Foreign Whisky of the Month - 03/2014: IRISH!! (Happy St. Patrick's Day)

[Virus_Of_Life]

Not going to be specific since I am sure I am not the only one with very little knowledge of Irish. Let's talk Irish Whiskey in general, any you happen to have or like, then sometime down the road we'll do a specific Irish for the month.

Cheers!

[risenc]

I recently came into possession of a bottle of Green Spot and a bunch of Bushmills. Briefly: I found the Green Spot underwhelmingly bland, after all the hype, but the Bushmills was spot on. Just enough spice to keep this bourbon fan interested, but still smooth as silk.

[Max Power]

I'm on board with being underwhelmed by Green Spot. I thought it was thin bodied and sweeter than most. It was fine, but I'm definitely not going to buy another bottle at $50. RB12 and Powers 12 are preferred for me.

[MyOldKyDram]

I love the Green Spot for what it is. But what it is can't begin to compare to the PJL, that's for sure.

[Old Dusty]

I love the Green Spot for what it is. But what it is can't begin to compare to the PJL, that's for sure.

Another vote for Powers John's Lane and for Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

[WAINWRIGHT]

I love the Green Spot for what it is. But what it is can't begin to compare to the PJL, that's for sure.

Another vote for Powers John's Lane and for Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Might as well make it three,PJL is wonderful stuff indeed! Edited March 2, 2014 by WAINWRIGHT

[Max Power]

I guess it's at least close enough in price $62 to $50 that PJL can be in the conversation. PJL is exceptional. Has anyone yet tried the Power's Signature?

[AaronWF]

Another vote for Powers John's Lane and for Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Yeah! Ruth Ch-... Huh? I'm sorry, I age and grill my own steak exclusively from cows that I raise from birth to slaughter on my land that I slash and burn in WY, so something like RC just rubs me the wrong way.

I just opened my second RB12CS from the first US batch and it was a bit off the profile I expected. Need more research!

[WAINWRIGHT]

I guess it's at least close enough in price $62 to $50 that PJL can be in the conversation. PJL is exceptional. Has anyone yet tried the Power's Signature?

I was kind of wondering the same myself,the PJL is so good I just bypass the Signature even with the price variance between the two.

[Max Power]

Yeah! Ruth Ch-... Huh? I'm sorry, I age and grill my own steak exclusively from cows that I raise from birth to slaughter on my land that I slash and burn in WY, so something like RC just rubs me the wrong way.

I just opened my second RB12CS from the first US batch and it was a bit off the profile I expected. Need more research!

I've found that it's best if it's not the first pour of the night. Once the palate is a bit numb, the heat isn't as overpowering and the flavor is able to shine more.

[Old Dusty]

I was kind of wondering the same myself,the PJL is so good I just bypass the Signature even with the price variance between the two.

There is no rhyme or reason on the pricing around here. The PJL and the Signature are in a virtual dead heat on price in most places and I don't get it at all. Certainly won't be buying the Sig.

[Old Dusty]

Yeah! Ruth Ch-... Huh? I'm sorry, something like RC just rubs me the wrong way

That was a weak attempt at a funny on the odd phrasing of the PJL name. I'm no fan of Ruth's. It's fine , but I'm a St. Elmo's guy. Root for the home team!

[WAINWRIGHT]

That is really odd PJL is $55-60 here and the Sig is $39-42 maybe and I still pass it over.

[Max Power]

There is no rhyme or reason on the pricing around here. The PJL and the Signature are in a virtual dead heat on price in most places and I don't get it at all. Certainly won't be buying the Sig.

I guess I buy from Hi Time where it was $62 vs. $43. I figured that was standard since Powers isn't too plentiful in the Twin Cities overall.

[jeffrey r]

Thanks for the heads-up on Green Spot. Saved me $50 on something I don't need, as it just came in stock by me.

I like many of the basic blends like TD, Kilbeggan, Powers, etc. But lately, when I go for Irish, most of those have been sitting idle in favor of the PJL, TD Phoenix, and RB CS.

Sent from my KF using Tapatalk 2

[Richnimrod]

Never had PJL, but have had just a few Irish whiskys. I like Bushmills (the preferred drink of my grandfather, maybe that's why). It's a nice easy dram, with a very smooth character. I also like Tullamore Dew pretty well. It's a bit sweeter (which I don't mind) than most of the (admittedly few) other Irish offerings I've had. TD is also pretty smooth compared to most Bourbons. The only Irish I've had that I didn't care for at all, was a bottle of The Tyrconnel (sorry if I misspelled that) brought back by my sis, from a visit to the Old Sod. I found that closer to some sort of kerosene or fuel oil than a dram for drinking. Very odd flavor as well as aroma.

[VT Mike]

Don't forget the Powers Gold Label. They relaunched it back in December, raising the abv from 40% to 43.2% and they did away with the chill filtration. The old stuff was good, but the new stuff is even better. They did bump the price up a little, from $20 to $25, but I think it's worth it. I wrote a a blog post comparing the two recently.

http://thewhiskeyroom.blogspot.com/2014/01/powers-gold-label.html

[whiskeyagonzo]

Another vote for PJL from me. I've got a bottle that is just itching to be opened. I'm forcing myself to wait til the 17th to open it. :-)

[tanstaafl2]

I have tried the PJL and Signature Release SBS and there is clearly a strong family resemblance to me. If it is $15-20 cheaper, which is usually the case around here, and you are looking to save a few bucks it is well worth it to me. That said I don't turn to the Signature routinely as I like the PJL so well and recently found several bottles priced at what looked like Signature price. I asked but they said it was correct and I elected not to argue! I like the Signature better than Green Spot which should be priced at the Signature level but is usually at least $10 more locally. I will be curious to see what the Yellow Spot costs, if and when it gets to the US. In the meantime I continue to nurse the one bottle I have. I go back and forth between it and PJL but I think the PJL is still my favorite between the two. The RB CS is also a strong contender against those other two 12yo heavy hitters.

[VT Mike]

It's been a few years since I've had any Tullamore Dew, but I do remember really liking the 12 year and being kind of indifferent toward the nas bottling. I haven't tried the 10 year.

[Dolph Lundgren]

I did the JPL side-by-side with the Knappogue 17yr last St. Pats day. Knappogue by a mile...

[jeffrey r]

It's been a few years since I've had any Tullamore Dew, but I do remember really liking the 12 year and being kind of indifferent toward the nas bottling. I haven't tried the 10 year.

The latest that I have surmised about TD's line, is that they have discontinued their 10 year blend, while retaining the basic blend, 10 year single malt, and the 12 year blend. Phoenix being a limited edition.

When I noticed the 10 year blend disappearing, I picked up the last couple that I saw just to have around. There really isn't much difference between the 10 year blend and the 12 year blend, which I suspect is why they discontinued the 10 year. Neither of them will knock your socks off, but I find them both enjoyable. I am not a huge SM fan, so I haven't tried that TD bottling.

[VT Mike]

The latest that I have surmised about TD's line, is that they have discontinued their 10 year blend, while retaining the basic blend, 10 year single malt, and the 12 year blend. Phoenix being a limited edition.

When I noticed the 10 year blend disappearing, I picked up the last couple that I saw just to have around. There really isn't much difference between the 10 year blend and the 12 year blend, which I suspect is why they discontinued the 10 year. Neither of them will knock your socks off, but I find them both enjoyable. I am not a huge SM fan, so I haven't tried that TD bottling.

[tanstaafl2]

I didn't even realize that TD made a single malt. I've heard of the Phoenix but don't really know anything about it. What's the premise behind that one?

[Wall Eye]

I've not done many Irish whiskies but picked up a Bushmills Black Bush last year. I wasn't overly impressed with it at first - too sweet and a bit tame at 40% - but it seems to have improved with some open bottle time. It seems to now be better balanced and not as sweet. I enjoy it as a change of pace - and the price is pretty easy to live with as well.