What's your latest whiskey purchase?

[TheWhiskeyBro]

For the collection,

Danny Boy 'Premium' Irish Whiskey (now available in Sainsbury's Newry)
Sainsbury Single Malt Irish Whiskey (new label - highly rated by Jim Murray)
Sainsbury's Blended Irish Whiskey (new label)

Cheers....

[Tsolias]

OBAN 1993 Distiller's Edition, was one of my targets since I tried a dram about a year ago and liked it a lot.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Went out for a bite to eat in Galway tonight. Lovely Asian restaurant called the Asian Tea house which I finished off with an interesting Chinese Tea.

Anyway that's by the by ...

Went for a stroll after in a very windy Galway city ... so as you do in windy weather you have to take cover in a premises that sells alcohol. This time it was Harvest an off licence in Galway. Harvest is quite expensive compared to Ally but they do have an interesting selection at times. However I did come across a little bargain.

Got this for €74.99 which is cheaper than I could get it in te UK or Germany and much cheaper great value for mony per 100ml if I was to buy full bottles here of all 4.



4 x 200ml
JW Black
JW Green
JW Gold
JW Blue

[JohnM]

I got one of these packs from the CWS a few years ago for cheaper than it was in duty free. Great value, but they don't have them anymore. It's a great way to get to taste the JWs. I think the Green, Blue and Gold are very good.

There are versions of this without the Blue, I think, with the Red instead.

[JohnM]

By the way, look at the good value of this compared to IDL's pack... It's much more expensive per cl in their Reserves Pack.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Yea you'd think IDL would take a few quid off the multi pack ... just to entice people to get into those products.

I like having the odd JW black down my local as it is not expensive. I've had the Green and Gold before also and they a good whiskies and now I can add the Blue to the list of having tried and I was very impressed.

There is one left if anybody is interested ... I can organise it for them.

[brettie vedder]

i would love to pick up one of those JW box sets. ive only ever had the black and red and it was YEARS ago. just read about a new double black that is being tried in a few airport duty frees. sounds interesting.

[brettie vedder]

did the food shop today in roscommon. picked up a 70cl of blackbush. really weird, tesco was selling blackbush for €22 and some change, but whitebush was €23 and some change. thats a great price on blackbush, but why was white selling for more? and it said nothing about a sale. just normal prices. i should have picked up about 5 bottles. maybe a worker priced it wrong?

[jcskinner]

My latest whiskey purchase is nothing!
I'm pretty proud of that, as it's been hard to resist the single casks coming out at the moment.
But I'm saving for a much-needed holiday and just had to replace the car, so I'll have to make do with what I've got for now.
Thankfully, I've some more self-education in Scotch to pursue, so now I've nearly cleared all the open bottles with a dram or two left, I can open some more.
If I can, I might wait until after the January tasting, so as to be informed by what we dram then.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

did the food shop today in roscommon. picked up a 70cl of blackbush. really weird, tesco was selling blackbush for €22 and some change, but whitebush was €23 and some change. thats a great price on blackbush, but why was white selling for more? and it said nothing about a sale. just normal prices. i should have picked up about 5 bottles. maybe a worker priced it wrong?

Excelent price and a result ... possibably a mistake. Sounds to me that they have it up as the price before vat (21.5%) as the total price. The bottle is usually around the €27.99 so devide that by 1.215 = €23.07 but I just checked their online site and it is marked as €22.36 so maybe it is on special. Must get myself a botttle as I'm out.

[TheWhiskeyBro]

I can confirm that the Blackbush is currently on special in Tesco's.. it was definitely cheaper than the white/original

[varizoltan]

just bought a bottle of Blackwood for my collection(818)

[DavidH]

Sounds to me that they have it up as the price before vat (21.5%) as the total price.

Not that it makes much difference to your calculation, but we are enjoying a VAT rate of only 21% since Jan!

I should have put that in the newsletter too.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Sounds to me that they have it up as the price before vat (21.5%) as the total price.

Not that it makes much difference to your calculation, but we are enjoying a VAT rate of only 21% since Jan!

I should have put that in the newsletter too.

Would you believe it I ndid not even clock that

Hey David what is the exact duty rate now on a 40% bottle of 70cl?

[brettie vedder]

did the food shop today in roscommon. picked up a 70cl of blackbush. really weird, tesco was selling blackbush for €22 and some change, but whitebush was €23 and some change. thats a great price on blackbush, but why was white selling for more? and it said nothing about a sale. just normal prices. i should have picked up about 5 bottles. maybe a worker priced it wrong?

Excelent price and a result ... possibably a mistake. Sounds to me that they have it up as the price before vat (21.5%) as the total price. The bottle is usually around the €27.99 so devide that by 1.215 = €23.07 but I just checked their online site and it is marked as €22.36 so maybe it is on special. Must get myself a botttle as I'm out.

just weird because they usually have a sale tag showing with before and after price. a worker just probably forgot to put it up. at €22, this is probably my favorite everyday irish. also, another note. the back of the bottle is all in german. i dont know if thats the norm for blackbush or not. its the newer style bottle too. i have an old style bottle of whitebush and its in english on the back.

[JohnM]

Not accusing Tesco of doing this, but some pubs in Ireland were selling bottles of beer that seemed to have been sourced from Northern Ireland. There were eyebrows raised over this.

[Michael Foggarty]

Not accusing Tesco of doing this, but some pubs in Ireland were selling bottles of beer that seemed to have been sourced from Northern Ireland. There were eyebrows raised over this.

Ha Ha!

It more than just beer! im not accussing anyone but i think most supermarkets source most of their products from the UK now(even if it is Irish produce)

There is another possiility was it the old bottling or the new bottling? If it was the old ,maybe Diageo gave Tesco a job lot deal to get rid of old stock?

[JohnM]

I suppose it's all okay as long as they pay the proper taxes. Then again, I have bought whiskey online from abroad, so I suppose I should be paying some sort of tax on that too.

[DavidH]

Hey David what is the exact duty rate now on a 40% bottle of 70cl?

It's all carefully worked out here

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Thanks David

Duty used to be €10.99 per 70cl bottle at 40%
Now €8.72. Then vat on top of that.

FYI for anybody else trying to calculate Duty on spirits ... % x L x €31.13

Just wanted to be able to work exact figures.
And this is why I have such an issue with Irish pricingh structures.

So take a non standard bottle of Irish whiskey

Irish Man Rare Cask Strength (nas - no age statement)
0.56 x 0.7 x €31.13 = €12.20 Duty
Then take 21.5% vat on the asking price of €125 / 1.215 = €102.88
Less €12.20 Duty
This means that the bottle is priced at €90.68 after all taxes and duties are deducted. Yet it was available for €76 in the Neatherlands less 19% tax = €62.55.

Difference €28.13 or 45% more expensive after taxes


Redbreast 15yo 46%
0.46 x 0.7 x €31.13 = €10.02 Duty
Less Vat on Irish asking price of €110 = €90.53
To tax = €29.49 ... Irish price after Tax is €80.31 ... I have seen a Price in germany for the latest release of €59.90.
I'm not sure but I don't think Germany has any Duty on SPirit but they haev a 19% tax on that price. So price after tax is €50.34
a difference €29.97 or 59.5% more expensive after taxes

and just to make it fair

Kilbeggan 15yo Ltd 40%
0.40 x 0.7 x €31.13 = €8.72 Duty
Irish price €95 less 21.5% vat = €78.19 less duty = €69.49
Germany €64.75 less 19% = €54.41
Not as big a difference but still €15.08 or 28% more expensive.



There has always been an arguement of higher costs and wages unless some one has a clear break down on costs say against germany of even the UK I just don't buy it. Obviously there is a difference and it has to worked in but not to the above precentages.

I think those above are clear indications of the totally discriminatory pricing regimes that the Industry imposes on the irish Public.

I think we should start a campagine

[brettie vedder]

i always thought it was funny that guinness and irish whiskey are cheaper in america, lol. unless of course you have those good xmas deals. i remember all bog standard irish whiskeys in pennsylvania (where i am originally from) were in and around the $23 mark. and if on sale, could be as low as $20. every state is different though, and some could be higher or lower. also, 24 nitro cans of guinness at 14.9oz (i think around 440ml) were about $43 with tax included. maybe ill start making my own whiskey, LOL

[brettie vedder]

also, my dad always has cider in for my wife when we visit. he gets 24 355ml longnecks of bulmers (magners in america) for $35. the cheapest ive seen bulmers in the south was 18 500ml cans for €32. you get a bit more for your money with the 500ml cans, but the euro is worth on average about 30% more than the dollar. add in shipping fees, and 6% sales tax in america. the moral of the story is its just not right. in ireland, we get RIPPED OFF on alcohol.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

did the food shop today in roscommon. picked up a 70cl of blackbush. really weird, tesco was selling blackbush for €22 and some change, but whitebush was €23 and some change. thats a great price on blackbush, but why was white selling for more? and it said nothing about a sale. just normal prices. i should have picked up about 5 bottles. maybe a worker priced it wrong?

Thanks for the heads up Brett, been meaning to buy one for a while but lucky I held off usually €26.99-27.99

Minimum saving of €4 so bought 2

also some Erdinger and WeihenStephaner weisbier

I'm supposed off all alcohol but I'm being allowed to get away with a sneaky one here and there ...

[brettie vedder]

did the food shop today in roscommon. picked up a 70cl of blackbush. really weird, tesco was selling blackbush for €22 and some change, but whitebush was €23 and some change. thats a great price on blackbush, but why was white selling for more? and it said nothing about a sale. just normal prices. i should have picked up about 5 bottles. maybe a worker priced it wrong?

Thanks for the heads up Brett, been meaning to buy one for a while but lucky I held off usually €26.99-27.99

Minimum saving of €4 so bought 2

also some Erdinger and WeihenStephaner weisbier

I'm supposed off all alcohol but I'm being allowed to get away with a sneaky one here and there ...

no problem. glad i could help

ahh, i miss the days of nice beers. being gluten intolerant is not fun. ive really been in the mood for a stout or porter lately. i have 2 nitro cans of beamish in the fridge and about 10 bottles of guinness foreign extra stout in the cupboard. i suppose i can have 1 here and there without too much of a problem. and to think i drank beer for about 10 years with this problem, lol.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Got a couple HP Magnus & a Mortlach 16yo (Flora & Fauna Series)

Willie recommended the Mortlach and it is a Distillery that I have been wanting to try for some time ... and now I can

The rarer than a hens tooth HP Earl Magnus ... sold out every where and I got 2 Beautiful packaging and heavy too ... 2.6kgs in total Looks like a sure fire collectors edition but I'll be cracking mine open

Hopefully this cask strength version is as good as all the others I've had.


HP & Mortlach