Bushmills 16 year old

For a while now I’ve been asked the question “Have you tried Bushmills”? I would always reply “No, but it’s on my list to try”. Well, that certainly changed this past weekend, so YES, I have finally tried Bushmills! I had a finger (maybe 2) of this 16 year after a long Sunday which included an 8.5 mile walk through the Minuteman trails here in MA.

Before I go further I want to clarify what a finger is for those who aren’t whiskey drinkers or are just learning about whiskey. A finger of whiskey is not a formal measurement but roughly equals one fluid ounce. The amount usually comes out to be the width of one finger. So, if you have two fingers then it’s basically the width of two of your fingers. 

This 16 year old is an Irish blended whiskey. Out of their range, in my opinion, it has the nicest color with a beautiful reddish hue. A bottle would cost around $60-$70.

To create its blended flavors, one whiskey is matured in Oloroso sherry casks and the other in bourbon casks. They are then brought together and matured in port wine casks and then voilà, this whiskey is born. Although this whiskey does not top my list of favorites, it is still very enjoyable and a very good Irish blend.

The Experience: After pouring my finger, or two, I first smelled the fruitiness of the whiskey. That was then followed by the smell of sherry and sweetness. In the palate I was first hit with a burn. The taste was creamy, sweet and it very much tasted like honey. In the end I was left with a woodsy taste.

Overall, it was a very good blend that is definitely worth tasting. The burn of this whiskey would immediately warm anyone up on a very chilly/cold day. So, if you are looking for some warmth this winter give this one a world, you might just like it.

Cheers!

Tullamore D.E.W., Original, Old Bonded and Heritage

Monday already! Could you believe that September is coming to a close soon? Well, neither can I. Time flies when you are having fun. And fun is exactly what I had when I got a chance to try three different whiskies from one whiskey family range. It is not often that I get to do that, so I enjoyed every minute of the experience.

My good friend from college Matt absolutely LOVES the Irish whiskey, Tullamore D.E.W. I got a chance to go through his collection during a recent visit I made to him and his wife Sarah down in Cape Cod. It was easy to get him to share the original and the Old Bonded with me (this triple distilled Old Bonded Warehouse reserve is only available for purchase in the distillery building. It was created for the reopening of the Tullamore D.E.W. visitor’s center in September 2012). However, it was not so easy to have him share the Heritage with me. You see they are saving that bit for a very special occasion and since they don’t make the Heritage anymore, giving some away is certainly very hard to do. In the end he shared enough for me to write about it. Thanks again Matt!


For my non whiskey drinkers who want a little history about this whiskey, here’s a little tidbit, Daniel E. Williams worked for the Tullamore Distillery. He worked hard and quickly raised up the ranks to eventually one day own the distillery. The whiskey went from just being Tullamore to Tullamore D.E.W. as Williams began adding his initials to every bottle. Their range now includes the original, 12 year old special reserve, 10 year old single malt and the Old Bonded Warehouse.


If you want to hear a side story about drinking Tullamore D.E.W., Matt and I had a college friend in the military that got killed in Afghanistan. The night before his funeral services, a few of us gathered to tell stories about what a great man he was. That night, Matt and I nearly finished one entire bottle of Tullamore D.E.W.
Out of the three that I tasted, to include their Heritage bottle, the one I enjoyed the most was their Old Bonded Warehouse release. To me it was the smoothest of the lot, but each of these whiskeys had their own very unique tasting notes.

• Tullamore D.E.W. Original ($20-$30)

1. Smell: Sweetness and vanilla
2. Taste: This one was light and smooth with a slight burn. 
3. My thoughts: Although it was enjoyable it was also very forgettable.

• Tullamore D.E.W. Old Bonded Warehouse (only available for purchase in the Tullamore D.E.W. distillery building)

1. Smell: Oak
2. Taste: It was rich and I tasted oak. There was a slight burn to the whiskey and sweet tasting notes.
3. My thoughts: This was the one I liked best of the three. It was the most memorable and the one I enjoyed most. It certainly was a great tribute to the reopening of theirs visitor’s center.

• Tullamore D.E.W. Heritage Blend

1. Smell: Woodsie
2. Taste: I taste wood. There was a burn to this whiskey with hints of spice.
3. My thoughts: It was a strong whiskey and although nice, I enjoyed the Old Bonded more than I did this one. To me it wasn’t as smooth as I thought it would be. It is certainly more enjoyable than the original and I am extremely glad I got a chance to try it.  

Overall Tullamore D.E.W. is a great Irish whiskey, it’s not at the top of my favorites but it is certainly a whiskey that should be tried. In my opinion they have a clear winner with their Old Bonded Warehouse reserve. It’s very unfortunate that they only sell it in their distillery. Hopefully it is a whiskey they might eventually consider releasing to outside those doors.

Tullamore D.E.W. will forever remind me of great memories and spending time with great friends during difficult moments. I know that I will always enjoy sharing a dram or two with Matt and Sarah on my visits down to see them. So go out there and share a dram with your friends.

Cheers!

Connemara Peated Single Malt Whiskey

If I could go back and change a few things about my two separate visits to Ireland, one would have to be, making sure I toured more of their whiskey distilleries, to include Connemara. What I did get a chance to do while I was there was learned how to pour a perfectly good Guinness at an actual pub in Dublin. Below I will share a picture of my pouring experience in Dublin. The good thing for you all is that you won’t need any lessons here; it is easy to just open a bottle of Connemara, pour and enjoy.

Before writing this post I got a chance to enjoy a dram of Connemara with my brother this very week as we celebrated his birthday. It was a great thing because I’ve wanted to write about this whiskey for quite some time now, so I’m glad I am finally writing about it. Also, I feel I enjoyed this past week’s dram more than I did the very first time I tasted it.

This heavily peated single malt whiskey is aged in American oak casks and it is double distilled in 2 small pot stills. It has an ABV of 40% and if you were to purchase it would cost you about $35-$50 depending on where you buy. Their range includes cask strength, a 12 year old, a single cask and a Turf Mór which according to the Connemara website is the Gaelic word for Big Peat.

My Experience

Color: Light gold
Smell: Peat and oak
Taste: I first got hit with a peaty and smoky taste but that was soon followed by a nice sweetness. This whiskey had nice legs on the dram glass and was extremely smooth.

My first experience with this whiskey was on the rocks. I’ll be honest; I didn’t enjoy it on the rocks but absolutely LOVED it neat. The combination of peat and sweet makes for a perfectly good balanced whiskey. If you are not a fan of peated whiskies, then this may not be the whiskey for you as it is heavily peated. It would also mean that you should probably stay away from the Turf Mór.

Out of all the Irish whiskies I've tasted, Connemara is unique in the fact that it is the smokiest one out there. It did remind me of a few smoky scotch whiskies I have come to love.  

If you’ve never tried whiskey and were looking to try this whiskey I will tell you, my brother is not a whiskey drinker at all. By the end of our night out he appeased me by giving whiskey a chance. I ordered him a neat Connemara and the first words out of his mouth after trying it was “smoky and smooth, I can get into this.”

My brother will not turn into a whiskey drinker over night but he did enjoy this Irish whiskey and I think you will also. So if you’ve tried it and enjoy or didn’t let me know what your thoughts. As you can see my Guinness pouring process below, with Connemara all you have to do is pour and enjoy that great smoky peated taste.

Cheers!

Redbreast 12 Cask Strength

Let’s be honest, in my lifetime of whisky drinking I’ve mainly gone ahead and reached for that Scotch whisky. I was never much of an Irish whiskey drinker until Green Spot and now Redbreast made an appearance in my life. These two whiskies have completely shown me what I was missing out in Irish whiskey. For all those Scotch whisky drinkers, if you haven’t tried any of these, then run don’t walk to try these because they will blow you away.

I first wrote about Green Spot on July 3rd of this year but it wasn’t till this very past weekend that I finally sampled Redbreast 12 Cast Strength. I will assure you that Redbreast 12 Cask Strength did not disappoint; it just made me wish I had not waited this long to try it.

Redbreast 12 Cask Strength to me is extremely smooth Irish whiskey and it is single pot still whiskey at its finest. Even though the single pot still process has begun to revive itself, Green Spot and Redbreast have been using this process from the start and were the only two brands that never stopped using this process to this day and age.

This Cask Strength is matured in Oloroso Sherry Casks much like the original Redbreast 12. It has an ABV of 57.7% and if you were to buy a bottle it would cost you around $60-$80 depending on where you buy.

The Experience:

Color:

• Golden color with hints of amber

Smell:

• Fruity
• Spicy

Taste:

• The first note I tasted in the palette was a peppery note. That was followed by spices and a hint of sherry.

The Finish:

• This whiskey ended with a nice mild burn but with a smoothness that only made me smile. The first words I said after my first sip was, “Wow, now that is good.” 

Sampling this Cask Strength was a great way to start the weekend and it is a whiskey I will certainly be adding to my collection.

For all those non whiskey drinkers looking for a nice Irish whiskey to try then you don’t have to look any further, you’ll love this Redbreast 12 Cask Strength so please go ahead and give it a world. And if by any chance you ever find yourself in Ireland then grab a sample or maybe even a bottle to bring back of Green Spot. It too will not disappoint! 

Cheers!

The difference: Whisky-Whiskey (spelling) and Whisky-Bourbon

Even since I started to drink whisky I’ve been asked before, by non whisky drinkers, about the difference in spelling between whisky and whiskey. I’ve also been asked about the difference between whisky and bourbon. Here is a simple and quick explanation without getting too in-depth.

Whisky and Whiskey

The difference between whisky and whiskey really is the spelling and the word itself denotes the place where the whisky or whiskey comes from.

The United States and Ireland are the only two countries that label their whiskey with an “e”. All other countries to include Scotland, Canada, Japan, etc., label theirs whisky without the “e”. In case you are re-reading that last line, I did say Japan. For those non whisky drinkers that aren’t aware of this, Japan has not always been known for their whisky but that has changed significantly within the last 10 years or so. Some of Japan’s single malts have claimed some national whisky awards. Their single malts are certainly on my list of, “must try”. 

Whisky and Bourbon

Now whisky and bourbon is where we get to actual differences. One simple explanation and a thing to always remember, Bourbon is always whisky but whisky is never bourbon. If you find out that confusing then here’s more to help you understand.

Whisky is made from fermented grains, aged for many years and it is made all over the world. You will find that the longer a whisky is aged the more expensive that whisky will be. Some of the grain mixtures, called a mash, used for whisky include barley, rye, wheat, corn, etc.

Bourbon on the other hand has to have at least 51% or more corn in their mash to be considered bourbon. It has to be aged for at least two years, although most distilleries age theirs for four or more years.

Another important difference is that it has to be distilled in the United States. Although Bourbon can be made anywhere in the US, Kentucky actually produces the most bourbon in the country and for it to be called Kentucky bourbon, it has to be made in Kentucky.

And done, I hope that was a quick and simple explanation!

Cheers!

Green Spot

I have enjoyed Irish whiskey, but before this year I had not found an Irish whiskey that I truly loved and could rave about. It was this past March when my friend Melissa and I headed to Dublin, Ireland for a little vacation. It was while out on one of our nights that we came upon the Parnell Heritage Pub, located on Parnell St. in Dublin. That’s where we met their very friendly bartenders who gave us a few good suggestions for Irish whiskey.

One of the suggested whiskies was Green Spot. If you are wondering why you may not have heard of Green Spot before it could be because it is not sold in the United States. With me back to the US, I brought back a bottle as a gift to my boyfriend. The bottle I bought was priced at about 55 Euros, roughly around 71 US dollars.

Green spot is tripled distilled in cooper pot stills and is considered to be a Single Pot Still whiskey, which is why it is very unique to Ireland. Green Spot by far is one of the smoothest Irish whiskies I have ever tasted. The smell is full of spice and fruitiness. At first I tasted cloves and that is followed by sweetness and the finish is barley. This is truly an amazing Irish whiskey! If you are ever in Ireland please be sure to pick this little bottle up.

I have always said I don’t love Irish whiskey till I tasted Green Spot!  My one regret during my trip to Ireland was not realizing that Green Spot had a mate, Yellow Spot. Unlike Green spot that has an alcohol content of 40%; Yellow Spot is 46% alcohol proof and is 12 years old. The upside, I have a very good reason now to go back to Ireland.

While I dream of future travel plans, I wish all those here in the US, a very happy and safe 4th of July!

Happy Drinking and Cheers!