Tis Irish Whiskey time...nice reviews

[Jono]

http://www.irishtimesphilly.com/irish-whiskeys-at-the-irish-times/

From the list I have tried about half..have not had the Tullamore Dew, Paddy, Middleton (hard to get), Michael Collins, Clontarf or Celtic Crossing (liquor).

Tullamore Dew is usually on sale this time of year...may pick one up...the Clontarf looks interesting.

[jburlowski]

I like the Tullamore Dew quite a lot (particularly the 12 yo)... the Michael Collins, not so much.

[Jono]

I picked up the Tullamore Dew 12 today...and Clontarf Reserve.

[ThomasH]

Tullamore Dew 12 is my favorite Irish whiskey, period. Jameson 12 is also very good. Even regular Jameson isn't too bad. Powers is also really good, especially for the price. I don't like regular Bushmills at all but Black Bush is another good one. Not only is Irish good straight, it is excellent mixed with ginger ale!

Thomas

[Jono]

When I was a real newbie with whiskey I used to enjoy Blackbush white with lemonade! Well, it made for a nice summer sipper.

[Blitz]

Picked up some Tullamore Dew 12 today based on this thread. Don't know if I'll break it out this weekend or wait til tuesday.

I do like an Irish occasionally. I drink bourbon neat or with a half ice cube, but Jamesons I like to fill a tumbler with ice and pour a full glass.

[kickert]

We are having some people over here for St. Patty's day. None of them are real whiskey drinkers, but one or two may have a pour. I have never gotten into Irish Whiskey, but want to have some on hand. What would you suggest I pick up that exemplifies Irish Whiskey, is a pleasant pour and is under $25?

[funknik]

You may accuse me of Epicurean tastes, and I have had very little experience with Scotch or Irish whiskey, but the same rule seems to apply when I'm drinking them: I don't like the blends much at all, but I tend to really like the single malts (or malt). So for me, Jameson's is not very appealing. . . I haven't tried the Black Bush, but I thought the Green Bushmill's was fantastic! This doesn't solve Ben's problem, I can't think of anything in his price range that I would care for. So far, however, I do prefer Irish whiskey to Blended Scotch (once again, my single malt Scotch experience is virtually non-existent).

Does anyone have a suggestion that might open the blends up for me?

[Jono]

I posted some notes on the Clontarf Reserve (about $17)...if your friends are not real whiskey drinkers this qualifies as a gateway Irish...very light and smooth...easy to drink.....yesterday I had a neighbor over who was not that familiar with Irish....I poured Clontarf, Powers, Redbreast and Tullamore Dew.

He really liked the Clontarf....the Powers was a little rough...he liked the Redbreast and Tullamore Dew but those are a little more expensive. Blackbush Black is really nice too...not sure you can find it for the price.

Jameson's is also a good easy drinking whiskey.

[smokinjoe]

We are having some people over here for St. Patty's day. None of them are real whiskey drinkers, but one or two may have a pour. I have never gotten into Irish Whiskey, but want to have some on hand. What would you suggest I pick up that exemplifies Irish Whiskey, is a pleasant pour and is under $25?

I pick up a new bottle each year for St. Patty's Day. So far I have accumulated Knoppogue Castle 1992, Redbreast 12, Tullamore Dew 12, Power's, and Kilbeggan. The "best" one from an overall quality standpoint would have to be the Redbreast 12. Irish does tend to be light, but this one has a lot more guts to it than the others. But, I think that is above your price point. Regardless, the most enjoyable bottle I have is the Kilbeggan. Very fruity on the nose, and a very nice, easy drinking whiskey. Non whiskey drinkers would have no problem enjoying this neat. But, it still has enough flavor to be enjoyable to a regular bourbon drinker, like yourself. Plus, it's definitely under your price point. It's also the most fun name to say after 5 shots, while just walking around the house talking like Sean Connery and saying things like, "Order me up another Kilbeggan, Laddy!!"

[funknik]

Black Bush is another good one.

[gothbat]

Knoppogue Castle 1992... Irish does tend to be light...

[smokinjoe]

I hear ya. The Knoppogue is by far, the lightest colored Irish that I have. In that I very seldom drink Irish myself, except around St. Patty's Day, I am always thinking this bottle has "faded" since I last pulled it out. You're right, there's barely any color there, but it does have an interesting flavor. I have asked this before, but I can't remember the answer; Can coloring be added to Irish, like they do with Scotch?

[DeanSheen]

John on Malt Advocate has a few things up on his blog from yesterday. In the one piece he advocates that more variety of Irish Whiskey gets exported and asks "what would you like to see here"?

I immediatley thought Green Spot as I really would like to try that. I had no idea that RedBreast 15 existed, now I'm all jacked up about that.

I'm going to have to grab a few things when I'm in England this spring.

[Jono]

Does anyone know why Irish whiskey is usually 80 proof? Is there a legal limit? Do higher proofs exist? Higher proof versions would help make it more interesting.

http://www.foodreference.com/html/artirishwhiskey.html

"Most Irish whiskey today is distilled in Coffey stills and comes out at 80 percent ABV (alcohol by volume) to be diluted to 60 percent for aging which occurs mostly in American white oak 55 US Gallon barrels previously used for Bourbon aging. Some distillers use oloroso sherry casks, others port. The minimum aging period by law is three years but most distillers surpass it by many years. After blending, the whiskey is diluted to 40 – 43 percent ABV."

[boss302]

Does anyone know why Irish whiskey is usually 80 proof? Is there a legal limit? Do higher proofs exist? Higher proof versions would help make it more interesting.

80-86 proof is par for the course for just about any Celtic whisky, hence why I can't figure out why bourbon drinkers are so whiny about sub-100proof whiskey. Seriously, in just about every bourbon review on this forum, there is always at least one guy who pi$$es and moans about it being only(!) 90 or so proof...

Having said that, I do know of at least one Irish whiskey that is bottled at cask strength, and that is a part of the heavily-peated Connemara lineup, by the Cooley distillery.

Most Irish whiskey drinkers are only looking for mild-&-mellow, which you simply won't get with higher proofs. Ask anyone why they drink Jameson and they'll answer "because it's smooth."

I will note that each of the 3 Irish whiskey distillers (Midleton, Cooley, and Bushmills) are finally doing something interesting. Midleton's Redbreast Pure Pot Still is good stuff, as are the Single Malts from Bushmills and Cooley, both of whom are experimenting with wood finishing.

[Jono]

I found the Tullamore Dew 12 to be a nice, easing drinking whiskey....but not that distinctive....again, I don't really pick up the addl 12 years aging effect.

I prefer bourbon to be in the 92-96 proof +/- range....the 100+ proofs can quickly numb your taste...but I understand the addition of a little water or ice and thinking you are economizing.

With growth in the Irish industry hopefully some will take notice of the American whiskey drinker and experiment with a little higher proof.

[jburlowski]

Enjoyed some Connemara pot-stilled for my St. Paddys pour. It's been a while and I'd forgotten how much I liked it.

[Megawatt]

I'm having Black Bush right now. Awesome stuff. I think it is more balanced than Jameson 12, honestly. Right up there with Redbreast in my books.

[Gov]

I'm having Black Bush right now. Awesome stuff. I think it is more balanced than Jameson 12, honestly. Right up there with Redbreast in my books.

Black Bush is excellent, but I think Jameson 12 is a bit more complex by just a wee bit :grin:

[ILLfarmboy]

80-86 proof is par for the course for just about any Celtic whisky, hence why I can't figure out why bourbon drinkers are so whiny about sub-100proof whiskey. Seriously, in just about every bourbon review on this forum, there is always at least one guy who pi$$es and moans about it being only(!) 90 or so proof...

I'm sure I've done more than my share of pissin' and moanin', but to be fair, I think bourbon and rye are more drinkable at higher proofs than Irish or scotch. Never had a cask strength Irish, but every cask strength scotch needed H20 to make it easier to appreciate.

Having said that, I'd love to try Redbreast 12 (never had the 15) at 86 or 90.

[dutch]

John on Malt Advocate has a few things up on his blog from yesterday. In the one piece he advocates that more variety of Irish Whiskey gets exported and asks "what would you like to see here"?

I immediatley thought Green Spot as I really would like to try that. I had no idea that RedBreast 15 existed, now I'm all jacked up about that.

I'm going to have to grab a few things when I'm in England this spring.

What were you able to grab? Assuming that you have left and came back already :cool:

[DeanSheen]

Well the England thing fell through.

But when I talked with ThomasH at the sampler this April he tipped me off to the fact that the OLCB carries Green Spot now. I currently have a bottle waiting for both of us up in Toronto that my brother in law grabbed for us.

Now it's just a matter of getting it from him.

[Chilled]

I read earlier on that someone found Powers to be rough. I find it very smooth, but then I also place it in a cup w/ some ice, so it might be the smoothing agent.