Martian Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 I noticed the New York Times rated Bushmill's 10 yr. as the Best Irish whisky. They also rated Black Bush as the Best blend. I guess I'll have to try them both. I have only tasted the regular white lablel and the 16 yr. I loved the 16 yr. Of course, a $65 whisky should be very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILLfarmboy Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Better than Redbreast 12 ? I guess as they say YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVB Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I have to go with Green Spot if I want some Irish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tango-papa Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 ...the New York Times... :27: ...and that's all I have to say about that. ~tp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tango-papa Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I have to go with Green Spot if I want some Irish.Might you know of and/or have a source where one (specifically, me) can purchase a bottle or 6 of Green Spot here in the US?Might you have a bottle or 3 to trade for something you're specifically interested in?Do tell... please. :cool: ~tp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tango-papa Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Better than Redbreast 12 ? I guess as they say YMMV.I agree! Red Breast is superb!~tp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 It is interesting that I did not see Green Spot at duty free at the Dublin Airport. I saw several other Irish brands that I had never heard of, but not Green Spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brockagh Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Might you know of and/or have a source where one (specifically, me) can purchase a bottle or 6 of Green Spot here in the US?Might you have a bottle or 3 to trade for something you're specifically interested in?Do tell... please. :cool: ~tpIt's made for a specific shop in Dublin (which now sells it to other shops) and is produced in very limited quantities. You can get it in the odd place overseas, but it is very difficult. It has also just gone up in price to about €40.You can get it at www.celticwhiskeyshop.com. I don't think you pay the duty if you're buying from America. You may have to pay duty in the US, but I don't think this has happened to any of their customers yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brockagh Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Bear with me on this one for a minute. It might take some time but I'll get to the point--eventually.I've been enjoying SMSW for about a year now. Honestly, it's about the only whisky I really enjoy. However, I sometimes get put off by some of the so-called snobs that demand you must drink it this or that and you can never touch a blend. So I went looking for something that had less mass appeal and, in turn, less self-proclaimed experts. I found Jameson Irish Whiskey.Although it was cheaper, it was still delightful. Something I could casually sip and enjoy while in a lighter state of mind. I had decided that Irish whiskey would be my pinch hitter for single malt scotch. Firm in my decision, I set out armed with my prior experiences with scotch whisky and attempted to apply that knowledge with Irish whiskey. Believing that a single malt was most generally of better quality than a blend, I purchased Bushmills 10 YO--mostlty because of the middle range price. I was greatly disappointed. Instead of the light vanilla and soft buttery finish I was expecting, I was greeted with wood and hazlenut. The mouthfeel was akin to biting into a tree that was wrapped in carpet. Which got me to thinking.Canadian and Irish whiskies are predominantly blends (Yeah so are scotches but you can make that point later). In fact, some of the most highly regarded Irish whiskies are blended--Redbreast anyone? Bourbons are blended and even straight bourbons are distilled from a variety of grains. So my question is this: Does the single malt rule only apply to scotch while most other whiskies lend themselves quite readily to blending? Or is it that there is just a dearth of quality samples of other single malt whiskies that are readily available?Before answering, I am aware that some fine examples of single malts do exist for Irish and Canadian whiskies. But the question more regards the quality of blends of other whiskies as opposed to scotch.Okay, thanks for patronizing me:rolleyes:Irish blends are usually made from whiskey from the same distillery. And very few whiskeys go into them. For example, the Blackbush contains two whiskeys, a malt (about 70 to 80%) and a grain. Scottish blends use lots and lots of different whisky from different distilleries. Also, Irish distillers are more particular about the wood they use for their blended whiskey. Some Scottish blenders use whiskey from third, fourth fill casks. And, finally, pure pot still lends itself very well to blending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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