Of course I’m giving the nominees for my favorite Irish whiskey on St. Patrick’s Day. What other day would be appropriate? Be safe, and try not to do something stupid. St. Patrick did not approve of stupidity. Without anymore chatter, here are my Irish whiskey nominees.
Name: Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve
Style: Blend
Age: No Age Statement
Batch: 2011 Release
Proof: 92 (46% abv)
Price: $300-350/750ml
Notes: Although this Jameson does not contain an age statement, this particular release was a blend of older grain whiskeys (the oldest of which was 31 years old) and younger pot-still whiskey aged in port pipes (the oldest of which was 15 years old), which is why the price point on this whiskey is so high. This is a rich, creamy, expressive whiskey with a lot of different flavors going on. The flavor profile works everywhere from espresso and mocha flavors to crème brulee and rich toffee sweetness. This is a hard whiskey to find, but well worth it if you can find it.
Name: Redbreast 12 Year Cask Strength
Style: Single Pot Still
Age: 12 Years
Batch: B1/13
Proof: 119.8 (59.9% abv)
Price: $60-70/750ml
Notes: Most Irish whiskey has the reputation of being silky and smooth, but this is not that type of Irish whiskey. Every year, Redbreast releases a limited edition of their 12 year-old at cask strength. There are several batches of this juice that could have made this list, but this particular batch was my favorite. This batch was aged exclusively in refill Sherry casks, and it yielded flavors of toffee, raisins, espresso, and rich vanilla cream frosting. At cask strength, this is a big, bold beauty of a whiskey. Although this is a limited release, it is available at higher end liquor stores with larger selections of Irish whiskey.
Name: Redbreast 15 Year-Old
Style: Single Pot Still
Age: 15 Years
Batch: N/A
Proof: 92 (46% abv)
Price: $80-90/750ml
Notes: This expression of Redbreast offers a different take on the Redbreast house style in that unlike most Redbreast whiskeys, this is aged in a combination of ex-Sherry casks and ex-bourbon casks. The result is a whiskey with malty notes, reminiscent of Irish soda bread. There are also orchard fruits present, dark chocolate, and some bitter orange peel, flavors not present in other Redbreast expressions. This Redbreast drinks more like traditional aged blends of Irish whiskey, a great different take on Redbreast. This one is readily available, and comparable in price with many single malt Scotches of the same age and casking.
Name: Redbreast 21 Year-Old
Style: Single Pot Still
Age: 21 Years
Batch: N/A
Proof: 92 (46% abv)
Price: $200-225/750ml
Notes: This expression of Redbreast is the same pot still whiskey that has always been a part of the standard 12 year-old, aged in the same Oloroso Sherry casks. The only difference is 9 years, and those 9 years do wonders to bring forth rich baking spices, mango cream, and blackberry cream cheese flavors. This is a difficult whiskey to find, but not impossible. And, if you’ve got an Irish whiskey lover in your life, this makes one hell of a gift.
Name: Teeling Single Malt
Style: Single Malt
Age: No Age Statement
Batch: 2015 Release
Proof: 92 (46% abv)
Price: $45-50/750ml
Notes: Teeling has been sourcing and bottling great whiskeys for a few years now, and this expression is no different. Although there is no age statement on this whiskey, the label states that there is whiskey as old as 23 years in the bottle. There is also whiskey from five different cask types (Sherry, Madeira, White Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Port) in the final product. The result is a stunning whiskey with flavors of fresh raspberries, white grape preserves, bread pudding, and fresh red apples. This whiskey is hard to find because of its limited release in the United States, but it is not an especially sought-after whiskey, which makes it available for those who know where to look.
