Top Pick Irish Whiskies

[danny56712]

Apologies if this is else where but for new comers to Irish whiskey I would love to hear everyones top 5 irish whiskies that should be tried by all in their lifetimes;-

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

Mine are
1: Jameson 15 pure pot still. There were 2 variations, a special reserve and a limited edition released for the Milemmium.

2: Redbreast 15 year old from 2005, they were released for La Maison Du Whisky in Paris.

3: An old Power Pure pot still. It's not as good as the Powers John Lane but worth the comparison.

4: Bushmills 21 year old, I liked the 16 too but this will grow on you. They also had ones from single cask of Rum, Sherry and Bourbon that I've always wanted to try and never got a chance.

5: An old bottle of Green Spot. There are still a few around and well worth trying.


I like trying old bottles and comparing them to their current versions. I really hope Jameson release a big Pot Still again. Their are super premiums out there but I didn't include any as they are not easy to find and your unlikely to ever get a taste. The only one the you may find is Dungourney 1964. I've tried and liked.

[danny56712]

I love the newer Greenspot but never tried the older

Is there much difference and does anyone know where they are available?

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

They are in a few pubs. I seen one recently on whiskyonline auction. They go for around €40/60. Still plenty out there so I'd advise you not to over pay.
I noticed if a bottle gets a good price at auction one month, you'll see a few turning up in the next few months. You'll usually get them cheaper.

[John]

Hi Danny,

My top five Irish whiskeys are as follows:

1. Greenspot 12 year old, cask strength anniversary ed.
2. Redbreast 15 year old, 2005. LMdW ed.
3. Greenore 19 year old, cask strength, Irish Whiskey Collection Dublin Airport.
4. Tyrconnell 11 year old, cask strength, Dublin WhiskeyLive 2011(?)
5. Powers John's Lane, 12 year old, 46%. (any year!!)

All five are still available, though undoubtedly numbers 4 and 5 probably moreso. Despite the price of the first three I am unapologetic about including the first three, they are beautiful expressions of their whiskey category and well worth trying. I am a big fan of pure (ok, ok, single) pot still and truthfully Dungourney could very well have featured in that list as well. Very cruel to limit the list to five Danny

As an aside, JohnM had a good idea a while back in terms of the pricier whiskeys which involved teaming up with some friends and splitting the cost of a particular release and enjoying it that way. Excellent suggestion where certain bottles are heading towards and upwards of the '000 mark!

Cheers,
J.

[JohnM]

I'm not sure of my top five, but in the running would be Redbreast 15, Jameson 12, Midleton 25, Green Spot, Bushmills 25, and a few Connemara/Cooley single casks. I've had a few from the cask too at distilleries that were great - particularly a port cask Midleton and a Cooley grain. Not sure if they count.

[Fionnán]

Some great whiskeys already mentioned here and, Like Good Whiskey Hunting above, my preferences ultimately go for the bigger more aggressive single pot stills over some of the lighter super premiums on offer. If i had to narrow it down to five, it might be

1) The old screw cap Green Spot - An absolute classic and worth grabbing before they inevitably start fetching higher prices with scarcity. More ginger-snap and pot still spice than their lighter but still delicious modern bottlings, these are the green spots that gave the brand its cult following and its not hard to see why. Minimalist liquorice-plant menthol gingery spry young sps without the sweetening of too much sherry (mostly bourbon barrels used) or the weight of too much oak. The new ones are delicious but they seem to have domesticated these traits down with more bourbon-barrel vanilla notes recently

2) Jameson 15 PPS - normally i dont go in for jemmie that much (they're all wonderfully drinkable of course but i've never been blown away) but this one has almost nothing to do with its namesakes. Traditional heavy SPS Irish in an excellent sherry cask. Big figgy sps smack off of this one from the thicker more lathery distillate left in (but in no way dominated by) a sherry barrel.

3) Redbreast Cask Strength - neck and neck for best redbreast yet against the similarly beautiful Maison du Whisky RB 15 (not to be confused with the subsequent RB 15's which are fine but not in the same league) We've been getting some excellent new releases these past few years and i'd say RB cask strength and Powers John's Lane stand out as top of the new class

4) Powers John's Lane - Like the no man's land between cinnamon pastry and earthy tobacco leaf. bizarre, delicious sps and thick enough to chew on. Also, for the price, it's arguably the best deal on offer in Irish Whiskey. Hopefully they dont kick it up in the coming years.

5) Redbreast 15 2005 LMdW - For something a little sweeter but equally full-bodied, these first RB 15s were brilliant and i dont know why but the subsequent standard Redbreast 15 just hasnt coughed up the same results.

***Green Spot 12 Anniversary - only withheld from this list by the absurdity of its price mark at around 850 euros... That being said, i've found that many of the super premiums are nowhere near as tremendous as the prices they demand but the two cask strength Green Spot anniversary whiskeys (there's also a 10 for around 250 i think) were an inspired exception to the rule. If you get a taste, this stuff is like a lightening bolt of flavour with some thundering cask strength heavy-pot-still texture to round out the act)

[JohnM]

I forgot the Jameson 15... and some Jameson 18s.

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

I forgot the Jameson 15.

A hard one to forget.

I couldn't argue with your choice Fionnán. Do you like pot still whiskey?

[JohnM]

I also forgot Cadenhead Bow St 1963

[Fionnán]

I forgot the Jameson 15.

A hard one to forget.

I couldn't argue with your choice Fionnán. Do you like pot still whiskey?

just a tipple now n' then...

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

I'm going to stick with a few of my current favs that I have on the go ... rather than what was and I may never taste again.

1. Redbreast 15yo (2005) possible still my number one as I've still a few in stock

2. Jameson RVR I think is spectacular too.

3. Jameson 12yo Distillery Reserve (Midleton) another personal favourite

4. Tyrconnell 10yo Madeira Finish

5. Powers JLR 12yo


I also have a mini Tullamore Cadenhead 1949 open which is a 41yo @ 65.3% and is a wonderful whiskey.
I always found Jameson 18yo great tasting but too light on the palate and over priced.
Bushmills Blackbush used to be a firm favourite but I am nearly positive it has been dumbed down over the years and has lost a lot of the bigger sherry influences. Some of the Cadenheads peated cooleys were wonderful too.

[Luke Gough]

Some of the Cadenheads peated cooleys were wonderful too.

Like this one I picked up in Edinburgh last week? http://www.whiskytastingroom.com/Cooley-Distillery-1992-21YO-56-3ABV

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

Some of the Cadenheads peated cooleys were wonderful too.

Like this one I picked up in Edinburgh last week? http://www.whiskytastingroom.com/Cooley-Distillery-1992-21YO-56-3ABV

That's great value Luke. £65 for a cask strength 21 year old whiskey. Would it be in your top 5 Irish Whiskey. I see your a fan of the Redbreast 21 too.

[IainB]

If I stick to currently available whiskeys and try not to go too mad on money

Redbreast 21 (cos it's new and shiny)
Yellow spot
Power johns lane 12yo
Tyrconnell AN Cask 11yo
Bushmills 16yo (or 21 - either way if I could only have 5 I'd want one from each of the established distilleries.)

If I was to pick 5 including past bottlings and really dear stuff:

Redbreast 21 (still new and shiny)
Jameson RVR
Bushmills millennium
Power JL 12yo
Midleton 25 yo

(Sorry Cooley!)

[mawhinney]

No more mention of Redbreast 15yo LMdW please!
Each time I read a glowing reference on the Forum I have to go, in a Pavlovian response, and have a drop: and the stocks are running down.
It's serious.

[Luke Gough]

No more mention of Redbreast 15yo LMdW please!
Each time I read a glowing reference on the Forum I have to go, in a Pavlovian response, and have a drop: and the stocks are running down.
It's serious.

If that's the case you'll have to be most careful with the 21...

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Forgot all about Yellowspot and it staring right at me on the shelf. So I'd have to make it in my top 6

[pigs nose]

Roughly as follows:

1. CWS Uimhir a dó;
2. Jameson 18;
3. Bushmills 21 y.o.;
4. Tyrconnel Maderia Cask;
5. Mid-2000s Redbreast 12.

As you can tell, I do like my sherry casks so I do (RB notwithstanding).

[Distiller]

In no particular order my list would be:

Kilbeggan 100 proof
Teeling 30 year old single malt
Greenspot 12yr
Bushmills Single Cask 1985 (cask 15183)
William Jameson - bottled December 1934

The funny thing about that list is that they have all been at society events!

[Fionnán]

What? no bog oak connemara on that list? Are you sure you want that kind of information on the internet

[varizoltan]

What? no bog oak connemara on that list? Are you sure you want that kind of information on the internet

leave the Big man alone, today is his Birthday

[pigs nose]

Teeling 30 year old single malt

Wow. I didn't realise that they had expanded out of their cooley stocks