian whiskey stones and a carafe of the finest Hallstein Water from Austria. These expertly designed accessories and carefully sourced accompaniments raise the experience of the whiskey’s rich, complex notes to a height demanded by the world’s first Tawny Port and French Chestnut whiskey.
