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Opinions Vary – Saint Patrick’s Day

March 29, 2023 Ireland

Opinions Vary – Saint Patrick’s Day

Well… Saint Patrick’s Day circa 2023 has come and gone. The celebration of Saint Patrick and his miracles is a wonderful Roman Catholic holiday that is represented by the best of humanity who make all efforts to spread the word. Ok, everyone wants to be Irish that day and use it to get properly shitfaced.

If you have never been to a proper St. Patrick’s Day parade or drinking event in NYC, Chicago, or Boston you are either very lucky or missing out depending on your personality. The level of drunkenness I have witnessed since moving to NYC in 2014 is epic. I have seen NYFD in full uniform vomiting in front of fire houses, women in green peeing in the streets, leprechauns tossed in the air, cats & dogs living together, basically mass hysteria.

If you did not know, St. Patrick is the patron Saint of Ireland and he “drove the snakes out of Ireland”. Which means he brought the Catholic religion to Ireland to replace the Pagan religion. The Irish, however, been old fashioned, hold onto a little paganism with the sun in their cross. Old habits die hard.

For me, I have always avoided St. Patrick’s Day. I find it to now be a silly holiday that is more an excuse to drink than remember a Saint. It is right up there with the other silly holidays used to drink and get you to buy cheap plastic shit such as Cinco de Mayo, Santa-Con, and Pumpkin Spice Latte season.

I hope you had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day this and your liver is still functioning.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Guinness Draft

March 22, 2023 Ireland

Name: Guinness Draft

Color: Black

Nose: Malted barley, roasted chocolate, cream

Taste: Malted barley, roasted chocolate, cream with a tang finish

Guinness Draught beer (aka “The Black Stuff”) was created as an Irish Dry Stout in 1759 by Arthur Guinness in Dublin, Ireland. There is a very long and interesting history to this beer which is worth reading if you have the time.

The flavor is specific to the brand and comes from malted barley, roasted un-malted barley, and the mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide which helps created the creamy tangy tasted. The canned version has a “popper” that drops into it when opened it to inject the gas, however, the can and bottle versions do not taste as good as the draught.

There is a specific method on “how to pour a proper pint”. Guinness has set the standard for time and temperature. A pour should be 119.53 seconds and it should be served at 42.8˚F. If you order pint in a proper pub with Irish bartenders, you will wait about 10+ minutes until it arrives as they let the beer settle before finishing the pour. Most American bartenders do not do this and serve it cloudy and brown instead of black with a creamy white head. So, if you are doing proper drinking in proper pub, plan order times accordingly.

The most interesting thing about Guinness to me, other than being my favorite beer, was a marketing campaign for years that stated: “Guinness is Good for You”. This campaign is no longer used for obvious reasons, but there must have been some truth to it. My Mum told me a story that when my Grandfather had stomach surgery in Glasgow, Scotland the hospital gave him soup and two Guinness per day during his recovery. Let that sink in for a minute. A doctor, who went to medical school, had my Grandfather drinking his favorite beer in a hospital bed each day he was there. Below is a photo of my Grandfather, his Guinness, a cigarette and always in a three-piece suit in public.

Flo Armstrong

Priced around $8-10 a pint and is my favorite beer, but it never tastes as good in America bars as it does in UK pubs.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey

March 9, 2023 Ireland

Name: Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey

Color: Light brown

Nose: Malt, cream vanilla, oak, light citrus, white pepper

Taste: Malt, honey, flowers, vanilla cream, light oak

Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey is from Tullamore, Country Offlay which is West of Dublin. Named after Daniel E. Williams (DEW) who was a general manager owner of the original distillery. The distillery was founded in 1829 and has changed ownership a few times over the years. It is currently produced by William Grant & Sons.

Tullamore DEW is tripled distilled and bottled at 40% abv. It is on the shelf of most bars in NYC and is a popular in Irish coffees as it has a lighter tasting profile. It is also the whiskey used in The Buena Vista Café of San Francisco’s famous Irish Coffee. I am not much for Irish coffee, but the one they make look delicious. It’s on my bucket list of bars to visit.

Other expressions are: 11, 12, 15, Phoenix, Old Bonded, Cider Cask, and XO Rum.

This expression has nice taste, but not overly impressive. I had just finished tasting Slane so this was amazing in comparison. It can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks or as a mixer.

Priced around $35 and it’s an acceptable slugging or Irish coffee.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Irish Coffee

March 8, 2023 Ireland

Name: Irish Coffee

Color: Black and white

Nose: Coffee and whiskey

Taste: Coffee and whiskey with sugar and cream

Irish Coffee, or as I like to say, “the original Redbull & Vodka” will keep you up long enough to make an asshole out of yourself and get a ride to the drunk tank in the Paddy Wagon. My early life experiences with Irish Coffee were not good ones. Growing up in Boston they always used cheap whiskey, burnt coffee, whipped cream from a can, green liquor drizzle, and topped it with green sprinkles. It was similar to a Mudslide, a gimmick that tasted like shit and full of sugar.

Irish Coffee is classified as a cocktail and when it was created is unknown, but Cofffe & Booze was on the menu in Viennese Coffeehouses in the 1850’s. The Irish version I assume has been around since they started drinking coffee and most likely started with tea. It did not become popular in America until the 1950’s. The first place that served Irish Coffee can be debated, but any place with pub and large Irish populations would have served it on or off the menu.

What made the cocktail popular and now famous was the Buena Vista in San Francisco. It is a smaller sized tight table restaurant and from what I am told they make a very well balanced cocktail with home made cream. Online they state they make “over 2,000 a day” so even if everyone had 2 drinks that is 1,000 people that visit that restaurant a day. That is a lot.

If you are in NYC I can recommend the Dead Rabbit in NYC for an Irish coffee. It is very tasty and the bartender told me they do an infusion process and make extra effort to to create the perfect cocktail.

Irish Coffee:

Use a warm glass.
Add 2 sugar cubes.
Pour hot coffee to fill ¾ of the glass and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Add whiskey.
Top with cold cream poured over a spoon.

Dead Rabbit, NYC Irish Coffee & Green Spot

Personally, I do not like booze in my coffee. I don’t drink or order Irish Coffees but that is just me. I am half Scottish and all my whiskey needs is a glass.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Redbreast – Lustau Edition

March 2, 2023 Ireland

Name: Redbreast Lustau Edition

Color: Gold brown

Nose: Orange, almonds, sweetness

Taste: Fruits, honey, sherry finish

Redbreast Lustau Edition is from the Midleton Distillery in Cork, Ireland and was released from the “Jameson Clan” in 2016. I say the Jameson Clan because Redbreast is produced by and tastes a lot like Jameson whiskey.

The Lustau Edition is a non-aged stated whiskey that spends around 9-12 years in American and European Oak casks and is finished in Oloroso sherry butts. In my opinion the Redbreast 12 and 15 year-olds have that Jameson flavor in the taste profile. If you are not aware, I would rather drink piss than Jameson Whiskey. However, to my relief, I could not taste the Jameson or “J-Bo” as it is called by the millennials in my office. Lustau is sweeter due to the sherry finish and has a good taste and a nice balance. I think if I had sampled a larger dram I would eventually noticed the flavor of Jameson and ended up not enjoying it. I almost bought a bottle for my bar this summer but I chose not to because of this concern.

The name “Lustau” comes from the Lustau Sherry Company in Spain where Midleton purchases the casks. “Butts” are a type of wooden cask (barrel) and are mainly used in sherry maturation. They are longer and slender than regular casks and are made from European Oak. A butt holds approximately 130 US gallons. Many distilleries buy these used sherry butts to mature their whiskey to obtain the sherry flavor in the whiskey profile.

Butt Cask:

Price around $80 it’s a bit pricey but worth it if you like Red Breast or a sweeter whiskey.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

West Cork 12-Year-Old Sherry Cask

December 2, 2022 Ireland

Name: West Cork 12-Year-Old Sherry Cask

Color: Gold

Nose: Malt, honey, vanilla, flowers

Taste: Malt, honey, vanilla sherry, dried fruit, cream

23 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

The West Cork Distillery was founded in 2003 in Skibbereen, Ireland. The whiskey is 100% malted barley, aged 12 years in first fill bourbon casks, finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, and bottled at 43% abv. I have seen this whiskey on social media and in a few bars, but I had not sampled it until dropped by the Dead Rabbit in NYC for a dram. I was planning to sample a Jameson expression, but they were having supply chain issues so West Cork was the next choice.

I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor profile of West Cork 12 Sherry Cask. The balance is good and smooth for an Irish Whiskey. It has a Jameson/Glenlivet type body but a far better flavor profile. As I mentioned every March in my reviews, I am not a big fan of Irish Whiskey due to the cream finish. It’s not a bad thing, just not my preferred flavor profile. I have met Irishmen who cannot enjoy Scotch and Scotsmen who cannot drink bourbon. It is all a matter of opinion, and I don’t think St. Patrick really cares.

Other expressions available are: Black Cask, Single Malt, Cask Strength, Peated Charred Cask, Bog Oak Charred Cask, IPA Cask, Stout Cask, Rum Cask, Calvados Cask, Virgin Oak Cask, and Port Cask.

Priced around $65 (or $18 a glass) and very nice stuff. I look forward more in the future.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Yellow Spot Irish Whiskey

March 31, 2022 Ireland

Taste: Citrus, sweet, cream, vanilla

Yellow Spot is a single pot still whiskey from the Midleton Distillery in Cork, Ireland. The whiskey is matured for 12 years in combinations of new and re-filled bourbon casks, sherry butts, and ex-Malaga cask. Malaga is a sweet fortified Spanish wine from Malaga, Spain and is made from Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel grapes.

Cork, Ireland (dark green):

The name Yellow Spot comes from the practice of marking casks of different ages with a daub or big dot of paint.

Yellow=12 years, Green= NAS, Blue =7 years and Red=15 years.

Blue and Red Spot are back on the market after many years of absence.

I prefer Yellow Spot whiskey over the non-aged stated Green Spot. It is better balanced and softer but they flavor profile comes at a price. I am not a huge Irish whiskey guy. I find the cream finish not to my liking. However, I would purchase Yellow Spot if I had to think of quality Irish Whiskey.

Priced around $105 it is a good whiskey at a high price. At that price I would put in another $20 and get an 18-year-old single malt from Scotland.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Jameson Crested

March 17, 2022 Ireland

Name: Jameson Crested

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, citrus, flowers, sherry

Taste: Malt, citrus, flowers, light cream

Jameson Crested Whiskey is one of many expressions from the New Midleton Distillery in Dublin, Ireland. This expression was originally titled “Crested Ten” but Jameson decided to drop the “Ten” from the title. I am going to guess it had to do with it being a non-age stated whiskey. The actual age of this whiskey is 3+ years which is pretty much the minimum. It is bottled at 40% abv and aged in ex-bourbon and sherry cask.

Crested has a nice pot still malt flavor, good sherry notes, and is well balanced. It is smooth to drink neat, would do well on the rocks, or in an Irish Coffee. I am not a fan of Jameson expressions or most of New Midleton’s rename cousins in more expensive bottles, but this one is good. As of this review it is the best of all Jameson labeled whiskey I have sampled. I might buy a bottle if I had to go a party in Southie (Irish section of Boston). Hell’s Kitchen (former Irish section of NYC) is now all hipster millennial snowflakes so they can go drink flavored Vodka.

Priced around $45 and good stuff for a Jameson label.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Slane Irish Whiskey

March 9, 2022 Ireland

Name: Slane Irish Whiskey

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Malt, oak, vanilla cream, flowers

Taste: Malt, oak, vanilla cream, flowers

This is going to be short, never a good sign on NYC Whiskey Review.

Slane Irish Whiskey is sourced, blended, bottled at 40% abv, and aged in triple casks. On the bottle these casks are listed as virgin, seasoned, and sherry. From my research the barrels may be Bushmills, Jack Daniels, and Forester Bourbon. I am not able to confirm if this accurate and the marketing of the casks names does not really align with these other distilleries.

This whiskey did not impress me, nor did it get better with a couple of drops of water. It is very cheap tasting and has an odd finish.

Priced around $30 and is slugging whiskey and not worth the money.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Teeling Pot Still Whiskey

December 8, 2021 Ireland

Name: Teeling Pot Still Whiskey

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, white fruits, flowers

Taste: Malt, apples, white pepper

Review:

18 Days until Christmas! Do you have all your gifts and bottles ready?!?

Teeling Pot Still Whiskey in one of several expressions from the Teeling Distillery which is located Dublin, Ireland. The distillery was started by Jack and Stephen Teeling in 2012 and was the first new distillery in the City of Dublin in 125 years. The founders are the sons of John Teeling who started the Cooley Distillery. Cooley produces Kibeggan, Connemara, The Tyrconnell, and 2 Gingers whiskey. I am not a fan of nepotism, but in starting a new distillery, in a major city, it works nicely.

Pot Still Whiskey has a nice malt flavor profile with little creamy finish. The whiskey has a 50/50 mix of malted and un-malted barley, non-chilled filtered, non-age stated, bottled at 46% abv, and aged in American Virgin Oak, bourbon, and sherry casks.

Other expressions are: Small Batch, Single Grain, Single Malt, Spirit of Dublin, The Revival 13 Year, Vintage Reserve 24, and Vintage Reserve 33.

I am a fan of Teeling and I look forward to trying more expressions. If you know someone that likes Irish Whiskey, or you want to upgrade a gift bottle I would recommend Teeling.

Priced around $70 and is a little overpriced but has a very nice flavor profile. Thanks to Frankie for the free tasting!

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary – Saint Patrick’s Day

Guinness Draft

Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey

Irish Coffee

Redbreast – Lustau Edition

West Cork 12-Year-Old Sherry Cask

Yellow Spot Irish Whiskey

Jameson Crested

Slane Irish Whiskey

Teeling Pot Still Whiskey

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