The nectar of the Gods, Irish Whiskey, is in my opinion the best liquor on shelves. Though I'm predominantly a beer drinker, I indulge in some of this spirit on occasion (ok, multiple occasions). Being St. Patty's Day, I won't bore you with the extremely complicated process of how to make green beer or other shenanigans...instead, I'll give you a list of some Irish whiskeys that I've tried and my opinion of each.
First off, Irish whiskey is made 4 ways, though the most common is blended. There are also a handful of single malt Irish whiskeys and though I have not had either, there are two types called pure pot still and single grain. Irish whiskey is similar to Scotch whisky, however, the common distinguishing factor is that Scotch uses peat to give it a smoky flavor, while Irish whiskey retains a smoother flavor. Also, Irish whiskey is distilled three times while Scotch is distilled twice.
Single Malt:
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Bushmill's 10 Year - Interestingly, this single malt is aged in American bourbon barrels for 10 years, so there's a sweetness to it. I should note that if you travel to Ireland, it's advisable NOT to order Bushmill's anywhere other than Northern Ireland. Alternatively, don't order Jameson if traveling in Northern Ireland. In other words, if entertaining an Irish guest, don't serve a Protestant Jameson and don't serve a Catholic Bushmill's. And side note: this should be obvious but in case you happen to get a bit tipsy in Ireland, keep in mind that "Irish Car Bombs" were invented in the U.S.
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Connemara - A spectacular area in Ireland, Connemara is full of beautiful mountains and lakes. However, this whiskey is made on the opposite side of the country so that's irrelevant. However, this single malt sort of breaks the boundaries between Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky because it uses peat in the process resulting in smoky smooth goodness.
Blended:-
Bushmill's Black Bush - There is Bushmill's Original (aka White Bush) and then there's this beast of a blend, in which the malt is matured in sherry-seasoned oak casks and then blended with single grain whiskey. Dark and spicy, this one lives up to its menacing name.
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Feckin' Irish Whiskey - No typo there, I'm pretty sure it would be hard to market with the "u," though I sure as hell would buy it. Just as well, feckin is a common inflection of the word in the Emerald Isle. This whiskey isn't just a funny name though; it's a nice, smooth blend at a very affordable price. As far as I know, it's made in the same distillery as Connemara (there are really only 3 main distillers in Ireland: Bushmill's, Cooley and Midleton)
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Michael Collins Blended - Michael Collins, aka "The Big Fella," is an Irish icon, revolutionary and hero. So naturally, he should be immortalized on a bottle of Irish whiskey. Yet another product of the Cooley distillery, this whiskey has a honey, sweet, citrusy taste with a backbone of oak flavor from its aging barrels. Michael Collins also comes in a single malt though I've never tried or seen it before.
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Paddy Whiskey - Of all of the whiskeys on this list, this is one that I'm fairly certain is not distributed in the U.S., most likely because it is distilled by Cork Distilleries, one of the smaller companies. I got my hands on a bottle when I was abroad in Galway. It has been deemed "one of the softest of all Irish whiskeys." As I recall, it tasted kind of like a mellow version of Jameson, which certainly is not a bad thing.
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The Knot - The reputation (or lack thereof) of this whiskey perplexes me. It's only distributed in a handful of states at the moment. It seems that it's hit or miss for people from reading up on it on various blogs. This whiskey definitely stands way out from all of the others on this list and probably all other Irish whiskeys in general. At 100 proof, it has a bit more of a kick but the taste is bursting with vanilla caramel flavor. I've read that it's popular with females, probably due to the extreme sweetness, but I'll own up to saying that I'm pretty fond of it as well. Now, this isn't really considered an "irish whiskey," and I guess whiskey purists turn their cheek to it, grouping it with Irish Mist and the like. But whatever it is, to me it just comes down to one thing: do you like it or not?
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Jameson - I saved the best for last. Jameson, to me, is at the top of the Irish Whiskey pyramid (and if anyone discovers that pyramid, give me directions). Distilled in Cork (though established and still vatted in Dublin), Jameson is actually owned by a French beverage company, but I won't hold that against them. There are a handful of Jameson varieties, though I've only tried the original and 12 yr. reserve (aka Jameson 1780). Jameson is simply the smoothest Irish whiskey I've ever had, which explains why I've had it much more than any other brand.
Happy St. Pat's everyone! Slainte!
The Washington Post had a judging panel taste beers from around the globe, grouping them into lagers, dark beers, pale ales and "freestyle." The judges made their picks and you can fill out your own bracket with a round each week. Hard to say, but I'm thinking either a freestyle or pale ale will win; I'm going with either Schneider Weisse Hefe-weizen or Chimay Red. No prizes on this one but it's all in good fun anyway.
Thomas Hooker Brewery in Hartford, CT has a small-scale bracket with all 8 of their own brews going against each other. There's no rhyme or reason to which beer will win though; the brewers will flip a coin for each match-up. However, there is a prize to the top 2 brackets: a free entry to one of the brewery's upcoming open houses. Fill out your bracket by 5:00 tomorrow, the 19th to be eligible.
Finally, DRAFT Magazine is running perhaps the most comprehensive bracket competition, choosing beers based on the actual regions of the competing NCAA schools. Because of this, I had trouble filling this bracket out because many of the beers are obscure. In fact, I've had less than 10 of the 64 competing beers. No prizes on this one either but I'm thinking Colt 45 (representing Oakland) is a lock-up.
