Irish Whiskey Recommendations in 2022?

[PhantomLamb]

So I’ve scoured the forum for older threads and it seems like Bushmills, RB, TD, and Powers are the front runners.

 

Anything else I should keep my eye out for? I’ve had Kilbeggan (spelling) and really like it. 
 

I don’t mind if it’s a little peaty or if it needs some water to open up.

 

Appreciate the help.

 

Thanks,

[Harry in WashDC]

I am not a Bushmills fan - too oily a mouthfeel.  I am not a Jameson's fan - too two dimensional for me.  BUT!! When the upstart Cooley Distillery (now owned by Beam Suntory) started up circa 1987, I dabbled.  Early Cooley (pre-Beam) releases included John L. Sullivan blended, a Michael Collins blended, and a Michael Collins Single Malt - all are now collectors' items, and my Michael Collins SiM only comes out when my favorite brother-in-law visits - 2 OZ each and we sip silently.  AAAAAAHHHHH!

 

BUT!! They encouraged me to try Irish in spite of my disdain for Bushmills basic et al.

 

An SBer of some note (AKA SQUIRE!) mentioned the Bushmills 10 year Single Malt.  Because he loves OGD BIB and so do I, I tried it .  NIRVANA!!  A half bottle down, I figured I better go to bed.  EXCELLENT.

 

John Teeling and family left Cooley after the merger/acquisition by Beam.  John moved on to the great Northern Distillery in Dundalk, Ireland (not to be confused with the shipping container area of Baltimore, MD, harbor of the same name), while his sons, Jack and Stephen started Teelings.  Using distillate of the old Cooley Distillery under the sales agreement, all three of these guys sold "product".

 

Kilbeggan (distilled at a distillery bought by Cooley in 1987) and Tyrconnel and Connemara are all  Teeling products.  They've released some super in my opinion whiskeys finished in wine and bourbon barrels.

 

For "daily" drinking, anything with "Writer's Tears" on the label is a winner.  Writer's Tears is a Midleton product.  I'm not familiar with their other offerings.  Once I "found" the Teeling stuff and Bushmills 10, I stopped searching - these satisfy my JONES for Irish.  PLUS!  Most Irish-themed bars have reasonably priced shots of various Irish whiskey offerings available, so my advice is - KEEP A PAD OF PAPER ON THE BAR AND MAKE NOTES!  WHEN YOU CAN NO LONGER WRITE OR READ WHAT YOU WROTE OR DON'T CARE ABOUT READING AND WRITING, STOP and come back to the project on another day.

 

 

Gotta .ea 

[PhantomLamb]

On 8/21/2022 at 4:31 PM, Harry in WashDC said:

I am not a Bushmills fan - too oily a mouthfeel.  I am not a Jameson's fan - too two dimensional for me.  BUT!! When the upstart Cooley Distillery (now owned by Beam Suntory) started up circa 1987, I dabbled.  Early Cooley (pre-Beam) releases included John L. Sullivan blended, a Michael Collins blended, and a Michael Collins Single Malt - all are now collectors' items, and my Michael Collins SiM only comes out when my favorite brother-in-law visits - 2 OZ each and we sip silently.  AAAAAAHHHHH!

 

BUT!! They encouraged me to try Irish in spite of my disdain for Bushmills basic et al.

 

An SBer of some note (AKA SQUIRE!) mentioned the Bushmills 10 year Single Malt.  Because he loves OGD BIB and so do I, I tried it .  NIRVANA!!  A half bottle down, I figured I better go to bed.  EXCELLENT.

 

John Teeling and family left Cooley after the merger/acquisition by Beam.  John moved on to the great Northern Distillery in Dundalk, Ireland (not to be confused with the shipping container area of Baltimore, MD, harbor of the same name), while his sons, Jack and Stephen started Teelings.  Using distillate of the old Cooley Distillery under the sales agreement, all three of these guys sold "product".

 

Kilbeggan (distilled at a distillery bought by Cooley in 1987) and Tyrconnel and Connemara are all  Teeling products.  They've released some super in my opinion whiskeys finished in wine and bourbon barrels.

 

For "daily" drinking, anything with "Writer's Tears" on the label is a winner.  Writer's Tears is a Midleton product.  I'm not familiar with their other offerings.  Once I "found" the Teeling stuff and Bushmills 10, I stopped searching - these satisfy my JONES for Irish.  PLUS!  Most Irish-themed bars have reasonably priced shots of various Irish whiskey offerings available, so my advice is - KEEP A PAD OF PAPER ON THE BAR AND MAKE NOTES!  WHEN YOU CAN NO LONGER WRITE OR READ WHAT YOU WROTE OR DON'T CARE ABOUT READING AND WRITING, STOP and come back to the project on another day.

 

 

Gotta .ea 

Thanks Harry!  Agreed on Writer's Tears as well as the various "Spot" options.  Problem is we don't have really good Irish bars in Pittsburgh, but will keep looking.

 

Any other suggestions are welcome.

 

Cheers

[LCWoody]

Im sure read about it already, but the Redbreast 12y Cask Strength is really good and holds its own with ice.

[smokinjoe]

2 hours ago, LCWoody said:

Im sure read about it already, but the Redbreast 12y Cask Strength is really good and holds its own with ice.

[PhantomLamb]

19 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

Agreed, RB had been a favorite for a long time. Looking to expand my horizons if/when possible.

[lcpfratn]

For a good everyday drinker give Slane a try. 

[Harry in WashDC]

12 hours ago, lcpfratn said:

For a good everyday drinker give Slane a try. 

Thx for the nudge.  Recently did and am glad I did.

 

AND!  No wonder I liked it.  It is sold in the US via a partnership with Brown Forman.  According to old online reviews, the family that owns Slane Castle in County Meath about a half hour from Dublin decided circa 2015 to get into the whiskey business.  They sourced and blended whiskey from the Cooley Distillery and released their first in 2017.  As an earlier post of mine in this thread noted,  I like Cooley products and their progeny.  B-F partnered with the family and built a distillery on premises.  They used to blend their releases from Cooley and then from un-named sources, but enough time as gone by the=at the current releases MAY be their own make - at least three years old under Irish law to be caled "whiskey".  They get cooperage and used barrels for finishing from B-F.

[Special Reserve]

Redbreast Cast Strength is a powerhouse pour, it packs a bunch.

 

[flahute]

11 hours ago, Special Reserve said:

Redbreast Cast Strength is a powerhouse pour, it packs a bunch.

 

Such a great whiskey.

[PhantomLamb]

Appreciate all the suggestions so far guys! Got to find some super cheap tullamore dew down here in Colombia. 

[Kepler]

I'm digging the Redbreast Kentucky Oak edition tonight.  At first I wasn't blown away but I find myself wanting to go back again to it more and more.  Decided to pickup a backup bottle.

[Anwalt]

On 9/11/2022 at 10:24 PM, PhantomLamb said:

Appreciate all the suggestions so far guys! Got to find some super cheap tullamore dew down here in Colombia. 

 

Somebody just gave me the Tullamore Dew Crock.  Haven't tried it yet.  Any thoughts?

[flahute]

17 hours ago, Anwalt said:

 

Somebody just gave me the Tullamore Dew Crock.  Haven't tried it yet.  Any thoughts?

All I know is that every man deserves his Dew.

[Anwalt]

9 hours ago, flahute said:

All I know is that every man deserves his Dew.

 

Alrighty then, Johnny Carson.  Or would Ed have made that comment?

[flahute]

1 hour ago, Anwalt said:

 

Alrighty then, Johnny Carson.  Or would Ed have made that comment?

Ha! That is actually old ad copy from back in the day.

[Anwalt]

27 minutes ago, flahute said:

Ha! That is actually old ad copy from back in the day.

 

Ah.  Madison Avenue.  Didn't remember that one.

[kcgumbohead]

On 9/10/2022 at 11:07 AM, Harry in WashDC said:

Thx for the nudge.  Recently did and am glad I did.

 

AND!  No wonder I liked it.  It is sold in the US via a partnership with Brown Forman.  According to old online reviews, the family that owns Slane Castle in County Meath about a half hour from Dublin decided circa 2015 to get into the whiskey business.  They sourced and blended whiskey from the Cooley Distillery and released their first in 2017.  As an earlier post of mine in this thread noted,  I like Cooley products and their progeny.  B-F partnered with the family and built a distillery on premises.  They used to blend their releases from Cooley and then from un-named sources, but enough time as gone by the=at the current releases MAY be their own make - at least three years old under Irish law to be caled "whiskey".  They get cooperage and used barrels for finishing from B-F.

I too wasn’t a big fan of Irish whiskey much to my dismay as my ancestors are Irish, I have visited and totally fell in love with the country and have read several books on Irish history, but the whiskey…that eluded me.

 

Cooley changed the game as I was also a big fan of the Michael Collins release but was lost again when it disappeared. I have since sampled and enjoy the Teeling varieties and it is by far my preferred Irish distillery though I think that Kilbeggan pot still is actual Kilbeggan distillate and I find it VERY good , I also enjoy the Powers Johns Lane from Middleton.

 

It seems I may be coming around to the Irish style afteall LOL!! Slainte 

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by kcgumbohead

[Anwalt]

Opened up the Red Spot. I like.  Marvelous body & finish, light nose that does not betray what is to come.

[Anwalt]

Any opinions on the Blue Spot?  I may order some direct from the distillery; a few friends are tentatively onboard to get the per-bottle shipping price down.  I am very much enjoying the other Spots.  A Redbreast CS is on the way, I look forward to trying it.

[BigRich]

2 hours ago, Anwalt said:

Any opinions on the Blue Spot?  I may order some direct from the distillery; a few friends are tentatively onboard to get the per-bottle shipping price down.  I am very much enjoying the other Spots.  A Redbreast CS is on the way, I look forward to trying it.

I really enjoyed it but found it to be a little overpriced from my perspective.  But to each their own. 

[Anwalt]

Today's 4 pm 2 oz.

 

I know less about Irish whiskey than I do about bourbon.  Which is saying something.  Friends recommended the Spots.  I like them so far.  Could be that some of the other whiskies mentioned above are a better value.  Time will tell.  Mitchell & Sons are good marketers, that much is certain.

 

With reference to the Blue:  Shipped, assuming 12+ bottles (not just for me, others are involved), it'd run $112 each.  Probably the closest comparison is Redbreast CS at $90/bottle.  12y instead of 7y, and cheaper.  Will have to compare once the RBCS arrives in PR.

 

Other comparable bottles that are mentioned would be cheerfully added to the list.  And yes, I read the above and a good deal more besides.  The archives here are quite useful.

[jnewberg]

Clonakilty just came out with a Cigar Batch at cask strength and it is delicious... At $60 it is such a great value.

[Special Reserve]

On 12/6/2022 at 11:07 AM, Anwalt said:

Any opinions on the Blue Spot?  I may order some direct from the distillery; a few friends are tentatively onboard to get the per-bottle shipping price down.  I am very much enjoying the other Spots.  A Redbreast CS is on the way, I look forward to trying it.

Redbreast CS is a powerhouse neat pour. Certainly one I like to keep on hand.

[gurgalunas]

I've tried a lot of Irish.  My favorites are Limavady and Knappogue Castle.  I like various versions of Redbreast, Teeling, Spots, Writers Tears, Clonakilty, Powers too.  While I've traditionally been a bourbon guy, Irish whiskey has become a rabbit hole for me.  Beware!