Irish Whisky

[HawkeyeLinus]

If it's Irish it's w-h-i-s-k-e-y!

Red Breast is good.

I really like Writers' Tears.

Irish whiskey has malted barley.

 

[monty55]

I am American and love bourbon but wanted to expand on whisky. I tried some Scotch and my palette does not like malted barley. I tried Ardbeg 10 and my nose tried to remove itself from my face. I tried a low cost Irish whiskey called Kilbrin and I like the smoothness, the grain profile is good (not malty), it’s fruity, but it’s just too mild with no good flavor. Does anyone have a recommendation?

Isn't that what Jack Daniels was invented for? lol

Seriously though, I suppose you tried both single malt and blended scotches?
Canadian whiskeys
Tennessee
Texas has some good whisky's coming out of the hill country

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I am American and love bourbon but wanted to expand on whisky. I tried some Scotch and my palette does not like malted barley. I tried Ardbeg 10 and my nose tried to remove itself from my face. I tried a low cost Irish whiskey called Kilbrin and I like the smoothness, the grain profile is good (not malty), it’s fruity, but it’s just too mild with no good flavor. Does anyone have a recommendation?

Ardbeg is an Islay and smoky/"peaty" -- try a good, non-peat influenced single malt and I'd be surprised if you didn't like it just as much as an Irish pot, for example.

I'm not a peat fan, but there's a big difference between an Islay and a lot of other whisky, so don't assume single malt is all peat smoke.

 

[mso489]

Whiskey around here lasts for years, so I shouldn't vote, but of the two, I find I like Bushmill's a little better than Jameson which, like some Scotch, irritates my plumbing (if you will). Bushmill's is smoother and a little more refined, or should I say distilled.

However, I plan to sip a little bourbon for the Kentucky Derby.

 

[starrynight]

I think @Merton had the right idea, and to elaborate, Ardbeg is an expression of scotch from a particular region, and peated to a heavily degree.

To my understanding, malted barley is the go to for Irish and Scotch whiskies, so it’s not the barley that’s bothering you, but rather the peat.

If this was clarified earlier forgive me.

I’d second exploring more scotch regions other than Islay.

 

[starrynight]

Looks like ol’ Hawkeye beat me to it.

 

[bobpnm]

My favorite Irish Whiskey is Green Spot 7 year.

 

[captpat]

Bushmills Black for me, I think Red Breast is over-priced for what is.

 

[OzPiper]

I am American and love bourbon but wanted to expand on whisky. I tried some Scotch and my palette does not like malted barley. I tried Ardbeg 10 and my nose tried to remove itself from my face. I tried a low cost Irish whiskey called Kilbrin and I like the smoothness, the grain profile is good (not malty), it’s fruity, but it’s just too mild with no good flavor. Does anyone have a recommendation?

Irish whiskEy is generally triple distilled vs double distillation for Scotch which may account for their “smoother” profile.
Even though I have a largish collection of whisky, I have a preference for cognac/Armagnac and rum/rhum

Good info. Rum is usually far too sweet for me. I’ll have to try something with a little higher octane

There are LOTS of unsweetened rum/rhums
Also a large selection of barrel-strength rums available.

Look at the offerings at The Whisky Exchange (THE largest online fine liquor outlet)

 

[Old_Newby]

Isn't that what Jack Daniels was invented for? lol

Seriously though, I suppose you tried both single malt and blended scotches?
Canadian whiskeys
Tennessee
Texas has some good whisky's coming out of the hill country

Yes i like JD. I tried Balcones single malt and again the malt not a fan. I did try Chivas 12 blended and while it was good that malt flavor in background.

 

[Old_Newby]

Thanks everyone. Keep the recommendations coming. Yesterday I picked up more samples and 1 bottle of Powers Gold Label. I tried both Jameson and Powers last night. Like both of them so I am happy I have some Irish in my rotation. Jameson is like drinking refreshing light crisp pear juice, while Powers is similar but with a spicy kick. I did pick up some scotch samples to give it one more go. Speysides, not Islay.

 

[instymp]

Whiskey around here lasts for years, so I shouldn't vote, but of the two, I find I like Bushmill's a little better than Jameson which, like some Scotch, irritates my plumbing (if you will). Bushmill's is smoother and a little more refined, or should I say distilled.

However, I plan to sip a little bourbon for the Kentucky Derby.

Bushmills or Jameson here too.
Several times a week, well, most but not all nights a week.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

West Cork. It's nothing fancy, but boy is it good stuff. Disclaimer, I quit drinking over a year ago but was mainly an Irish whiskey drinker. For affordable and somewhat easy to find, West Cork and Green Spot were two of my daily drinkers.

 

[Old_Newby]

Oh my apologies to all the Irish. I meant whiskEy. Glad to see at least 2 countries can spell it correctly.. lol. So only Scotch is without the E.. got it.

 

[Old_Newby]

West Cork. It's nothing fancy, but boy is it good stuff. Disclaimer, I quit drinking over a year ago but was mainly an Irish whiskey drinker. For affordable and somewhat easy to find, West Cork and Green Spot were two of my daily drinkers.

Which WestCork? The blended white label for under $25

 

[pappymac]

I usually keep a bottle of Teeling Small Batch for when I want to sip on a good Irish.

As for scotch, it may just be the scotch you tried. There are more single malt scotch available than there are Cornell & Diehl tobacco blends. As mentioned above, there are a number of different regions where scotch is distilled and each one differs from the others. Personally, I don't like Isley scotch because of the amount of smoky peat present. I prefer a good Speyside scotch which has little to no smokiness.

I do like a good sipping rum though. Just stay away from the big brand name rums distilled in Puerto Rico. In my opinion, rums like Bacardi and Don Q are the Bud Light of rums. If you can find something like Bolivar Venezuelan Rum, Diplomatico Mantuano Rum (Venezuelan) or Zaya. Four Square produces some good rums also.

 

[Davy]

I have personally enjoyed Bushmills 10 years as well as Jameson. Jameson is always a good choice.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Oh my apologies to all the Irish. I meant whiskEy. Glad to see at least 2 countries can spell it correctly.. lol. So only Scotch is without the E.. got it.

Haha, wasn't busting your chops but it is an essential difference!

I'm partial to Balvenie (there is one, I think 14 year Caribbean Cask that I love), Old Pulteney is terrific and a good basic one is Dalmore. Mine spread from 12 year to 25 year.

I came to whisky late in life (and bottles I bought 7 years ago still have a long way to go, haha, I partake in serious moderation, more of an occasional treat) because one of my daughters got me into it before a trip to Scotland. There I made a point of getting recommendations from various bartenders and trying different things, etc., which was very educational, even took a tour at Glenmorangie. The one thing I'm still steadfast about - no peat!!!! She won't drink scotch without it, haha.

 

[carlomarx]

1.Paddy's...an Irish blend, affordable and excellent. You'll be surprised by how good it is*
2. Tryconnel... excellent single malt but expensive **
3. Knappogue Castle... excellent single malt but somewhat pricey **
4. Red Breast... well worth the price **

* My go to day to day Irish. Good for causal friends and in-laws.
** Save for occasions when you want to reward yourself or for you and your best friends when gathered around the fireplace after a day afield.

 

[gubbyduffer]

Oh my apologies to all the Irish. I meant whiskEy. Glad to see at least 2 countries can spell it correctly.. lol. So only Scotch is without the E.. got it.

Sorry to be a pedant, however the entire world spells it without an 'e', apart from USA and Ireland. Even in America there are outliers. Most notably Makers Mark spell it without an 'e'.