I love bourbon, scotch, rye, and Japanese whiskey, but I can’t seem to get into Irish much. I wasn’t a big fan of Jameson when I’ve had it a few times, but I did like Proper Twelve when a buddy got me a bottle (despite the consensus that its mediocre, I honestly preferred it to Jameson). Even still, it’s not something I would go out of my way to buy and would rather just drop the money in another bourbon or scotch. All the Irish I’ve had just doesn’t seem to have much flavour or debth compared to a cask bourbon or islay. I’ve been thinking about trying Redbreast 12 since it gets so much praise and hype, but I wanted to get some other recs to give a shot.
I am a big fan of Green Spot. Still looking to try the other Spots. They do have a cask strength Blue Spot. I enjoyed this one as well:
Green Spot Chateau Montelena
Green Spot Montelena has initially been matured in traditional sherry and bourbon casks, then finished for 12 months in French oak Zinfandel wine casks from the prestigious Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley, California.
Nose Crisp oak combines with the soft sweetness of vanilla, white chocolate and marshmallow, balanced with signature Green Spot red apples and ripe pears, along with pomegranate, cranberries and maraschino cherries, the contribution of the wine cask.
Taste Sweet mouth coating takes on a dry note thanks to the effect of the wine cask. Pot still spices subside with zesty citrus leading to ripe orchard fruit and red berries. A touch of marzipan and toasted oak add to the complexity.
I was going to mention the Spots as well. I’ve only dabbled in Irish whiskeys, but I bought Green and Yellow Spot after reading about their history once I found them in a local store. The Green was good enough that the bottle didn’t last very long :) The Yellow, though… I had to put it away to save for a special occasion. My favorite non-peated whiskey.
In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, I may have to pause my exploration of my recent Islay acquisitions to revisit my dusty bottle of Yellow Spot…
Redbreast 12 is also great and I imagine their CS offering is excellent also.
The Irish reminds me a lot of how Glenfiddich hits on those green apple notes. I feel like it is a refreshing, light, fruity profile compared to (my other favorites) the heavy hitter Islay’s with their dominate flavors that pair well with hearty, meaty dishes.
I appreciate the recommendation. I’ll grab a bottle of it when I grab a Redbreast 12th. I understand Irish is a bit more subtle and softer, but what is there I can pick out just hasn’t been interesting yet. I’ll give Green Spot a shot too.
Do you have the option to go to a bar and try some things? Even if it is a little more costly upfront you can try some different styles without the sunk cost fallacy of having to push through a bottle you don’t like just because you bought it. It’s also OK to not like a region or a countries production style. You will find your home eventually. If you like the punch of a higher proof, raw, unadulterated flavor, maybe cask strength is your thing to bring these lighter, floral flavors up to your taste standards.
Alas I also am not as well-versed in Irish whiskies as I am in other styles. My understanding is that the Irish tend to double or even triple distill, and that combined with a mild, low malt mashbill leads to a whiskey that is very clean and easy to drink but may lack spice, smoke, or heavy flavors - especially if you’re comparing it to cask strength bourbon or islay peat! Another I’d put on your radar is Glendalough which I find to be more flavorful than some.
Jameson and proper twelve are both bottom tier whiskeys.
I would suggest trying Jameson Black Barrell it’s much better than normal Jameson.
My personal favourite is yellow spot but green spot is also amazing.
Lots of people love Red Breast, I personally prefer Green spot/yellow spot.
You can’t say you don’t like Irish whiskey when you haven’t even tried any of the good offerings 🙂
I know I’m in the minority when I say I’m not especially impressed by Redbreast 12, though the 15 is much better if overpriced. Personally I lean toward the Powers line-up, especially John’s Lane, but even the very affordable Gold Label is a great daily sipper and way better than Jameson. Also great in the bang-for-the-buck scale is The Sexton single malt. The bottle is a bit gimmicky (and you will spill the first couple pours), but if you like sherry I think it has more flavor than Redbreast. My favorite is Dingle single malt, but it’s next to impossible to get outside of Ireland since they’re so tiny.
