Copyright © 2011-2020 The Whiskey Reviewer (Black Gold Media) | A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday. This release takes the complex and potent spirit and ages it for one additional year in oloroso sherry butts. Trivia for your new friends at the St. Patrick’s day bar: “Spot” comes from the original distiller’s habit of marking casks with a spot of paint. So, there you have it! Trivia for your new friends at the St. Patrick’s day bar: D.E.W.? Consider upgrading to a Jameson 12 ($60), which is way, way more rich and complex than the standard. For the beginner, though, a good starter Irish whiskey is Bushmills Single Malt 10-Year-Old. Yet that very same surge means a plethora of new expressions have grown up in recent years, and more are coming out all the time. “I personally prefer pot still whiskeys because they have a bigger body and better coated mouthfeel,” agreed Vadenboncoeur. Here are some of the best options you can try in time for St. Patrick's Day. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, This Steakhouse-Worthy Side Dish Is Good for You, No, really. This is one of the most approachable whiskies that the distillery offers. Finished in rum casks, it is a sweet and tasty treat, and a sound example of why no one should turn up their nose to blends. The 10 Year Old is moderately priced, widely available, and represents what Ireland’s second biggest distillery is all about. In fact, some say that pot still whiskey is the way that they fell in love with Irish whiskey in the first place. The most logical choice is to go north of the border with Bushmills. Bushmills 10-year ($55) single malt is just as tasty but richer, having spent 10 years in American bourbon casks. Helemaal nieuw met whisky? E-mail: info@londonspiritscompetition.com  /  UK Phone: +44 (0) 330 097 0138 / © 2020 London Spirits Competition. Greenspot was created as an independent bottling by Mitchell & Sons, wine merchants to Dublin. Add crushed malted grain to water. Bushmills ($32) has been around in some form or another since 1608, and has earned the right to distill its whiskey in a unique way for Irish whiskey (Dave Broom’s fantastic The World Atlas of Whiskey can tell you all you need to know about the heads and pulls and feints involved), but the result is a booze that’s lighter and more delicate than a lot of Irish whiskeys. But before we embark on this journey through the Emerald Isle to find the best Irish whiskey that will hopefully not again involve the term “Emerald Isle,” we leave you with this toast, which was given in a bar in Chicago once.... May the road rise up to meet you And the Shamrock grow so… green?Hey, what’s a shamrock? And you can get started for just $20 if you opt for a brand like Clontarf, which is generally acknowledged to have the same quality as Jameson, at just a fraction of the price. The older Yellow Spot 12 Year ($105) is a lot sweeter and richer, having been aged in three different casks. The best option for Irish whiskey newbies is Redbreast 12-Year-Old. This whiskey has even won the award for best Irish Single Malt Whiskey at the 2007 World Whiskeys Awards. Light and flavorful, represents what blended Irish whiskey is about adequately enough. Those who are starting out one whiskey selection at a time should make a pot still their second choice, if not their first. Scottish. Surging Irish whiskey sales are a clear sign that many drinkers are ready to either discover Irish whiskey for the very first time, or else move beyond staples like Jameson and Bushmills White Label. Some other favorites are: Greenspot, Teeling, various Jamesons (I tasted the special Barry Crockett blend a couple times; it was superb), and Tullamore Dew Phoenix. Some "premium" whiskeys really are quite terrible, while some mass market products are good enough to pour into a decanter and serve to the Duke of Edinburgh. A natural question, though, is “Where to begin?”. Patrick’s Day. You will get the most valuable pieces of insightful content. Best of all, Bushmills is moderately priced and widely available. Trivia for your new friends at the St. Patrick’s day bar: In 1886, Powers became the first distillery in Ireland to bottle its own whiskey. Need to recover your password? Try it in an old-fashioned. in Featured, Irish Whiskey Whisky Advocate founder John Hansell named it his top buying choice in his buyer’s guide, and Whisky Bible author Jim Murray made it his top Irish whiskey of the year in 2010. The Whiskey Reviewer uses a letter-based rating system, instead of the numerical 100-grade rating system. “Irish whiskeys have the least amount of ‘alcohol burn’ compared to most other whiskeys on the market,” says Vadenboncoeur. One way to experiment with pot still whiskey is as part of a whiskey flight, in which you sample at least 3 different Irish whiskies at one time. That should be your first consideration. Wij hebben de beste 5 whisky voor jou als beginner op een rij gezet en leggen je zonder jargon precies uit wat je moet weten! That’s one major reason why Irish whiskey is so popular – there’s less alcohol burn when drinking than with other types of whiskey. With the explosion of new Irish whiskey brands, you have more options than ever—at the liquor store and your favorite American Irish bar and Father O’McPaddy’s Extremely Authentic Irish Pub (all seven locations in the quad-state area!). Three-word review: Luscious—no, decadent. The field of Irish whiskeys is as diverse as bourbon—and, arguably, Scotch. Redbreast 12 ($58) is easy to sip, not challenging on the palate in any way, yet so incredibly delicious. Image credit: Bushmills on Instagram (@BushmillsUK). Which makes it work as a shot. That can be bad (I mean, it sounds like it, but in the case of Green Spot Single Pot Still ($65), it’s delicious. With the explosion of new Irish whiskey brands, you have more options than ever. Most long-time whiskey drinkers say that pot still whiskey should be the second type of whiskey that you try, right behind a mass-market whiskey like Jameson or Clontarf. (It’s not so easy to find though—the popularity of Irish whiskey means a general shortage could soon be setting in. Powers Signature Release 12 ($47), is a great whiskey, too—rich from being aged in bourbon and sherry casks—but the original should suit your needs fine. Starting Irish Means Starting Whiskey 06/10/2020 Be it family-owned, craft distillers running micro options, to big branded spirits companies, the London Spirits Competition continues to change the lives of businesses across the world. For many Americans, Jameson was and is the very first exposure to whiskey, and in the minds of many experts Irish whiskey is the best gateway to whiskey as a whole. Try it in a Manhattan or on the rocks. Two of the best options at this price point include Clontarf and 2 Gingers. Trivia for your new friends at the St. Patrick’s day bar: Bushmills' water source (which is a big deal to whiskey nerds) is the picturesque lake right next to the main distillery building. After polling our own staff plus a mixture of whiskey sommeliers, bloggers and knowledgeable celebrities, we drew up this list of the five best introductory choices for Irish whiskey: Green Spot: By far the most popular choice of our experts was Greenspot, the Midleton single pot still that has served as the introduction for so many to pot still whiskey. This whiskey ages in barrels from an Italian winery and emerges drunk on cherries, berries, and oak—all that makes wine great, in whiskey form. “I certainly think they are the best ‘beginner whiskies’ for most people,” said Debbie Shocair, aka “The Whiskey Mistress,” a Los Angeles-based whiskey host and lecturer. Three-word review: Wonderfully, gorgeously complex. One thing to keep in mind about choosing a starter Irish whiskey, whether for yourself or for a friend, is that you might be choosing what will become an introduction to whiskey as a whole. If you have not registered for LSC yet, please click here and register first. In 2010, the Whiskey Bible named Redbreast “Top Irish Whiskey of the Year.” Even though Redbreast might not have the same name-brand recognition as Jameson or Bushmills, it routinely wins awards for being the best overall Irish whiskey. As a whiskey beginner, it’s best to opt for a whiskey with a silky or smooth finish. Written by. 23/10/2020 A total of 30 medals won by Cutwater Spirits at the 2020 London Spirits Competition. It’s sweet, a little spicy (as in cinnamon and ginger), and almost tobacco-like. Click here to learn why. If you have decided to experiment with Irish whiskey, one term that you will begin to see almost immediately is “pot still whiskey.” This is a very specific term and refers to the way the whiskey is produced. We at The Whiskey Reviewer are pleased to have been the very first of the whiskey media to review this spirit. Teeling is a premium blended Irish whiskey that is finished in rum casks, giving it a sweet and very approachable taste. It’s routinely described as light and flavorful, and makes for a wonderful introduction to Irish whiskey at an affordable price. It's faster, too, Why Every Home Cook Should Own a Beer Fridge, You Need This Pork Chop Recipe In Your Life, The Easiest Way to Prep and Chop Cilantro. If you are designing a starter Irish whiskey flight, some pot still choices must be included to achieve a proper exposure to Hibernian whiskey. For me, young has always meant intense at first, and a little oily. Funny thing is, a lot of the people who drink Jameson don’t think of it as an Irish whiskey. Required fields are marked *. That’s one major reason why Irish whiskey is so popular – there’s less alcohol burn when drinking than with other types of whiskey. Redbreast 12 Year Old: This is the other Midleton single pot still whiskey that has whiskey nerds of virtually all stripes buzzing. ... One of the most exciting things about their whisky is that (much like Irish whiskey) it is triple distilled, meaning it’s one of the smoothest single malts around. For most people, the easiest way to answer that question is simply opting for one of the biggest, best-known names in the market and taking it from there. 23/10/2020 Fary Lochan Danish Single Malt bagged Best In Show By Country and Best Spirit of the Year By Quality at the 2020 London Spirits Competition. The retail price of Clontarf is typically anywhere from $15.99 to $19.99 per 750 ml bottle. It stands for Daniel Edmund Williams. So if you’re reading reviews about Irish whiskey, look for descriptive terms like “smooth” or “silky.”. Teeling Small Batch: Stepping up from Clontarf and others of its type is what is fast becoming the most identifiable of the premium blended Irish whiskeys, Teeling. There’s no burn, either, just flavor. Green Spot is a mix of one-quarter sherry oak-aged whiskey and three-quarters bourbon barrel-aged whiskey. I’ve always thought of “a Powers” as the order of someone who knows exactly what they want to drink—they’re not buying into any marketing hype. Jameson is the pale ale of whiskeys—easy-drinking and laid-back—and takes on a bright, grassy flavor after finishing in IPA barrels. As a whiskey beginner, it’s best to opt for a whiskey with a silky or smooth finish. In 1887, after overseeing renovations to the Tullamore distillery, Williams slapped his monogram on the whiskey and came up with the slogan “Give every man his D.E.W.” Come on, Danny Boy! Need to try pot still whiskey for the first time?Try Green Spot (Credit: Irish Distillers). Clontarf is a mass market, blended Irish whiskey. Irish whiskeys are lighter and easier to drink than most other whiskeys. The following indicators should be taken as only a guide and not a set of hard and fast rules. But there are plenty of other options out there, including most that not be immediately recognizable to the typical consumer. Clontarf has drawn rave reviews from new Irish whiskey drinkers, making it a possible alternative to Jameson as a first introduction. Trivia for your new friends at the St. Patrick’s day bar: Redbreast first started out in the early 20th century as extra-aged Jameson’s.