Irish whisky
 

Going to Ireland next week. Thought I'd bring back a bottle of Irish whisky for xmas gift. Don't want to bother if I can just buy it here. Are there brands that you can only purchase in Ireland? Any suggestions?

The best we had in Ireland is "Jameson" Irish whiskey and you can buy it here in the States but what I can't find here, but loved, is "Celtric Crossing Liqueur" a cognac. Also was introduced to "Mead" a wine made from honey and have been able to find it only once in the States.

The best whiskey (BTW, it's whisky in Scotland, whiskey in Ireland) in Ireland is Bushmills. You can get both Bushmills and Jamesons in the U.S. very easily, but Bushmills does sell a 12-year-old single malt that is only available at its distillery.

Ann is right about Bushmills. I volunteered as a &quot;taster&quot; there one long rainy day. I've always loved single malt Scotches, and they gave a number of us a lot of samples of Irish and single malts. Everyone of us blindly chose the Irish. <BR>And my prized bottle of the 12 year stuff is nearing the bottom. I've managed to nurse this treasure for two years. Guess I've got to get back to Bushmills to buy another!

Mead was disgustingly sweet tasting to me. Try it before you go and buy a bottle to lug around with you.

We recently toured both Jameson's and Bushmill's and one of the fun things about buying a bottle at the distillery is having them put a special label on the bottle. I think is says something like &quot;bottled especially for xxx at the yyy distillery&quot;. Great for gifts!

Jameson whiskey is definitely best and it's made in Ireland rather than in the (technically) UK (Bushmills is made in the North of Ireland). Jamesons has two distilleries- one in Dublin and one in Midleton, Cork. The Tour in Midleton is better than the Dublin one..

My brother loves his whisky and scotches. So of course I scurried around Dublin asking every publican for his reco. Most said Bushmills 12 years aged. My brother to do this day won't open the bottle because he hasn't had a big enough reason to crack it open and celebrate. Guess he must be waiting for something really really huge to happen.

Hi cd...saw your post re &quot;Celtic Crossing&quot;--hm, good. Found it here in Washington (State) at the local state-run liquor store. I just love the words on the bottle...&quot;To remember those who left our shores never again to see their homeland.&quot; Apparently based on a recipe dating back to The Great Famine. Produced in Bailieboro, County Cavan. Slainte!....Helen

If your looking for Celtic Crossing and live around Chicago look at Sam's Wine and Spirts. or go to www.samswine.com

Paddy's of course!

There's fairly decent selection of whiskies in duty-free shop at Dublin airport. Prices are way below those in high st shops. All the popular brands are stocked, plus some single malt ones.

I keep a bottle of Jameson's on hand and pour a wee bit into my coffee when the urge hits. Add a little cream and sugar and your troubles just melt away.<BR><BR>On the other hand, can't stand the taste of Bushmill's!

Catherine,<BR><BR>May I suggest Connemara Single Malt. <BR><BR>First, because I think it's one of Ireland's finest whiskeys. A Bushmills or Jameson's it's not. It's a pure pot still whiskey made from peated malt that is truly the &quot;Uisce Beatha&quot; (Gaelic, &quot;water of life&quot;). <BR><BR>And, if you're looking for unique, it fits the bill - I can't find it here (NYC suburbs) but it can be found in a couple of NYC pubs/bars catering to the whiskey crowd - no retailer carries it that I'm aware of. My relatives in Ireland say it's generally available where they live, County Louth. If you travel north and/or northwest of Dublin, you should be able to find it. It's a brand of Cooley Distillery who also make Locke's Single Malt that's available in a ceramic crock (gift thing you know). Locke's is very good, but I favor Connemara.<BR><BR>Have a wonderful trip to the ole' sod.<BR>--<BR>Michael Murphy,<BR>I've sipped a few in my time.<BR><BR>P.S. If you want to curl someone's toes, think about bringing back some Poteen.

Most people are either Bushmills or Jameson's. I prefer Jameson, which you can get here...but I bought a bottle of the Distillery Reserve which you can only get at the Distillery. Something like that is really special. I also got a bottle of &quot;Grace&quot; which is a very soft and smooth &quot;Lady's Whiskey.&quot; If you want something to serve to people &quot;Celtic Crossing&quot; or &quot;Grace&quot; are great drinks for the people who aren't big whiskey drinkers. Hehe just don't waste good whiskey mixing it. =)

jameson's! go to the distillary of you can. i was there in june 2001, and have been enjoying jameson's ever since. cheers.

I was told that Jameson's is a Roman Catolic Whiskey and Bushmill's is a Protestant Whiskey...Does that make a difference?

George,<BR><BR>Not to a whiskey drinker :-)<BR>Bushmills comes from the North,<BR>Jameson's from the Republic; ergo their monikers.

I have another vote for Connemara single malt. I drink only single malt scotch whiskey and this is almost as good as any! Peaty, woody flavor, and smooth!

James, them's fightin' words. It was still one island the last time I was there. But let's leave the politics to drunk people in pubs.<BR><BR>As for the Jameson vs. Bushmills debate, when my husband and his friends start a session, they start with Bushmills, because it's the good stuff. When they no longer care what it tastes like, they hit the Jamesons.<BR><BR>Actually, the best whiskey you're going to find anywhere on the ISLAND of Ireland is Bushmill's Millenium whiskey. Of course, I bought my bottle here in the U.S. If you can still find it, it runs about $100-$125 a bottle. It was distilled in 1975 and bottled in 2000. Bushmills sold casks of it for $5,000 each, and bottled it with individual labels for whoever bought it. Much of it stayed private, but I got mine from a liquor store in Washington, DC, that bought a cask.