Irish Whiskey Suggestions

[buroak]

Winter weather steers me towards Scotch whisky and rye whiskey. Springtime stirs a hankering for good Irish whiskey. The problem these days is finding a good Irish libation. In years past I enjoyed Cooley whiskeys, which are double distilled and in my opinion offer a better drinking experience than the triple distilled whiskeys of other Irish brands. My favorite Cooley offerings were Michael Collins, Tyrconnel, and Kilbeggan (in that order). Unfortunately, Cooley whiskeys disappeared from local store shelves after Beam purchased the brand. If any of you know of other double distilled Irish whiskeys, I would be grateful for suggestions.

 

[mso489]

Oops. I thought you meant whiskey aromatic blends, of which I was going to suggest Petersons. Actual whiskey, I just resort to that old Jamesons for Irish coffee and the occasional wee dram to boost my flagging circulation.

 

[cpjeffrey11]

How much are you willing to spend?

 

[buroak]

mso489, I understand. A solicitation for whiskey aromatics would have made more sense in this venue.
cpjeffrey11, The better question in my case is "At what price point will your wife balk". I can probably get away with a $40 bottle (not much, I know). I actually have relatively little experience with pricey Irish whiskey. I was always content with Cooley spirits. Some friends and I did once go in on a bottle of Bushmills 16, but that is the fanciest I have ever tried.

 

[plateauguy]

Jameson's. If you need something that costs less, Safeway carries a blend named 75 that is smooth - I take it camping.
Keep in mind that Washington has heavy duty "sin" tax for booze and tobacco, so 75 comes to about $35 - the actual cost is under $20.

 

[buroak]

plateauguy, Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, Jameson's is one of the triple distilled whiskeys that just does not do it for me, and I live in a Safeway-free zone.

 

[shaintiques]

Clan MacGregor is a very good inexpensive Scotch. I am also a fan of Balvenie, but the MacGregor is almost as good and more than half cheaper.

 

[andypandy]

You could give Tullamore Dew a try...

 

[oldreddog]

Buroak I'm not aware of any other Irish whiskey that is double distilled, other than those you mention and Wild Geese. Wild Geese whisky is superb by the way.
Plus one on Tullamore Dew, I would also recommend Red Brest, Knappouge Castle and Green Spot.

 

[pitchfork]

At that price, you can't do better, in my opinion, than Bushmills Malt (10 year green label). The port and sherry cask Bushmills is great, too, but the green label has all those flavors you look for in Irish whiskey. Plus, I think the sherry cask aged stuff is fairly pricey.

 

[cpjeffrey11]

+1 Green spot, triple distilled but very good.

 

[pitchfork]

Double distilled? Triple distilled? I thought that was just marketing voodoo, but the green label Bushmills is far and away the best, in my opinion. I always found Tyrconnel decent, but a little flat.

 

[buroak]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try Wild Geese first, and then try the runners-up (based on number of suggestions and my own experiences) Bushmills 10, Tullamore Dew and Green Spot.
pitchfork, To my taste the triple distilled whiskeys are too "smooth" and unidimensional, at least that is how I would describe them. I liked the double distilled Cooley whiskeys better from the start. The difference may be in other factors, but the only production variation known to me is the number of distillations. I will add that my preferences may be shaped by the fact that I love Scotch best of all. The Cooley whiskey seem to have been preferred by friends who also love Scotch (admittedly a very small sample size).

 

[pitchfork]

Interesting. I had always (erroneously) thought that "triple distilled" was just how Irish whiskey was made.

 

[beastkhk]

Has anyone tried Jameson black barrel? Being a bourbon fan it has intrigued me, but I haven't met anyone that has actually tried it yet.

 

[philobeddoe]

Bushmills' BLACK BUSH is very tasty and fuller bodied. It sells in the $40.00 neighborhood in my area. I keep it around for when I'm craving Irish whisky. I tend towards heavily peated Islays as far as Scotch, and the really light Irish whiskys leave me wanting.

 

[gambit88]

Jameson is my go to Irish. Bushmills is good. Busmills 10 year is probably my second favorite Irish. My absolute favorite is Redbreast but its hard to come buy and 70 bucks in my area. They have a 12 and 15 year. In Ireland they have a 24 year. My cousin brought a bottle back. Damn near ruined wiskey for me because I knew I would never have anything as awesome again.

 

[beastkhk]

Adding Black Bush to my list, I prefer Islay for Scotch as well so sounds right up my alley.

 

[cpjeffrey11]

@gambit I've never heard of the 24 year, I do have a few bottles of 21 year though. Best stuff to grace a bottle in my opinion.

 

[gambit88]

My mistake. It was 21 year. He said it was a new release when He went to Ireland about a year ago. Might be he or I misunderstood. Either way I agree. I've never had a better whiskey.