Editor’s/”Nanny Buzzkill’s” Note: This post is for 21+ only. And yes Dappered encourages you to drink responsibly (or not at all.)
There once was a man from whiskey country.
Who also didn’t like dressing schlumpy.
He hit the liquor store to fish, and found some I-rish.
While preventing our bank-rolls from getting stumpy.
About the Author: Adam Terry is a thirtysomething sales manager in the commercial construction industry. He enjoys whiskey, watches, boots/shoes, and working on his dad bod father figure.
Bourbon and Scotch whiskies often dominate whiskey conversations these days, but Irish whisky has been having a remarkable renaissance of its own over the past decade with both historic distilleries and bold newcomers crafting new, very interesting expressions that deserve any spirits enthusiast’s attention.
From the familiar warmth of Jameson and Bushmills to the innovative finishes of Teeling and Redbreast, Ireland’s whiskey landscape offers a fascinating spectrum of styles and flavors. Each distillery (and their distillation and blending teams) brings a wholly unique interpretation to the Irish whiskey traditions.
So, what makes Irish whiskey so unique and memorable? There are a lot of details and nuance to this spirit, but to keep it short and simple, here’s a quick rundown of a few important things to consider:
- Irish whiskey must be distilled and matured on the island of Ireland.
- Irish whiskey must be distilled from a mash of cereal grains, such as malted or unmalted barley.
- Irish whiskey can only be cut with plain water, but some caramel color is OK for a uniform look.
- Irish whiskey must mature for at least three years in wooden casks (barrels), such as oak.
- Note: any published age statement must refer to the youngest whiskey used in the bottle.
Adam’s (Spirits) Review Scale of Excellence (A.R.S.E.)
- BUY: I really like this bottle and highly recommend it.
- TRY: I sort of like this bottle, but recommend that you try it at a bar first.
- PASS: This bottle is not for me. I’d rather drink peat bog water than drink this one again.
Before we jump into these reviews, it’s important to remember the Golden Rule of adult beverages:
The “best” spirit is the one that you like to drink, the way you like to drink it.
While I might always encourage you to try a new spirit “neat” before adding a spritz of water or a chunk of ice, it’s definitely OK to experiment with different things to see what works best for you and your palate!
Jameson Irish Whiskey – $21
When you think of Irish whiskey, you probably think of a brand like Jameson. This whiskey probably won’t blow your socks off flavor wise, but it is an interesting brand to begin our discussion for its sheer scale of production and incredibly long history. Jameson is one of the oldest distilleries on the island and has been distilling since 1810! In 2023, the brand sold over 3.9M 9-liter cases, or nearly 50 million bottles!
Jameson’s classic Irish whiskey is a blended whiskey made from a mix of pot distilled barley and column distilled grain whiskey (a blend of 5% malted barley and 95% corn). Midleton, the distillery that produces the Jameson brand, sources their barley from the island but the corn is shipped in from France. The two spirits are triple distilled to create a buttery smooth texture, then vatted together to mingle for a bit, and then pumped into ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for at least four years for a light, approachable flavor profile. The final product is chill filtered to remove sediment from the barrel and some chemical compounds (fatty acids, proteins, esters, etc.), which some might argue softens the flavor too much.
This entry level Jameson product is bottled at 40% ABV or 80 proof.
Adam’s Score: TRY
Adam’s Thoughts: This is a simple, straightforward, and low-risk Irish whiskey that most folks can afford to try neat, on the rocks, or as a mixer in a cocktail. For me, Jameson is a little too much like a liquid fruitcake – the flavor notes aren’t as interesting or as deep as I want and the flavor texture isn’t as smooth or as rounded as more mature whiskies often are. I imagine a Jameson 10 year product would do well.
Bushmills Prohibition Recipe Irish Peaky Blinders Irish Whiskey – $26
The Bushmills Prohibition Recipe limited release bottling is an interesting expression. The Bushmills marketing and advertising folks say that it pays homage to the distillery’s history and how they (allegedly) made their whiskey back during the post-World War I and prohibition eras of the 1920’s.
While it might be more of a marketing collaboration with the Peaky Blinders TV series than actual product innovation, this bottling is a unique look at how youthful, ~3-4 year old Irish whiskey tastes from the Bushmills distillery at a higher proof point and without chill filtration. If you find that you like this bottling but wish for deeper flavors that might come with more age… you’re in luck. Stay tuned for Bushmills 10!
This unique bottling of Bushmills is bottled at 46% ABV or 92 proof.
Adam’s Score: TRY
Adam’s Thoughts: The Bushmills Prohibition Recipe bottling provides good value for its price point and serves as an interesting tribute while delivering a more-than-solid tasting experience. It works well neat but also holds up nicely in cocktails where you want the proof and whiskey flavors to shine through. While I don’t normally buy into celebrity or branded tie-in promotional products, this one does feel like something that the gangsters from Peaky Blinders might have drunk at their local pub. I recommend trying this one.
Teeling Small Batch Rum Cask Finished Irish Whiskey – $37
Teeling’s Small Batch Irish Whiskey is a blended whiskey that’s crafted from hand-selected grain and malt whiskies that are separately and fully aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being married/mingled in Central American rum casks for up to a year. It is a fairly unique expression at this price point. This bottling’s six month rum cask finishing adds that distinctive layer of sweetness to the more traditional, youthful Irish whiskey flavor profile but compliments the spirit rather than overwhelming it with a cloyingly sweet taste.
I rarely add tasting notes to these reviews because everyone’s palate and reference catalog is different, but we can all agree that most rums introduce flavors like brown sugar, ripe bananas, and dried red fruits. Note: The Teeling brand and distillery are majority owned by the Bacardi company, so one would think that most, if not all, of these Central American rum barrels are from the Bacardi-owned rum brands.
This bottling of Teeling Small Batch Rum Cask Finish Irish Whiskey is bottled at 46% ABV or 92 proof.
Adam’s Score: TRY
Adam’s Thoughts: Generally speaking, I have never been a big fan of Teeling’s blended whiskies. There’s something about their overly grain-forward flavor profile that doesn’t sit well on my palate. However, this bottling’s light rum cask finishing adds that layer of sweetness and goes a long way to compliment (and mask) those grainy notes. This one is a Try Before You Buy bottle in my opinion.
Powers Three Swallow Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey – $43
Irish Distillers is one of the leading suppliers of Irish spirits and houses the Midleton Distillery, which produces arguably the best Irish whiskies on the market today. Within their brand portfolio are brands and products that you might be familiar with – Jameson, Powers, Redbreast, Spot Whiskey, Knappogue Castle, and Midleton Very Rare. Each of these brands produces a unique assortment of Irish whiskies, but Powers is the first step up the ladder from Jameson’s entry level and value-focused blended whiskey.
Powers Gold Label was the first Irish whiskey brand to be bottled way back in 1886 at their John’s Lane distillery in Dublin. However, this Powers Three Swallow product is a more modern take on what their distillery’s product might have been back then. Legend has it that the name, Three Swallow, might have come from the distillery’s coachmen who would prepare a small flask of this whiskey before a long trip.
This bottling is a true single pot still Irish whiskey – it’s produced at one distillery, it’s made entirely from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, and it’s triple-distilled in traditional copper pot stills for an oily mouthfeel. The whiskey used in the Three Swallow product is aged in a mixture of 97% 2nd and 3rd fill ex-bourbon casks and ~3% Oloroso Sherry butts for ~5-7 years.
Powers Three Swallow is bottled at 43% ABV or 86 proof.
Adam’s Score: BUY
Adam’s Thoughts: The Midleton Distillery makes all of my favorite Irish whiskies and the Powers brand’s Three Swallow is an excellent introduction to the Single Pot Still Irish whiskey style for those who might be new to tasting through this category. Three Swallow is easily drinkable neat, or on ice, while still offering enough complexity to satisfy you when you’re looking to delve into the flavors on offer. Buy!
West Cork Glengarriff Series: Bog Oak Charred Cask Single Malt Irish Whiskey – $45
West Cork’s Glengarriff series of innovative oak aging and finishing is a tribute to this historic part of Ireland. They run the entire production process in house at their West Cork Distillery, which is surprisingly rare in a world where lots of whiskies are sourced from other distillers. What makes this release so unique is their use of ancient bog oak in their cooperage barrel-making process.
This spirit starts life as 100% malted barley grain and is triple-distilled through copper pot stills before being aged for ~3-4 years in ex-sherry butts. Then, bog oak from the region is burned to create the fire that heavily chars the inside of new, virgin oak casks in a similar way in which peat is burned to flavor malted barley. This process is said to imbue the new oak casks with a hint of bog oak flavor compounds, which then meld into the spirit that rests inside over the next ~4-6 months of secondary aging. Note that this bottling is also non-chill filtered for maximum flavor.
West Cork’s Bog Oak Charred Cask is bottled at 43% ABV or 86 proof.
Adam’s Score: TRY
Adam’s Thoughts: If you’re interested in exploring innovative cask finishes, this Irish whiskey is a great starting point as the bog oak charring process imparts a subtle campfire smokiness to the whiskey. That’s different from peated/smoked whiskies that tend to have more barbecue or iodine-like flavor undertones. If you’re a fan of sitting by a campfire and roasting marshmallows and chocolate, this one’s for you.
Final Notes:
Pricing: As always, we try to stay true to Dappered’s affordable quality ethos by recommending commonly available and relatively affordable picks. You should be able to find most of these selections at a local liquor retailer or a spirits-focused watering hole near you. Prices shown were taken from a “big box” Total Wine location where possible, but we highly encourage you to check with your local boutique spirits retailer first. So, please consider these prices a rough average for a standard size ~750ml bottle; they may not represent the prices in your neck of the woods. Apologies if you live in New York or Seattle!
Pro Tip: Don’t forget, some brands also offer smaller “airplane” 50mL or sub-pint size bottlings. These are perfect for experimenting with new whiskies without breaking the bank on a full size bottle! Cheers.
Up Next… 5 bottles over $50 but under $100. Keep your whetted whistle wise for that one, won’t you?