Pearse Lyons: sipping holy Irish Whiskey

A big difference between Irish Whiskey and Scotch Whisky is not only the missing “e” in the Scottish variant, but also the naming of distilleries and subsequent products. Just take a look at the Irish (historical) landscape and you see what I mean. John Jameson, obviously, but what about Teeling? Or longer ago, John Powers and George Roe? The names of the big men behind these operations were apparently a more suitable name for a distillery and brand, than naming your stuff after an island or a valley. Pearse Lyons, the whiskey we put a spotlight on today, follows in the footsteps of these big names.

Thomas Pearse Lyons passed away in 2018 but what legacy he leaves behind! He made his name in the agribusiness sector, and the Pearse Lyons Distillery was a passion project in his later years. When you visit the distillery, like I did in June 2024, you get the amazing story of turning an old church into a working distillery. Yes, you read that right! Pearse Lyons is located inside St James' Church on Dublin's James's Street. The beautiful top on the tower of the church is made of glass and was designed by Lyons’ wife Deirdre. The distillery became operational in September 2017. In the visitor shop you can nowadays buy a bottling biblically called “Genesis”, an expression that contains whiskey that was actually fully produced in the church. We had a sip and decided to take a bottle home. Well, the staff was actually kind enough to send it after us, since we were in Dublin for The Killers concert with only carry-on luggage. Good service!

The three Pearse Lyons whiskey expression we are going to taste today, are actually sourced from elsewhere to already put the name on the market. This is common practice in Ireland and I am not particularly fond of it, but that is how it goes. Seeing actual Pearse Lyons whiskey hit the market in the future will be a rare thing anyway. With (distilling) personnel being understaffed, current production is not more than 1 (one) cask per week. Interestingly, the distilling process is quite similar to Springbank from Scottish Campbeltown. Because of limited space in the church, there are only two pot stills set up as opposed to the traditional three for Irish triple distilling. The nature of the second still actually makes Pearse Lyons new-make 2,5 distilled. The taste that we had of the Genesis seems to underline that this is indeed complex but fruity whiskey.

Let us do a walk-through of some releases carrying the name of Pearse Lyons.

Pearse Lyons 5 years old Original, bottled at 43 % abv

Makeup: Matured in ex-bourbon barrels. Around 35 % of the content is single malt and part of the mix is allegedly distilled at Pearse Lyons.

General impressions: Well, this starts of excellently, with a nice fruity nose that comes off very fresh and elegant, with white grapes and peaches. Then there is something summery, like the smell of your skin after a swim in a commercial pool, drying up, with a whiff of sunscreen still there. It is good whiskey when it triggers such a strong vision in my head. Bravo! On the tongue, some fruitiness remains, but all in all it is of course a little weak. The finish is bitter from the grain alcohol and is overly vanilla in character.

Conclusion: A very decent young Irish whiskey, with a most attractive nose. For a malt lover, the performance on the palate is too weak to make an impression, but you can drink much worse in this category at 5 years old.

Score: 75 points

Pearse Lyons 7 years old Distiller’s Choice, bottled at 43 % abv

Makeup: Matured in ex-bourbon barrels and sherry butts. No information on blend balance here.

General impressions: Basically the same as the 5 years old, but the fruity notes seemed to have ripened a bit further. More on oranges and tangerines. Very lovely and again inducing Summer feelings in the mind. On the palate, this feels much more mature compared to the 5 years old. The youthfulness is cancelled out and the taste of juicy tangerines takes over, bordering on a little zest. You do not really notice the influence of the sherry casks, unless we can attribute to them that this Pearse Lyons expression seems more mature that 7 years.

Conclusion: A nice and meaningful improvement on the Original bottling. Fruity, elegant and even some complexity. Very likeable as an easy aperitive whiskey. You do not get the feeling you are drinking flavored alcohol here.

Score: 79 points

Pearse Lyons 12 years old Founder’s Choice, bottled at 43 % abv

Makeup: Matured in ex-bourbon barrels. I have no information of the blend balance here.

General impressions: The development of the range is a straight and upward line. The nose is very similar to the predecessors. A total fruit basket filled with oranges, lemons, red apples, green apples and a bunch of white grapes. Maybe even some red ones. A strong hit of vanilla binds it all together. With the emerging of so many new Irish whiskey producers, and from what I have tasted of them, Pearse Lyons employs a skilled blender to create something that smells expensive and luxurious. The problem with all three expressions we taste in this blog, is that the taste does not fully live up to the potential that is suggested upon nosing. I blame the grain content. Pearse Lyons should – in my humble opinion – focus on single malt releases. The Genesis already proves that it has a lot to offer. For now, we are content with the somewhat alcoholic orange fruit character.

Conclusion: On nosing alone, this is truly fresh and brilliant stuff. Taken into account the taste, it loses some points. I checked the price. You get good quality for your money here. I am a fan!

Score: 83 points

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