Here's a new whiskey to get excited about: Tullamore Dew 10yo single malt. I haven't sampled it yet (it should be out before the end of the year) but I have high expectations. That's because I am already familiar with the various component whiskeys that will go into this and they are some of my favourites.

A couple of years ago, C&C, brand owners of Tullamore Dew, approached Cooley Distillery with an eye to producing a distinctive single malt. They experimented with 10 year old "finished" whiskeys. In other words, for the last few months of maturation the whiskey was transferred from ex-bourbon casks to ones that previously held madeira, port or sherry.

This was a bold venture because all modern Tullamore Dew is made by Irish Distillers at its Midleton plant. It's a blend of grain whiskey and triple-distilled pure pot still. The new whiskey, in contrast, would be made by Cooley and it would be a double-distilled single malt. In other words, it would share nothing in character with the rest of the Tullamore Dew range.

In the end, C&C backed out of the project. It had given Cooley an idea though and they released the 10yo finishes under the Tyrconnell label as 46% ABV single cask bottlings. Delicious they are too and very well-regarded by the critics.

C&C have had a somewhat confused strategy over the last few years. Although their spirits division posted consistent returns, they concentrated on a risky cider gamble that ultimately failed (though they have pulled this back somewhat with a very nice pear version recently).

They have never appeared entirely sure what to do with Tullamore Dew. It's the second biggest brand in Irish whiskey (after Jameson) thanks to strong sales internationally and could certainly cope with some brand extension. Having decided to abandon the 10yo single malt, they released a new 10yo blend made in Midleton, as usual. Now they have reignited the deal with Cooley and will bring out the 10yo single malt after all.

This new whiskey will be a vatting of the three finishes - sherry, madeira and port - along with some unfinished malt. It will be bottled at 40%.

The price in the US, according to John Hansell's information, will be $40. That's in the same ballpark as Black Bush so I'm going to guess at around €35 here in Ireland (update: wildly optimistic - see comments). That would be very good value if it's as good as I hope.

A new Irish whiskey brand has appeared in the US. It was launched by Florida-based spirit importer, BerNiko, and is called Kellan (a Gaelic boy's name, apparently).

It's a Cooley blend, containing 22% unpeated malt whiskey which, like all Cooley malt, is double-distilled. The rest, of course, is Cooley's rather fine grain whiskey. The malt and grain components have been matured for at least four years in ex-bourbon barrels.

BerNiko very kindly sent me a bottle so I can report on the taste too. Now I'm not a big fan of Cooley blends, young or old, so I wasn't expecting too much here. I was very pleasantly surprised, however, by this beautifully balanced whiskey. I'm sure it works great with a mixer or in a cocktail but I'd happily drink it neat if I saw it in a bar. I promised to bring the bottle to a meeting of the Irish Whiskey Society but now I'm tempted to keep it for myself!

I hope this is just the first of a range of Kellan whiskeys. BerNiko tell me they are planning an aged blend (most likely 8yo) and they don't rule out a single malt or limited editions in the future.

For now Kellan is only available in the US, for between $22 and $25 (for 750ml).

Kellan has one other interesting selling point: it is certified kosher. There is a KLBD mark on the back label that indicates this. I'm no expert on Jewish dietary requirements but some quick reading on the topic leads me to believe that most of Cooley's output would be kosher anyway. Kellan just makes that official.

I'll mention one other thing that struck me immediately on seeing the bottle for the first time. A young whiskey matured in ex-bourbon barrels should be fairly light in colour. Kellan is a very deep amber. Clearly this is artificially achieved with a heavy dose of caramel colouring. It shouldn't affect the taste but in a decent whiskey like this why not let the appearance reflect the truth of its manufacture?