Amazing what a post on whisky can unleash… But I am well out of various feuds.
Black Bush is a lovely drink. Personally, I generally prefer whisk(e)y that is more influenced by bourbon casks than by sherry casks — Cragganmore over Macallan, say — but Black Bush is an exception. As a few people mentioned, BB is probably the best value for money around. Powers remains top notch (and the newly released Powers LVA 1817 is gorgeous). I love a glass of Powers in the pub with a large bottle of Guinness or a good pint of Guinness — a combination a Clare friend of mine christened a ‘black and amber’.
Green Spot used to be, pretty unquestionably, the best value drop in the world when it was around 30 quid a bottle. But it has gone up a fair bit and the new iteration (with a cork rather than a screw cap) is not as good as before (as Fionnan O’Connor emphasizes in A Glass Apart).
Ardbeg is desert island stuff and probably my favourite single malt. Far more delicate in ways, too, than is often appreciated. Highland Park would be packed for the same island.
There is a lot of great bourbon. I reallly like rye that is, flavour wise, on the ethereal side (Old Potrero, Wild Turkey 101) rather than on the darker side. Most people find Woodford Reserve a bit of a revelation on the bourbon front. Few weeks back, I had an Elijah Craig 12yo in Against The Grain on Wexford Street. Delicious.
Dingle is really promising, given how young its distillate remains. Alas, I was quoted 250 euro last week for a bottle of its single pot still, which is not long out (for around 100 euro). The fad for whiskey is bringing in sharpers. L Mulligan have that Powers LVA 1817 listed for 150 euro. This bottle (which is not meant to be for sale save as shots in certain Dublin pubs) I can buy elsewhere for 80 euro.
There are a plethora of new distilleries and not all of them, in all likelihood, will survive. The most interesting one by far seems to be Mark Reynier’s Waterford Distillery. Am reallly looking forward to trying whatever they bring out.
By the way, Bushmills is largely the malt (for the moment) in offerings such as Tipperary and West Cork. Perfectly nice juicy whiskey but it will be interesting to see how their own stuff fares. I read that West Cork are now using some of their own distillate but have yet to try the relevant bottles.
