Sliabh Liag The Midnight Silkie Irish Whiskey
Sliabh Liag The Midnight Silkie is a 92-proof (46% ABV), 750mL peated Irish whiskey from Sliabh Liag Distillers in Donegal, Ireland. A blend of five triple-distilled single malts — four unpeated plus a peated malt at its heart, 35% of the blend — it is finished across sherry, bourbon, Oloroso, red wine, virgin oak, and even imperial stout casks, bottled non-chill filtered with no added coloring. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 46% (92 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: no age statement; five triple-distilled single malts
- Origin: Donegal, Ireland (Sliabh Liag Distillers; master blender James Doherty)
- Casks: sherry, bourbon, Oloroso, red wine, virgin oak, and imperial stout casks
- Peat: peated single malt forms 35% of the blend — the smokiest in the Silkie collection
- Awards: Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Donegal's Smoky Mermaid
The Midnight Silkie is named for the Donegal Silkie legends — the mermaid folk of Ireland's northwest coast — and it drinks like the old pre-Prohibition Donegal whiskies founder James Doherty set out to revive: pipe smoke and muscovado sweetness, Christmas spice and dark chocolate orange. Five triple-distilled single malts, six cask types, one unapologetically peaty heart. It is a world away from light, unpeated Irish blends, and collectors of world whiskies treat every Silkie release as an event.
Tasting Notes
Per the importer: rich muscovado sweetness, pipe smoke, Christmas spices, sandalwood, orange zest, baked apples, chocolate orange, and sweet tobacco on the nose. The palate opens with intense molasses sweetness moving to dry peat smoke, pipe ash, raisins and sultanas, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, toffee apples, toasted oak, tobacco, and leather, with hints of pine, blood orange, and sweet grapefruit. The finish melts from sweet spice to dried fruit and peat-fire warmth.
How to Enjoy
Neat in a copita or Glencairn — the peat rewards slow sipping. A few drops of water open the fruit behind the smoke. Pair with dark chocolate, aged Gouda, or a fireside evening; compare against an unpeated Irish single malt to taste what the Donegal peat brings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Midnight Silkie peated?
Yes — a peated single malt makes up 35% of the five-malt blend, making it the smokiest expression in Sliabh Liag's Silkie collection.
What does "Silkie" mean?
In Donegal folklore, Silkies are mythical seal/mermaid folk. Sliabh Liag names its whiskey range for them; Midnight Silkie is the dark, smoky one.
Is it chill filtered or colored?
Neither — it is bottled non-chill filtered at 46% with no added coloring.
Discover more Sliabh Liag whiskies and our full whisky collection. For peat lovers who thought Irish whiskey couldn't smoke — meet the Midnight Silkie, order online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.