Irish Whiskey

alienmisprint

I always looked for a fine liquor that I could enjoy drinking neat. I never had a taste for bourbon or other American whiskey, even Gentleman Jack or Single Barrel. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a Jack and coke, but the taste of bourbon straight just doesn't appeal to me. I made the next logical step and went with Scotch. Now, I haven't tried a great many Scotches, but I never found one that I really enjoyed straight up. I do love mixing Johnny Walker Black; Johnny Black and coke is tied for my favorite mixed drink. Tried Johnny Red (what a horrid liquor that is), Black, Green, and Gold. Tried Chivas 12 year and 18 year. Tried Ardbeg. Tried a few other Scotches that I can't remember the name of. I never tried anything really high end like Macallan 25 Year, but I just didn't find the flavor profile of any Scotches that I did imbibe to be appealing, at least not sans mixer.

I moved into vodkas. And while Chopin, Belvedere, and Grey Goose are undoubtably smooth and easy to shoot, they are not something I would enjoy slowly sipping over ice. From there I tried out several rums. After a few different bottles, I found Captain Morgan Private Stock. Finally! A liquor I can just pour into a glass and enjoy with a cigar, and a not very expensive one at that. On a side note, it also makes an excellent additive to cola, it is tied with Johnny Black and Coke as my favorite mixed drink. Also of note here, I have yet to try Zaya, but I have heard it is a great straight-up rum.

As much as I do enjoy the Captain's Private Stock, it has a very sweet, distinct taste that I find I am not always in the mood for. I felt a little disappointed, and thought that perhaps I was just destined to never have that special booze that just did it for me. I never even gave Irish whiskey a second thought because in my mind I only really thought of Jameson. A fine shooter, but hardly something you would pour into a rocks glass and savor.

Well, while I was in Korea, I discovered Bushmills. A bar my friend dragged me to had no Jameson in stock, and it was frikkin Saint Patrick's Day! The shame! The blasphemy! They did, however, have Bushmills. I found that it was an even smoother shooter than Jamesons, and it quickly became my preferred liquor to consume in quantity at an accelerated speed. Fast forward about a year. I went to a golf course with my friends. At the bar, I immediately asked for a shot of Bushmill's and a Johnny Black and Coke. They informed me, much to my dismay, that they do not carry Bushmills. Fine, give me a shot of Jameson. That, also, was not stocked in this particular bar. As a matter of fact, they had no Irish whiskey in stock at all. As I berated them for their poor selection of fine alcohols, a friendly bar patron took notice of my interest in Irish whiskey. He asked if I had ever tried Tullamore Dew, to which I replied that I had not. He insisted it was one of the finest alcohols one could purchase for under $60 and that it, in fact, was closer to the $20 mark. Of course I had to try it, so after leaving the golf course, we stopped at the local spirits dispensary and acquired a bottle of what I was soon to find out was liquid gold.

Oh holy day! I finally found it! My golden fleece, my holy grail, my much-searched for glass of sunshine! I finally found that liquor that I can pour into a glass and truly savor. This revelation has set me down a path of discovery. I tried Greenore before I left to come here, and didn't really care for it. Come to find out, Greenore is roughly the equivalent of Irish bourbon, so it stands to reason that I wouldn't find it appealing. Since I have been here, I have been looking into reviews and internet meanderings, and have decided that I would very much like to try Midleton's Very Rare and Redbreast 12 Year. I recently ordered a bottle of Very Rare and a limited release Tullamore Dew, Tullamore Dew Phoenix. I plan on picking up a bottle of Redbreast when I get home, as well.

So, is there anyone else here who have found themselves enamored of Irish whiskey? Any other brand recommendations? I recall seeing a few suggestions to try the other Bushmills varients, and I do plan to at some point. I'm also open to trying other rums, as I said I haven't tried Zaya yet.

macs-smokes

Whiskey ... American or Irish is on hand at all times. I prefer burboun for sipping. Blended is smooth and sipped as well.

Now I am not a hard to find / special reserve kind of guy. Some of the small batch is phenomenonal.

YankeeMan

I used to do the Jameson in Irish Coffee, but never cared for it neat. I used to play snare drum in a police bagpipe band. We went over to Ireland to play the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin a couple of times.

While there, I discovered two things, number one: you CAN put Bailey's on cornflakes in the morning and number two: Tullamore Dew. Now that is sipping stuff! At the time, you could not get it in the U.S., so I bought a couple of bottles at the Duty Free shop to bring back.

Now you can buy it here and I think you can even buy the crock, which looks cool on a bar or in glass liquor cabinet. It is indeed good stuff!

gripnrip

alienmisprint:

I always looked for a fine liquor that I could enjoy drinking neat. I never had a taste for bourbon or other American whiskey, even Gentleman Jack or Single Barrel. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a Jack and coke, but the taste of bourbon straight just doesn't appeal to me. I made the next logical step and went with Scotch. Now, I haven't tried a great many Scotches, but I never found one that I really enjoyed straight up. I do love mixing Johnny Walker Black; Johnny Black and coke is tied for my favorite mixed drink. Tried Johnny Red (what a horrid liquor that is), Black, Green, and Gold. Tried Chivas 12 year and 18 year. Tried Ardbeg. Tried a few other Scotches that I can't remember the name of. I never tried anything really high end like Macallan 25 Year, but I just didn't find the flavor profile of any Scotches that I did imbibe to be appealing, at least not sans mixer.

I moved into vodkas. And while Chopin, Belvedere, and Grey Goose are undoubtably smooth and easy to shoot, they are not something I would enjoy slowly sipping over ice. From there I tried out several rums. After a few different bottles, I found Captain Morgan Private Stock. Finally! A liquor I can just pour into a glass and enjoy with a cigar, and a not very expensive one at that. On a side note, it also makes an excellent additive to cola, it is tied with Johnny Black and Coke as my favorite mixed drink. Also of note here, I have yet to try Zaya, but I have heard it is a great straight-up rum.

As much as I do enjoy the Captain's Private Stock, it has a very sweet, distinct taste that I find I am not always in the mood for. I felt a little disappointed, and thought that perhaps I was just destined to never have that special booze that just did it for me. I never even gave Irish whiskey a second thought because in my mind I only really thought of Jameson. A fine shooter, but hardly something you would pour into a rocks glass and savor.

Well, while I was in Korea, I discovered Bushmills. A bar my friend dragged me to had no Jameson in stock, and it was frikkin Saint Patrick's Day! The shame! The blasphemy! They did, however, have Bushmills. I found that it was an even smoother shooter than Jamesons, and it quickly became my preferred liquor to consume in quantity at an accelerated speed. Fast forward about a year. I went to a golf course with my friends. At the bar, I immediately asked for a shot of Bushmill's and a Johnny Black and Coke. They informed me, much to my dismay, that they do not carry Bushmills. Fine, give me a shot of Jameson. That, also, was not stocked in this particular bar. As a matter of fact, they had no Irish whiskey in stock at all. As I berated them for their poor selection of fine alcohols, a friendly bar patron took notice of my interest in Irish whiskey. He asked if I had ever tried Tullamore Dew, to which I replied that I had not. He insisted it was one of the finest alcohols one could purchase for under $60 and that it, in fact, was closer to the $20 mark. Of course I had to try it, so after leaving the golf course, we stopped at the local spirits dispensary and acquired a bottle of what I was soon to find out was liquid gold.

Oh holy day! I finally found it! My golden fleece, my holy grail, my much-searched for glass of sunshine! I finally found that liquor that I can pour into a glass and truly savor. This revelation has set me down a path of discovery. I tried Greenore before I left to come here, and didn't really care for it. Come to find out, Greenore is roughly the equivalent of Irish bourbon, so it stands to reason that I wouldn't find it appealing. Since I have been here, I have been looking into reviews and internet meanderings, and have decided that I would very much like to try Midleton's Very Rare and Redbreast 12 Year. I recently ordered a bottle of Very Rare and a limited release Tullamore Dew, Tullamore Dew Phoenix. I plan on picking up a bottle of Redbreast when I get home, as well.

So, is there anyone else here who have found themselves enamored of Irish whiskey? Any other brand recommendations? I recall seeing a few suggestions to try the other Bushmills varients, and I do plan to at some point. I'm also open to trying other rums, as I said I haven't tried Zaya yet.

Rums I would recommend: Higher end-Ron Zacapa 23 year. Mid/low price range-Pyrat. If you can find it, you might try Sam Houston whisky. It is a bit more bourbon-like than most whisky's, but you might like it.

alienmisprint

YankeeMan:

Now you can buy it here and I think you can even buy the crock, which looks cool on a bar or in glass liquor cabinet. It is indeed good stuff!

Yeah, the first bottle I bought was the crock, wicked cool little bottle. Fantastic stuff too, I can't wait to try the Phoenix.

gripnrip:

Rums I would recommend: Higher end-Ron Zacapa 23 year. Mid/low price range-Pyrat. If you can find it, you might try Sam Houston whisky. It is a bit more bourbon-like than most whisky's, but you might like it.

I will definitely try the Ron Zacapa. I have heard Pyrat is good, too. Is it a good neat drink, or is it more of a mixer?

jd50ae

My mother's maiden name was powers and her family use to own Powers distillery. It was a long time before the whiskey actually showed up in the local ABC stores.

pelirrojo

Ooooh the three swallows!

jd50ae

pelirrojo:

Ooooh the three swallows!

Use to serve it to to scotch drinkers and they all thought it was such a good smooth scotch.

Had a bunch of 3 swallow bar paraphernalia from a bar in the old country but its all gone. sigh....

dennisking

I'm more of a single malt Scotch drinker but I really like Tullamore Dew. We usually buy a bottle on every holiday that involves family getting together and being cooped up in the house together. We stash the bottle in the garage or shop and just visit it every once in a while. Do the Dew!!

bandyt09

A good Irish Whiskey is Knappogue Castle 12 year old.

As far as rum goes you may want to try
Zaya
Zacapa
Montecristo 12
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

gripnrip

alienmisprint:

YankeeMan:

Now you can buy it here and I think you can even buy the crock, which looks cool on a bar or in glass liquor cabinet. It is indeed good stuff!

Yeah, the first bottle I bought was the crock, wicked cool little bottle. Fantastic stuff too, I can't wait to try the Phoenix.

gripnrip:

Rums I would recommend: Higher end-Ron Zacapa 23 year. Mid/low price range-Pyrat. If you can find it, you might try Sam Houston whisky. It is a bit more bourbon-like than most whisky's, but you might like it.

I will definitely try the Ron Zacapa. I have heard Pyrat is good, too. Is it a good neat drink, or is it more of a mixer?

I will drink both with some ice, straight tho. I will squeeze a lime wedge in the Pyrat from time to time as it is somewhat sweet. Although good year round, I usually drink the Pyrat more in the summer-very refreshing when it's hot outside. The Zacapa 23 is so good it doesn't need anything-usually drink neat....adding some ice changes up the flavor in an interesting way IMO.

alienmisprint

jd50ae:

My mother's maiden name was powers and her family use to own Powers distillery. It was a long time before the whiskey actually showed up in the local ABC stores.

Added.....

bandyt09:

A good Irish Whiskey is Knappogue Castle 12 year old.

As far as rum goes you may want to try
Zaya
Zacapa
Montecristo 12
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

...and added.

Thanks for all the recommendations guys, I appreciate it!

Puff_Dougie

dennisking:

I'm more of a single malt Scotch drinker but I really like Tullamore Dew. We usually buy a bottle on every holiday that involves family getting together and being cooped up in the house together. We stash the bottle in the garage or shop and just visit it every once in a while. Do the Dew!!

^^^^^ That's awesome! ^^^^^

Gonna have to try that for the next family gathering! Brilliant!!

Rob1110

Just one thing before I make any suggestions: Jack Daniel's is not Bourbon. It's a Tennessee Sour Mash and I believe they re-use their barrels, which means they cannot call it Bourbon by law. It's a common misconception but Jack isn't Bourbon and no, it has NOTHING to do with where it's produced. That's another common misconception. You can, in fact produce Bourbon anywhere in the United States. It's not just limited to Kentucky.

That being said, I'll second Knappogue Castle as a wonderful Irish Whiskey and has often been called "the Scotch drinker's Irish Whiskey." I also have been impressed by RedBreast and Powers offerings and have heard great things about Tyrconnell.

As for Rum, I'll back Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario, Ron Zacapa XO for a more complex, yet drier sipping Rum, Plantation 20th, Zaya, El Dorado 15, again for a slightly drier, more grassy profile, El Dorado 12 for a sweeter, more typical Rum profile, Ron Abuelo 30 for an amazing sipping experience that might rival Zacapa XO and if you can find it, Dos Maderas 5+5 is absolutely stellar and drinks very much like an old Sherry.

Jetmech_63

Midelton is hands down amazing and my second favorite. The first being Bushmills 16. Aged in 3 woods, sherry, madiera and finished in port barrels. Very balanced, complex and delicious. If you dont want to spend the 65 or so bucks for it Bushmills black bush runs a very close second. Jameson 1780 is also very good (the trend here is i like sherry aged irish whiskeys). Recently a few new ones have come out i want to try. Google celtic whiskey shop and have your mind blown by how many arent sold in the US

Lee.mcglynn

I do like the tullamore but as for sipping the Jameson 12yr is pretty good...as for bourbon there is one if you can find it called Jeffersons, it's one of the smoothest and tastiest ones I've had for the price range. For vodka well stoli elite is very hard too beat!! But today for me it's a nice cheap bottle of makers

PAtoNH

I like the sweetness of Bushmills Black Bush with a cigar. My brother in law is a real Irish Whiskey fan but I can never seem to remember what we drank the night before… go figure. Generally, I prefer American Bourbon, single barrel when I can afford it.

perkinke

A friend said that the Feckin' Irish Whiskey is pretty good, I haven't tried it yet though. As has been said a couple times, the Bushmills 16 yr is my favorite booze all around. I think I have three or four different bushmills varieties but the 16....matter of fact, I do believe it is calling me.

alienmisprint

Rob1110:

Just one thing before I make any suggestions: Jack Daniel's is not Bourbon. It's a Tennessee Sour Mash and I believe they re-use their barrels, which means they cannot call it Bourbon by law. It's a common misconception but Jack isn't Bourbon and no, it has NOTHING to do with where it's produced. That's another common misconception. You can, in fact produce Bourbon anywhere in the United States. It's not just limited to Kentucky.

That being said, I'll second Knappogue Castle as a wonderful Irish Whiskey and has often been called "the Scotch drinker's Irish Whiskey." I also have been impressed by RedBreast and Powers offerings and have heard great things about Tyrconnell.

As for Rum, I'll back Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario, Ron Zacapa XO for a more complex, yet drier sipping Rum, Plantation 20th, Zaya, El Dorado 15, again for a slightly drier, more grassy profile, El Dorado 12 for a sweeter, more typical Rum profile, Ron Abuelo 30 for an amazing sipping experience that might rival Zacapa XO and if you can find it, Dos Maderas 5+5 is absolutely stellar and drinks very much like an old Sherry.

Actually, Jack Daniels meets all the requirements for being classified as a bourbon, they just choose to call it Tennessee Whiskey instead. It is a bourbon, they just don't want it to be labeled as a bourbon for some reason.

I don't know if I would go for Knappogue, since I'm not a Scotch drinker, lol. I already want to try Redbreast and I will definitely give Powers a shot. I'll see if I can find Tyrconnell. El Dorado sounds like it might be up my alley, I definitely prefer sweet to dry.

After all the recommendations for the different Bushmill's varients, I'm definitely putting them on my short list.

Rob1110

From what I know of the Bourbon requirements and the Tennessee Whiskey requirements, the difference is a gray area. Jack, and other Tennessee Whiskey companies use a process called "charcoal mellowing" where the Whiskey is filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal before the aging process. This process is widely unused anywhere else. Bourbon goes from still to barrel and minimal charcoal filtering (usually with activated carbon) is performed after the aging process to prevent what is known as "chill haze."

Jetmech_63

alienmisprint:

I definitely prefer sweet to dry.

Then definatley Bushmills Black Bush or the 16 and jameson 1780. Redbreast is kind of spicy so it balances it out and from what i remember Knappouge was kind of light. I havent had it in a looong time though. Last time i had it was 2007 ish...from the bottle while doing evals lol!

alienmisprint

Jetmech_63:

alienmisprint:

I definitely prefer sweet to dry.

Then definatley Bushmills Black Bush or the 16 and jameson 1780. Redbreast is kind of spicy so it balances it out and from what i remember Knappouge was kind of light. I havent had it in a looong time though. Last time i had it was 2007 ish...from the bottle while doing evals lol!

Nice, lol. I will definitely give Black Bush a shot, my buddy from NY (his father is Irish) has been telling me about it; apparently its his go-to.

TheMisplacedScotsman

If you're looking to spend some money, give Middleton's a try. For daily drams, I usually drink Tulley, Jameson or Paddy's (nice and light for the summer). the Powers gold label is pretty decent too. For special occasions it's usually Red ***...but I did try Jameson Black Barrel last weekend and really liked it. Not sure what a bottle costs...the local IA club where i was drinking has pretty cheap booze. Do any of you guys pair a smoke with Irish? I've tried but usually find a peaty scotch or even bourbon holds up better to the med-full sticks I usually burn...

alienmisprint

If I do have an alcoholic beverage with a cigar, its normally Captain Morgan Private Stock. It is plenty bold to keep up with stronger cigars, and it has a sweet and oaky flavor that tends to pair pretty well with most of the cigars I smoke. I have had Tullamore with a cigar before, but I prefer the Captain in most cases. The Midleton Very Rare and Tullamore Dew Phoenix I ordered is sitting at the house waiting on me now, so I'll let you know how I dig those two paired with a cigar when I get home. First night back, after the kids are in bed and the wife and I have some alone time, I'm going to fire up a Pryme and have a glass of Very Rare and probably Phoenix too.