Irish whiskey -- what's your favorite?

[Brisko]

Now that Beam owns Cooley it seems that 2 Gingers is likely to get broader distribution. Seems to be a young whiskey primarily intended for mixing such as with ginger ale/beer to suit the younger "hip" crowd (although the name has more to do with the hair color than the soda apparently). Might try it if I see it but not one I am hunting for at the moment.

It's pretty unremarkable. Fits into under $20 Irish category very well.

[AaronWF]

Last week I would have said Redbreast 12, either proof. Last night I grabbed a Powers' John's Lane, and wow! Very similar to the Redbreast (probably off the same still) but the harsh penny flavor/bitterness I find easily in the Redbreast is hard to find in this, and replaced with some great honey notes. My list now looks like this:

Powers' John's Lane
Redbreast 12



everything else.

I'm with you on the two in front of everything else, but my opinion differs twofold: 1) I find the RB12CS to be heads and tails in front of the lower proof version and would relegate that one to the 'everything else' category, and 2) I'm still not entirely convinced the PJL gets the #1 spot. I need to do a SBS before I fully commit, as it's been about a year since I last had the RB12CS. The PJL did not impress upon first sip like the RB12CS did, but it has grown on me quite a bit. I just need to make my bottle last until I have room to open up the RB!

[Max Power]

Now that Beam owns Cooley it seems that 2 Gingers is likely to get broader distribution. Seems to be a young whiskey primarily intended for mixing such as with ginger ale/beer to suit the younger "hip" crowd (although the name has more to do with the hair color than the soda apparently). Might try it if I see it but not one I am hunting for at the moment.

It's not worth doing a lot of seeking out for. But since it's owned by a guy locally in MN, it's $17.99 for a liter and that's just a great price for it.

[black mamba]

I just tried Knappogue Castle 14 yr for the first time tonight, and it is simply delicious. We had it along with the Powers John's Lane 12 yr, which is my favorite Irish, and the KC14 held it's own. The KC14 has bright, grassy citrus flavors with a touch of raisiny richness, while the PJL12 is dark and brooding honeyed spice with a hint of fudge on the finish. The KC14 nose is simply one of the best out there. Try it.