Sliabh Liag The Legendary Dark Silkie Irish Whiskey

Sliabh Liag The Legendary Dark Silkie Irish Whiskey is a 46% ABV (92-proof), non-chill filtered, 750mL peated blended Irish whiskey from Sliabh Liag Distillers in County Donegal, Ireland. Its core is a triple-distilled peated single malt (peated to 55 ppm, settling around 22 ppm after distillation) matured in sherry casks, blended with double-distilled single malt from bourbon barrels and soft grain whiskey from virgin oak casks. Order online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• ABV: 46% (92 proof), non-chill filtered
• Size: 750mL
• Age: No age statement; aged over three years
• Origin: Hand-bottled at the Ardara Distillery, Carrick, County Donegal, Ireland, by Sliabh Liag Distillers
• Production: Peated single malt (sherry casks) + double-distilled single malt (bourbon barrels) + grain whiskey (virgin oak casks)

Donegal's Peated Silkie

Sliabh Liag Distillers — founded in 2014 by James and Moira Doherty and home to Donegal's distilling revival, with the new Ardara Distillery opening in 2022 — named its range for the Silkie seal-folk of the Donegal coast. Dark Silkie is the smoky one: where the original is a whisper of peat, this is the full voice, built on a peated triple-distilled malt heart rounded out in sherry wood. It took Double Gold at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and among Irish whiskeys it remains one of the few genuinely peated blends on the shelf.

Tasting Notes

Salted caramel and dark chocolate lead, with pipe tobacco and dried fruit from the sherry casks underneath. The palate is rich and oily — cocoa, roasted nuts, a flicker of red berries — and the peat arrives as dry, ashy smoke rather than a bonfire, lingering long into the finish with oak spice.

How to Enjoy

Neat to meet the peat and sherry head-on, or with a splash of water to open the fruit. It makes a brooding, smoky Old Fashioned and stands up to dark chocolate and aged cheeses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dark Silkie peated?
Yes — it's the peated expression in the Silkie range. Its single-malt core is peated to 55 ppm (around 22 ppm after distillation).

What's the difference between Dark Silkie and the original Legendary Silkie?
Dark Silkie is built on peated malt matured in sherry casks — smoky and rich. The original is the smooth, unpeated-leaning blend with only a hint of peated malt.

Who makes Dark Silkie?
Sliabh Liag Distillers of County Donegal, Ireland — the company behind Donegal's distilling revival, hand-bottling at the Ardara Distillery in Carrick.

Where can I buy Dark Silkie Irish Whiskey online?
This 750mL bottle is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor — it ships from San Diego, CA.

For peat lovers who like their smoke wrapped in sherry sweetness, order The Legendary Dark Silkie online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.