Introduce Yourself

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Please feel free to post a small bit about yourself.

Just a few words to say hello and maybe why you're here and how whiskey came into your life

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

I'll start the ball rolling .....

Hi All, My name is Adrian and I live in wilds of the west of Ireland otherwise know as Co Galway. I have always enjoyed whiskey since I started drinking and was for years a staunch Blackbush drinker. I only seriously started exploring whisk(e)y around 2000. I have a fair collection of Irish whiskey amassed since then and my goal is to taste as much different whisk(e)y before I die . I enjoy all types of Whiskey including Scotch, Japanese, Bourbon as well as my passion of Irish whiskey.

Redbreast 15yo is one of my all time favourite whiskies and some of the Cadenheads Cooley peated expressions are amazing but a simple Powers or Blackbush are also great drams for when down the pub. Another cracking whiskey for me is Jameson 12yo and the Connemara. Most improved is the Tyrconnell range with the Madeira finish standing out for me.

I have really gotten into Japanese whiskies over the last 2 years uncovering some cracking whiskies that have been wonderful surprises. I also admire American whiskey and I am oopen to even the more obscure whiskies countries.

Of course I cannot forget our scotch cousins and leaders of the pack. For me Laphroaig takes up a special place in my drinking cabinette and I also am never with out at least one Highland Park, Glenrothes, Talisker or a Lagavulin.

No matter how you spell it ... it is all good.

[cathach]

Hi there,

My name is Micheál and I migrated over from the 'other' forum. Like Adrian I'm located in shine country out West in Galway. I like most whiskies I'd have to say but obviously Irish is best and the only one I'd spend money on. Powers, Greenspot, Lockes 8yo, Redbreast 12yo, Connemara & Tyrconnell single casks, Redbreast 15yo are my favourites in ascending order. After a few, or stone cold sober I will demand that others acknowledge the supremacy of pure pot still. I am IDL's most committed and poorest paid rep.
Thats about it.

[jcskinner]

JC here.
As many of ye know already, I began as a beer taster for Guinness, then moved on to the grown man's tipple.
A proud Northerner, I am a particular aficionado of the last distillery standing on those Northern shores, our own Bushmills.
But as an even prouder Irishman, I am a big fan of all the output from the land that invented whiskey. I'm especially keen on pure pot still, and am eternally thankful to Midleton for keeping the tradition alive, and I've love for Cooley too for bringing much needed diversity and innovation to the native industry.
We've been (rightly) in the shadow of our Scottish brethren for many a long year now, but I hope that with yet another new distillery soon to come on board and with the inauguration of this new society, the Irish whiskey sector may be about to take over the world again as it previously dominated up until the early 20th century.

[Whiskey Pilgrim]

Kaixo Guys,
My name is Patrick Scanlan an Irish Expat living in Spain´s Basque Country(Euskadi).With my wife Olatz we have an Irish Whiskey bar called Scanlan´s Tavern which is an Irish whiskey dedicated bar ie i only stock Irish& Burbon,for sale i have 30 Irish whiskie´s.I have also put together what i believe to be the worlds largest"Pub" collection of Irish Expressions (150)so i´m throwing down the gauntlet as it were to other bars.Since 2004 the bar has its own in house club called the Hibernian Whiskey Society.As well as tend bar i also run bespoke Whiskey tastings for groups etc and in 2006 we were awarded the accolade "Great Whisky Bar of the World" by Whiskeymag.com .
As well as the Irish Whiskey Society i am a member of the Single Malt club(Spain) and Whisky Magazine Spain has run a feature on the bar.
I am basically an Irish Whiskey nutter living in Gernika on the coastal route to Santiago,thence my nom de plum "Whiskey-Pilgrim" My favourite Pure Pot Still is Greenspot, Vatted blend Kilbeggan,Single Malt Connemara 12yr, and Delux Jameson 18yr & Blackbush.
So if ever you find your self on pilgrimage to Santiago in need of Liquid sustinence,call in for a Whiskey al fresco on the terrace...Slainte !!

[seanbonner]

Hi Everyone-

I was just informed of this site by DavidH when I e-mailed him about a new Irish Whiskey Forum I'd just launched myself over on http://irishwhiskeyforum.com - I don't mention that to try and promote it simply to note this site something I've been hoping to see online for a while and I couldn't be happier to have found it.

I must admit that my initial introduction to Irish Whiskey was not though any first person experience, but rather through songs by folks like The Pogues. As I got more interested and tried to find more information I was constantly finding that the info online was old and out of date, or contained huge holes and had been abandoned by it's author. Since then I've jumped at every chance I can to learn something and have visited a distillery every time I've been through Ireland in the last few years. I hope to visit again later this year and will continue that tradition.

As I mentioned to David earlier it's hard to find people who share this passion in the states, especially in Los Angeles so I'm often chatting people up from out of town and meeting them when I can. Also it's not as easy to pick up bottles here and I bring things back when I can. Admittedly my collection is much smaller than most people here though I'm on the road so much it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to keep too much at home, as I'd never get a chance to enjoy it. That said, within arms reach at the moment I have a bottle of Midleton Very Rare 2007.

Anyway, I'm delighted to be here and look forward to learning much and maybe meeting some folks should I find myself in Dublin during one of your gatherings.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Hi Sean and welcome ... hope you stick around if you have time and feel free to get stuck in, we are always looking for good dialogue, ideas and critique. I know exactly where you are coming from in relation to such sparse interaction of Irish Whiskey sites or people. We have just really started the big effort over here and in the last year or so there seems all of a sudden to be much more interest ... long may it last.

You can check out these guys who are state side also

http://irishwhiskeyblog.com/

and you probably already know Davids Irish Whiskey Notes

http://www.irishwhiskeynotes.com/

as well as my own bottle archive ... click on logo below

[Tsolias]

Hello guys, glad to find you. My name is Chris, born and living in Greece, age 37y.o. (noncoloured, nonchillfiltered )

My passion for whisky began a long time ago, I was just a teenager actually, when my parents got back from a trip to Paris, bringing along a bottle of Glenmorangie10 from a Duty Free shop. That was it!! Started with a "collection" of empty whisky bottles, followed by miniatures and all kinds of whisky related things (glasses, jars, etc.), finally reaching the point of no return (father now, with 2 children who can tell a bottle of Bunnahabhain from a bottle of Connemara better than the 2/3 of the population of my country ), with two dozens of whisky books in the bookselves, and a lot more bottles, for collecting but mostly for enjoying with good friends.

Speaking of friends, we also have started an informal (by now) Hellenic Malt Whisky Society down here, having meetings-tastings every now and then, in which we have emptied a vast number of bottles, from standard ones to very old-rare-limited editions in the last couple of years!! Feel free to visit our online forum (http://www.whiskyforums.com/forums/index.php), altought it will all be Greek for you - there is a section in English though.

I may like the Scotch single malts very much, mostly Talisker, Highland Park, Balvenie, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Glenfarclas, Glenmorangie, Springbank, Bruichladdich, Bowmore and Aberlour, but I also love and am a big fan of the Irish, especially Jameson 12yo, Black Bush and Connemara C/S .

I also like whatever has to do with Celtic (Irish-Scottish) tradition, the people, the music, the land, everything. Had the opportunity this year to visit Ireland, I stayed in friends in Dublin, was there in St. Patrick's Day, and drove thousands of miles with a rented Toyota Auris, from Bushmills to Midleton, from Dublin to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher(loved your city, IWChaser). It was a fantastic week, sunshiny (!!!!), the pubs were cracking, the scenery breathtaking, the Midleton VR I tried was a superb dram. Broght back with me a Bushmills 1608, 400th Anniversary (to be opened in my birthday in October) and a Jameson 12yo distillery reserve.

Can't wait to be in Ireland again.Till that day, the laptop and your forum shall fill the gap.

Slainte!!! Fad Saol Agat!!

[IainB]

You're very welcome Chris. Our geographical reach is ever expanding.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

A very hearty welcome Tsolias, glad you took time out to say hello. Great story about how you developed your love of whisk(e)y and even more impressive that you are passing on the knowledge to the next generation

We will forgive you for mentioning your favourite scotch's as many of us on here are in the same boat and like whisk(e)y in all it forms. I'm personally a big fan of Talisker, Highland Park, Laphroaig, Springbank Bowmore, Lagavulin, Caol Ila & Glenrothes.

So feel free to discuss anything here if you so wish and hopefully we can chat a bit more.

[Raymond]

Hello from Up North, Banbridge to be precise but also partly resident in the Deep South ... of Scotland that is, at Bladnoch Distillery to be precise.
I've just registered and already found a little bit of fascinating historical information on the site, the ratio of barley to oats in potstill whisky.
A bit about myself, I'm close to retirement, interested in hill walking, used to be keen on cycling and on motor biking and holidaying in France. Interested in history, but got a Northern protestant version of Irish history but over the years have been happy enough to read for myself.
The history of the success and decline of the Irish whiskey industry over the last century followed by a proportionately small re-surgence of interest thanks to Cooley is a fascinating story. Irish whisky I think has a great potential for growth and for increasing the awareness of Irish history and culture.
The Scotch whisky industry benefits from a large pool of whisky enthusiasts in every country in the world, all giving huge amounts of time at whisky festivals etc. They are the willing unpaid ambassadors of the industry. Members of The Irish Whiskey Society have the opportunity I think to choose at what level and in what ways, if at all, they wish to participate in promoting the growth of the Irish whiskey industry. You might even consider it a patriotic duty.
The first whiskey I drank was Redbreast about 1970 and in the intervening years quite a lot of Bush and a reasonable number of other whiskies. At the risk of generalising, in my opinion there is perhaps a difference in approach to the drinking of whiskey in Ireland. Irish whiskey is drunk in pubs, as a pleasant aide to conversation, it's not usually the subject of the conversation, it's a smooth easily drunk companion. Many Scotch whiskies, particularly the single malts are aggressive, they stand alone and demand attention, they are often analysed to destruction, the subject of the conversation, not a background to good conversation. Whether or not this is desirable, it's certainly gives Scotch whisky a great deal of free publicity.
Each year I tend to make new year resolutions, most of which I don't keep. In business I try to assess what for me will be considered a success the following year. This usually involves some growth. It will be interesting to see how The Irish Whiskey Society measures it's success over the next few years.
In the meantime I'll just enjoy the postings.
Luck
Raymond

[jcskinner]

Raymond, it is great to have you join us. Many of us will of course know you already from the great work you've been doing at Bladnoch.
In response to your interesting statement about how Scotch has its proselytisers in a way Irish whiskey doesn't, I have a personal take on that which is a teeny bit confrontational.
In the late Nineteenth century, the Scots adulterated our whiskey because it was better. They passed their own off as Irish because our whiskey was better. They savaged our industry and tarriffed it out of business because our whiskey was better, and they bought up and shut many distilleries in Ulster because our whiskey was better.
The Scotch industry's products I like a lot. Their history I despise.
They stole our thunder, and one thing I hope the Irish Whiskey Society can do is help steal it back. Because do you know something? Our whiskey is STILL better.

[JohnM]

Welcome Raymond, from a Bladnoch forum member... Very interesting comments, which I agree with. One thing to add, though, is that I think it's not in the Irish nature to focus on something like whisky as an intellectual pursuit or in conversation.

The Irish, generally, I think, prefer a differnt kind of conversation. To back this up, we have access to scotch whisky also here, but we don't talk much about that either - apart from the few in our new society and a few more besides. And there is a lot more scotch to talk about, compared to our three distilleries. As a result, we don't evangailise when it comes to Irish whiskey.

Anyway, I love Irish whiskey and I love scotch whisky. I don't know if one is better than the other.

It's great to see you contributing here. I hope you can stick around.

John

[JohnM]

have a personal take on that which is a teeny bit confrontational.
In the late Nineteenth century, the Scots adulterated our whiskey because it was better. They passed their own off as Irish because our whiskey was better. They savaged our industry and tarriffed it out of business because our whiskey was better, and they bought up and shut many distilleries in Ulster because our whiskey was better.
The Scotch industry's products I like a lot. Their history I despise.
They stole our thunder, and one thing I hope the Irish Whiskey Society can do is help steal it back. Because do you know something? Our whiskey is STILL better.

A "teeny" bit confrontational!

[jcskinner]

I did warn you!
Perhaps I'm a little belligerent after our Ireland versus Scotland tasting this week. Actually, I'm not, because all of the whiskeys we had were great.
And of course there are duff Irish whiskeys just as there are great Scotch ones. I wouldn't dare suggest otherwise.
But I am prepared to defend the basis of my thesis, which is that the Scotch industry systematically undermined and sought to destroy its Irish rival for well over a century, on the basis that the Irish product was the superior one.
And with so few distilleries left, it became possible for the Scotch industry to promote its indigenous format of the double-distilled single malt as the top end whisky format in the Eighties, which left the moribund Irish industry further behind.
Nowadays, the scenario is different. Everyone is singing from a similar hymn sheet, promoting all whisk(e)y against a background of health puritanism, alcohol scaremongering, the perception of brown spirits as 'old men's drinks' and a raft of other problems that all producers share.
So I hold no animus against the Scotch distillers, and as I said, they make some cracking drams. But their forefathers, down the years, were no friends of the Irish whiskey industry.

[varizoltan]

I did warn you!
Perhaps I'm a little belligerent after our Ireland versus Scotland tasting this week. Actually, I'm not, because all of the whiskeys we had were great.
And of course there are duff Irish whiskeys just as there are great Scotch ones. I wouldn't dare suggest otherwise.
But I am prepared to defend the basis of my thesis, which is that the Scotch industry systematically undermined and sought to destroy its Irish rival for well over a century, on the basis that the Irish product was the superior one.
And with so few distilleries left, it became possible for the Scotch industry to promote its indigenous format of the double-distilled single malt as the top end whisky format in the Eighties, which left the moribund Irish industry further behind.
Nowadays, the scenario is different. Everyone is singing from a similar hymn sheet, promoting all whisk(e)y against a background of health puritanism, alcohol scaremongering, the perception of brown spirits as 'old men's drinks' and a raft of other problems that all producers share.
So I hold no animus against the Scotch distillers, and as I said, they make some cracking drams. But their forefathers, down the years, were no friends of the Irish whiskey industry.

sad, but true

[DavidH]

Welcome on board, Raymond!

The other discussion could run and run so if there are any further contributions, please start a new thread.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Hi Raymond, great to have you pop your head in ... don't worry I still read your great forum but don't post much there any more

As a society we do hope to promote Irish Whiskey to the world but as john says we also like our scotch so hopefully we will get to do business with eventually

Best wishes and prosperity to you and all at Bladnoch ...the best little Scotch Distillery in scotland.

P.S. I urge any IWS forum members to check out Bladnochs forum too if any of ye have any interest in scotch.

It's worth your while

[dramboyo]

Hello to all.
I discovered this excellent forum whilst doing a bit of research for my wee collection.
I've been collecting Irish whiskeys on & off for the past few years and I find the whole subject a fascinating one.
I was born and bred in Comber, County Down, home to the famous spud, and more importantly of course, Old Comber Pure Pot Still.

Well done on such an informative and interesting forum.

[JohnM]

Welcome to the forum, Dramboyo.

[varizoltan]

good to hear this, and we hope to see you at our tastings

Hello to all.
I discovered this excellent forum whilst doing a bit of research for my wee collection.
I've been collecting Irish whiskeys on & off for the past few years and I find the whole subject a fascinating one.
I was born and bred in Comber, County Down, home to the famous spud, and more importantly of course, Old Comber Pure Pot Still.

Well done on such an informative and interesting forum.

[DavidH]

This thread is for introductions. Stay on topic, please. I hived off the other discussion into its own thread.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

You right Dave

Hello I'm .....

[mathew]

Hello All
I am Mathew Martin I am software Engineer and my hobby is drunk Whiskey.I like German Whiskey also like Scotch Whiskey..
Thanks..

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

WElcome Mathew, hopefully you can spend some time on our humble forum. We do like our Irish WHiskey around here but we also like Scotch and many other nationalities. However I must admit I do not know much about German whiskies so maybe over time you can teach us a bit more ...