Trip to Ireland - what whiskey to buy?

[Pudge72]

In conjunction with this discussion thread about my planned trip to Ireland in 2013,

http://forum.irishwhiskeysociety.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1635

I wanted to start a thread about recommendations for what bottles of whiskey would be worthwhile, unique acquisitions. For context, I will only be able to bring back up to three 700 or 750 mL bottles back to Canada, on a duty free basis (I don't know if our luggage would accomodate more than three bottles anyways). Assuming I can bring back three, I would like to get bottles that are unique/can only be obtained in Ireland. I have done some research, mainly on the Celtic Whiskey Shop site, and have noted the following bottles as possibilities:

- Irishman Cask Strength
- Connemara Turf Mor
- Connemara Amontillado Cask or 18 yo
- Jameson Distillery Reserve

From a budget perspective the Amontillado Cask may be just out of range, but I wanted to know if it is an offering that is worth stretching the budget for.

My Irish whiskey tasting experience has been rather limited, but so far I have loved Jamesons 18 (on the wishlist to get a bottle in Ontario) and Redbreast 12 (have a bottle). I have enjoyed Bushmills Black Bush (have a bottle) and Green Spot, along with Midleton Very Rare (2011). I was not a fan of Locke's 8. Tyrconnell Single Malt was ok.

I am leaning at this point towards Connemara Turf Mor (have read a great many positive reviews about Connemara in general - the Cask Strength is on my wishlist and available in Ontario - and I love smokey peat like Lagavulin 16), the Jameson Distillery Reserve (since it can only be obtained in Ireland, and it would be cool to pick up a bottle direct from a distillery that I have toured) and the Irishman Cask Strength (a CS bottling can't be a bad thing, the tasting notes on the CWS site sound great, and only the 70 and the Single Malt are available in Ontario.). Redbreast 12 Cask Strength is on my wishlist, but I believe it is available in Michigan (and may come to Ontario) so I can pick it up here.

As always, any feedback or other suggestions are very much appreciated!

P.S. Is the CWS the best retailer option in Dublin? My research gives me the impression that it really is the 'go to' place for whiskey selection (with pricing seeming to be reasonable as well)

[Fionnán]

go for the turf mor. hands down.

[Fionnán]

also only available on this side of the pond (at least for the present moment) is the Powers John's Lane SPS which i would strongly strongly recommend if you enjoyed Green Spot and Redbreast.

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

If you can get your hands on a bottle of Jameson Distillers selection, lovely stuff. I picked up a couple of bottles from Fox's near Trinity for €55 I think.
That would be a nice selection with the Turf Mór and Power's John's Lane-AWESOME.

I've just popped open my last bottle of the afore mentioned Jameson

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Concur with ...
Powers John's Lane SPS

Also the new Yellow Spot which is probably not available in the US.

And who know by the time you head over there may be another Spot in the range so you may have a choice of Green, Yellow and Blue or Red Spots.

[Pudge72]

Thank you for all of the suggestions!! With the seemingly unanimous support, I will likely switch out the Irishman Cask Strength with the Powers John's Lane. That will still leave me with a cask strength selection via the Turf Mor, while adding a SPS offering with the PJL. The Jameson's Distillery Reserve will be a nice, unique acquisition from either Fox's or the distillery itself.

What would people consider to be the best all-around distillery tour to take in Ireland? Would it be Jameson in Dublin, or Midleton in Cork, or another one?

I will endeavour to try as many of the whiskies that I can't bring home at a pub (I will start another thread about THAT question later!). I am curious to try the Yellow Spot but though I enjoyed the Green Spot when I tried it, I was not 'wowed' by it. Since the Green Spot has now shown up in Ontario, I will take the chance that the Yellow will show up here at some point as well.

Please keep other suggestions coming as I would like to develop a bit of a 'whiskies to sample' list...

Thanks again!!

[SixCats!]

Hi all,

I hope this post finds everyone here at IWS well. It has been a long time since my last visit here at IWS. This is indeed a timely post. I intended tonight to post/ask the very same question as the OP as I have a friend who is going to visit Ireland soon and has offered to bring back (to the U.S.) a bottle(s) of Irish Whiskey for my modest collection. Of course, I too seek an Irish Whiskey not available on this side of the Pond. Since I am a fan of good ol' POWERS Gold Label, I will follow you're advice and ask my buddy to bring me back a bottle of POWER'S JOHN LANE SPS. Sounds like a winner! That being said, what other Whiskey might I consider (that is not TOO expensive) ? Perhaps : Writers Tears, Locks 8, LOCKS Grand Crew, Green Spot pure pot ? I very much appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. Since I joined IWS, I have tried : Redbreast, Jameson 12, Bushmills Black Bush, Powers Gold Label, Kilbeggan, Knappogue Castle 12, Kellan, The Irishman, Clontarf 1014 and regular old Bushmills & Jameson. I must admit, yes, while some are better than others, I have enjoyed EACH and EVERY single bottle. I guess I just have a LOVE for Irish Whiskey! Thanks again all.

Regards,
SixCats! aka Tom Patrick

[Pudge72]

Hi all,

I hope this post finds everyone here at IWS well. It has been a long time since my last visit here at IWS. This is indeed a timely post. I intended tonight to post/ask the very same question as the OP as I have a friend who is going to visit Ireland soon and has offered to bring back (to the U.S.) a bottle(s) of Irish Whiskey for my modest collection. Of course, I too seek an Irish Whiskey not available on this side of the Pond. Since I am a fan of good ol' POWERS Gold Label, I will follow you're advice and ask my buddy to bring me back a bottle of POWER'S JOHN LANE SPS. Sounds like a winner! That being said, what other Whiskey might I consider (that is not TOO expensive) ? Perhaps : Writers Tears, Locks 8, LOCKS Grand Crew, Green Spot pure pot ? I very much appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. Since I joined IWS, I have tried : Redbreast, Jameson 12, Bushmills Black Bush, Powers Gold Label, Kilbeggan, Knappogue Castle 12, Kellan, The Irishman, Clontarf 1014 and regular old Bushmills & Jameson. I must admit, yes, while some are better than others, I have enjoyed EACH and EVERY single bottle. I guess I just have a LOVE for Irish Whiskey! Thanks again all.

Regards,
SixCats! aka Tom Patrick

Hi Tom,

Great minds think alike! Where in the US do you live? I ask as the LCBO stores here in Ontario do carry some of the other bottles (in limited quantities) that you list including:

Green Spot - http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/inventory/searchResults.do?language=EN&itemNumber=699827
and Lockes 8 - http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/inventory/searchResults.do?language=EN&itemNumber=913475
Writer's Tears is also listed, but does not show any inventory

[SixCats!]

Hi Pudge,

Yes indeed, great minds think alike. Well Sir, I live in the State of Maine. Prices on Spirits in Maine are HIGH!
When I buy Irish Whiskey, I usually wait until I am traveling South from Maine to visit family in The Rhode Island. Along the way, I make a pit stop at one of the State of New Hampshire Liquor stores (right off the Highway) just over the Maine border. N.H. prices on Alcohol are MUCH less expensive and N.H. has NO State Tax. I save as much as $12.00 PER bottle on certain Whiskey (Jameson 12) for example in N.H. vs. Maine. Crazy! Pudge, might you know.....is POWERS 12 Year Old the same as POWERS JOHN'S LANE SPS ? Despite Maine having higher, sometimes Maine does carry some items not available in N.H. I'm not sure if it's still available but, the Maine stores did carry POWERS 12 Year old. I dunno, I suppose I should should just buy a bottle while the getting is good (IF it's not too expensive). I very much enjoy good ol' Powers Gold Label so, I'm sure the 12 Year Old Powers won't disappoint.

Regards,
SixCats!

[DavidH]

is POWERS 12 Year Old the same as POWERS JOHN'S LANE SPS ?

They are not the same, SixCats, and you really must try the Powers John's Lane. It's not too expensive and it's definitely in my top 2 or 3 favourite Irish whiskeys.

[Pudge72]

Hi Pudge,

Yes indeed, great minds think alike. Well Sir, I live in the State of Maine. Prices on Spirits in Maine are HIGH!

...you'll feel right at home in Ontario then! Though, to be fair, I do find most Irish whiskies (and a handful of Scottish distilleries, like Bowmore, Auchentoshan, and Glenfarclas) to be very well priced in Ontario, especially when compared to the same bottles being sold in Ireland!! On the flip side of the same phenomenon, Canadian whiskey is cheaper in the US than it is in Ontario, where most of it is actually made!

I will almost certainly get a Powers John's Lane when my wife and I travel to Ireland next year, based on the hearty recommendations made within this thread.

[SixCats!]

Hi DaveH and Pudge,

DaveH, thank you for answering my question regarding Powers. As I mentioned before, I am a fan of regular good ol' Powers Gold Label so, I am looking forward to owning (and tasting) Powers John Lane. Pudge no doubt about it, I too am going to have my Buddy pick me up a bottle of Powers John Lane! Perhaps TWO bottles! Now, I need to search the Net for a Liquor Store in Galway that carries Powers John Lane as that is were my Buddy will be staying. Any recommendation guy ? Thanks.

Tom Patrick aka SixCats!

[Pudge72]

A follow up question to this thread...I have never transported bottles by plane before. Are there any tips out there about what I can do to try to increase the chances that my (hopefully, funds permitting) three bottles all arrive back in Canada intact? I would assume that, if the bottles come in boxes or tubes, adding padding (i.e. clothing or newspaper) inside those containers can't be a bad thing. This is all assuming that the restriction of 100 mL of liquids within carry on luggage is still in place.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

[IainB]

To be honest you could wait till your going home and buy whatever you want in the airport on your way out.

3 Reasons:

Other than the Celtic Whiskey shop the airport shop has probably the most comprehensive whiskey selection
You can take it on as hand luggage so no need to worry about packing
You can buy at duty free prices which should be a good bit cheaper

[Pudge72]

To be honest you could wait till your going home and buy whatever you want in the airport on your way out.

3 Reasons:

Other than the Celtic Whiskey shop the airport shop has probably the most comprehensive whiskey selection
You can take it on as hand luggage so no need to worry about packing
You can buy at duty free prices which should be a good bit cheaper

Hi IainB...thank you so much for this info...I was wondering about that option, and it looks like an excellent idea for at least two bottles. It looks like at this point that I would still need to pick up the Jameson Distillery Edition from either CWS or the distillery. Is the whiskey shop accessible from both terminals at Dublin Airport?

[DavidH]

Good idea to buy whiskey in Dublin airport... if you are not getting a connecting flight on the other side.

The main whiskey shop is in Terminal 2 (where the transatlantic flights leave from) but there is plenty of whiskey on offer in T1 too.

[IainB]

To be honest you could wait till your going home and buy whatever you want in the airport on your way out.

3 Reasons:

Other than the Celtic Whiskey shop the airport shop has probably the most comprehensive whiskey selection
You can take it on as hand luggage so no need to worry about packing
You can buy at duty free prices which should be a good bit cheaper

Hi IainB...thank you so much for this info...I was wondering about that option, and it looks like an excellent idea for at least two bottles. It looks like at this point that I would still need to pick up the Jameson Distillery Edition from either CWS or the distillery. Is the whiskey shop accessible from both terminals at Dublin Airport?

I don't think you'll get Jameson distillery reserve at the airport or CWS. There are 2 distillery reserves - similar but but (I think) not identical - one at the old midleton distillery in Midleton, Cork (which at least is beside an actual working distillery) and the other at the old Bow St Distillery in Dublin (basically a museum). Both are good whiskeys though.

[Pudge72]

Good idea to buy whiskey in Dublin airport... if you are not getting a connecting flight on the other side.

The main whiskey shop is in Terminal 2 (where the transatlantic flights leave from) but there is plenty of whiskey on offer in T1 too.

At this point, I am assuming we would get a Toronto - Dublin direct flight...the devil is always in the details though!

[SixCats!]

Hi all,

I just wanted to say THANK YOU. Per the suggestions of the kind members of this forum (and this thread) I am soon be the proud owner of a bottle of Powers John's Lane 12 year old SPS Irish Whiskey! Yea! My buddy just returned from Ireland and phoned me today to tell me "I was in luck!" he found (with some problems at first) the aforementioned Powers Whiskey. Oooh, so, should I keep this Irish Whiskey tucked away (for awhile) and save it for a special event ? Well, I suppose I should keep hidden away (for at least a little while) as I recently bought a bottle of Powers "12 year old Special Reserve" (available here in Maine) that I've yet to open. POWERS to the people!

Regards,
Tom in Maine
aka
SixCats!

[Pudge72]

Hi all,

I just wanted to say THANK YOU. Per the suggestions of the kind members of this forum (and this thread) I am soon be the proud owner of a bottle of Powers John's Lane 12 year old SPS Irish Whiskey! Yea! My buddy just returned from Ireland and phoned me today to tell me "I was in luck!" he found (with some problems at first) the aforementioned Powers Whiskey. Oooh, so, should I keep this Irish Whiskey tucked away (for awhile) and save it for a special event ? Well, I suppose I should keep hidden away (for at least a little while) as I recently bought a bottle of Powers "12 year old Special Reserve" (available here in Maine) that I've yet to open. POWERS to the people!

Regards,
Tom in Maine
aka
SixCats!

Sounds good Tom! Do post tasting notes and/or your general impressions when you get a chance to crack open these bottles!