Just for the record, I love Irish whiskey. There’s something about the smooth, clean flavors and the way the whiskey blooms into floral aromas when you put a few drops of water in it. It will never replace the affection I have for whiskey from Scotland or bourbon, but I tipple more of the Irish drink than the others combined.
Jameson is the Irish whiskey for me. Made since 1780, this stuff is triple distilled and allowed to rest for years in a blend of oak casks previously used for sherry or bourbon. Pour a jigger in a brandy snifter, add about a tablespoon of good, unchlorinated water, and you have one of the best drinks on the planet. A fifth will give you 17 inspirational drinks for about $24.
Moving up a notch in price, Bushmills Black Bush ($36) is rested solely in sherry casks for several years, then blended with a more neutral grain whiskey to give it a delicate flavor. Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old ($33) is also very mild, but its smoothness comes from spending 12 years in oak casks, letting evaporation and nature further distill its sweetness. Given its pedigree, the price is a bargain.
Best of all is a whiskey I’ve only tasted once. After listening to me talk about how much I loved Irish whiskey, a bartender in Kinsale, County Cork, offered me a snifter with Midleton Very Rare. It was the best Irish whiskey I’ve ever tasted. Changing from the others was like going from Devendra Banhart to Nick Drake: both sublime, but only one is transcendent. The bartender refused payment, just telling me to enjoy my night. As soon as I got back to the U.S., I checked to see if it was available. Here’s the bad news: It is available, but it runs about $150.
Oh well, maybe some rich uncle will give it to me for Christmas.
The Jameson, Tullamore Dew, and Black Bush are available at fine liquor stores all over town. The Midleton Very Rare is available at Grape Vine Market, the Austin Wine Merchant, and several of the higher end Twin Liquors.
This article appears in December 22 • 2006.
