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 whiskey sipping gentleman.
Whose taste was really quite genuine.
He searched for a few bottles of liquor
that would please the choosiest tippler,
yet wouldn’t cost more than a Benjamin.
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.
Refer to our previous post on Irish whiskies HERE if you’d like a little more background information.
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.
Bushmills Single Malt 10 Year – $50
Bushmills 10 Year Single Malt is the youngest of their single malt bottlings, but it has a notably (and subjectively) better flavor profile. This example of fine Irish Single Malt is triple distilled in copper pot stills from a mash of 100% malted barley. The whiskey is then aged for at least 10 years in ex-sherry and ex-bourbon-seasoned casks, which impart added complexity – ample layers and deeper depths of flavor that you won’t usually find in their younger whiskies. The added age also helps create a silkier texture. If you can find and appreciate these more nuanced flavors, consider this bottling as the gateway forward.
Bushmills 10 Year Single Malt is bottled at 40% ABV or 80 proof.
Adam’s Score: TRY
Adam’s Thoughts: If you’re looking to try a relatively inexpensive Irish whiskey with some extra age, this is a great option as it’s readily available and won’t break most people’s “fun” budget. I’m usually a fan of the Bushmills line of products and I especially like those with 10+ years of age, as I find the flavors to be deeper, richer, more complex, and more “rounded” and integrated. Thus, this one’s easier to sip neat.
Redbreast 12 Year Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey – $66
In my humble opinion, Redbreast 12 Year exemplifies the pinnacle or definitive expression of traditional Single Pot Still Irish whiskey. This whiskey is produced by the boffins at Midleton in County Cork. Redbreast is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley that gets triple distilled in copper pot stills. Each batch of whiskey then ages for at least 12 years in a mix of 75% ex-bourbon and 25% ex-Sherry casks, which help to create a more full-bodied flavor profile with a wonderfully creamy, almost oily and viscous “mouthfeel” texture. The bourbon casks add layers of flavor that remind me of vanilla bean, salted caramel, and cinnamon like you find on a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. The Oloroso sherry casks impart more fruity spice flavors, but the age darkens them into stewed plums, raisins, and cherries. The added age for this bottling helps all of those flavors come together and mingle, integrating beautifully and creating more depth and richness without becoming too oaky or tannic like some whiskies do in time. This is my all-time favorite Irish whiskey as it showcases an exceptional depth of flavor and character.
Redbreast 12 Year is bottled at 40% ABV or 80 proof. A cask strength bottling is available at ~57% ABV.
Adam’s Score: BUY
Adam’s Thoughts: I rarely say this, but Redbreast 12 Year is a must buy for any whiskey lover. It’s rich in flavor and smooth in texture and has an amazing complexity that you can sit with and chew on as you read a book or watch your favorite sports game over the course of a casual afternoon. Simply sublime.
Green Spot Irish Whiskey – $72
Green Spot is another fantastic whiskey from the Midleton distillery in County Cork, Ireland. As another shining example of Irish Single Pot Still whiskey, each batch is made at this singular distillery from a mash of malted and unmalted barley before being triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills to bring out that quintessential pot still “baking spice” spiciness and a creamy or oily mouthfeel texture.
Named for the old tradition of marking their whiskey casks with a dollop or “spot” of paint that identified how long the barrels would mature – blue was 7 years, green for 10 years, yellow for 12 years, and red for 15 years. While today’s version doesn’t carry a specific age statement, Green Spot is matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry butts for between 7 and 10 years. This diverse age and maturation approach contributes significantly to Green Spot’s fruity flavor profile and overall balance.
Green Spot is bottled at 40% ABV or 80 proof.
Adam’s Score: BUY
Adam’s Thoughts: If a dram of Redbreast 12 is like drinking a stewed plum and raspberry cobbler, a dram of Green Spot is like drinking a freshly baked apple pie. It’s light and crisp like a shortbread cookie, but with a warming heat that brings along flavor notes that remind me of apples and pears. I find that Green Spot is a more refreshing drink as compared to Redbreast because it’s not so dark or rich, so it doesn’t take a lot of thinking or dreaming about; you just drink it and enjoy it for what it is at the moment. Highly recommended.
J.J. Corry The Gael (Batch 1) Irish Whiskey – $82
This inaugural batch of J.J. Corry, The Gael represents a masterful revival of Ireland’s bonding (blending) tradition. This meticulously crafted blend showcases the “art” of sourcing and maturing exceptional single casks rather than focusing on the “science” of distillation itself. J.J. Corry’s owner, Louise McGuane, opened the first female-owned Irish Whiskey house with The Chapel Gate Irish Whiskey Company. Her dedication to this lost art of bonding has produced a handful of blends with a truly exceptional balance and flavor character that stand distinctly apart from other mass-produced blended whiskies.
What makes The Gael truly exceptional is its composition of hand-selected casks of whiskey. This precise formulation of 60% malt and 40% grain whiskey creates a tasty and harmonious marriage between the deeper complexity of the well-aged malts and the lighter spirit of the grain whiskey. It includes:
- 26 Year Old Single Malt aged in ex-Sherry butts (5%)
- 15 Year Old Single Malt (27.5%)
- 11 Year Old Single Malt (27.5%)
- 7 Year Old Grain Whiskey (40%)
J.J. Corry’s The Gael is bottled at 46% ABV or 92 proof.
Adam’s Score: TRY
Adam’s Thoughts: If you’ve already tried the mass-produced, inexpensive blended Irish whiskey and some mid-priced Single Malt and Single Pot Still Irish whiskey, then you should take this opportunity to branch out and try a blended Irish whiskey that is made from whiskey that was sourced from various distilleries before being aged and blended by a separate set of hands. Said another way: if you’ve had cheeseburgers from McDonald’s and Five Guys, you should try one assembled by Gordon Ramsay.
Waterford Cuvee Koffi Irish Single Malt Whisky – $90-100
Waterford’s Cuvée Koffi stands as a testament to the distillery’s pioneering terroir-driven approach to Irish whiskey. This expression exemplifies Waterford’s philosophy that whiskey, like wine, has the potential to express the unique character of the land where its barley was grown. Waterford crafts this whiskey from barley that’s harvested from carefully selected Irish farms, each contributing distinctive flavor profiles tied directly to their specific soil, microclimate, and terroir. Waterford meticulously tracks each harvest and distills them separately before bringing them together in a marriage for this remarkable cuvée (blend).
Maturation takes place primarily in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, but some components of this blend spend time simmering in some French oak for an extra toasted or roasted flavor. This complex maturation strategy enhances the terroir-driven flavors rather than masking them, allowing the barley’s inherent grain character to shine through. As they say, this whiskey’s sum is better than the individual parts.
Adam’s Score: TRY
Adam’s Thoughts: In my opinion, this is as unique as Irish whiskey gets. What could be more special than hand selecting barley from 25 single-family farms within spitting distance of the distillery, distilling those harvests separately to extract their unique flavor compounds, distilling in old school copper pot stills, and then aging the batch in super high quality ex-bourbon or virgin oak casks for maximum flavor? This brand is a celebration of the complexity that’s attainable only from this fusion of each unique farm.
Note: Sadly, Waterford has recently fallen into receivership following unsuccessful attempts to raise funding to keep them in business. I hope to see them back soon as I truly love their whiskey expressions.
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.