A few months ago I posted that I enjoyed drinking Jameson, both for its own virtues and as an alternative to single malt scotch when the old pocketbook was feeling pinched. Naturally that started a thread on which booze people liked to drink, and some people suggested other varieties of Irish whiskey that I should sample. I tried a few of them, and while I’ve put it off for a while, I’ll recap my results here. This is from memory as I’ve been cutting back lately and the only bottle of whisky currently on my shelf is the “winner.”
The purpose for me was to find possible alternatives to Jameson that were as good or better while remaining in the same price range. I have no idea what prices are like outside of my state, though I know they’re probably cheaper in California.
1. Jameson, the standard. $16 per bottle at my local liquor store. Goes down well and is fairly easy on my body the next day when I’ve had more than one.
2. Powers. $17 per bottle at the same store. Has an unpleasent(imo, of course) aftertaste compared to Jameson. Slightly lighter, perhaps. Not as easy on my body. Verdict: won’t buy it again.
3. Bushmills. $17.50 per bottle at the same store. Lighter and cleaner than Jameson. Apparently as easy on my body. Verdict: though it has since been emptied, I already bought a second bottle.
4. Tullamore Dew. $21 per bottle at the same store, edging close to single-malt scotch territory, though single malt Irish whisky cannot be had for less than $29 per 750. Light and clean, excellent flavor. Verdict: worth the price, currently the only bottle on my shelf.
If and when I get back to drinking whiskey on a more regular basis, rather than sporadically as I have been for a while now, there will always be a bottle of Tullamore Dew on my shelf, unless someone can point me to a better Irish whiskey that’s cheaper. However, I will also have a bottle of Jameson there as well.
As always, suggestions for alternative booze or just chatter about booze in general are welcome.
Well, I like it. Whiskey, that is. And the perfect accompaniment is The Saw Doctors.
Tullamore Dew is good, but hard to find in this area for some reason.
I like Black Bush and Bushmills Single Malt, but they’re pretty spendy. Regular Bushmills is fine.
I’m working through a bottle of Michael Collins right now; not recommended. It was on sale, and now I understand why.
It definitely leads to a rough “morning after”, if you have more than one.
There are usually only one or two bottles of Tullamore Dew on the shelf at the store in question, compared to many bottles of the other varieties. I’m not sure why.
I was just in Tokyo and Beijing and got a few goodies:
JAPAN
– Wild Turkey 8 year. For some reason this is export-only. So I got a 1L bottle in SFO duty free and schlepped it to Tokyo and then Beijing and then back home to Austin. I felt ridiculous. . .the shit’s made in Kentucky!
Suntory Burai-ha (“Whiskey, but. . .”). This is apparently a bit of Yamazaki with some other blending whiskies. Not bad: scotch-y and light.
Suntory Tory’s Blended. Kinda like the JTS Brown of Suntory. I ended up taking this to a party and leaving it.
Nikka 8 Year Black. Haven’t opened it yet.
Kirin 50% w. no age statement. Haven’t opened it yet.
Along with the Turkey I saw the long-lost Four Roses bourbon, another export-only label, but didn’t get it. Overall I tended towards the modest priced whiskeys. You can do pretty similar pocketbook damage with Japanese whiskey as you can with Scotch and my wife had the more liberal shopping budget
BEIJING
Shaoxing wine (forget the brand). This is a bit like sherry, and you can use it for cooking. I had this at an insane meal in Hou Hai, Beijing. They gave us little dried salted plums to drop in the tiny wine glasses. Whatever, Beijing!
Baijiu (again, forget the brand). This is a bit like whiskey or shochu or ‘Merican “white lightnin” and is made from sorghum and rice. Haven’t opened it yet.
I had several Japanese beers and I found them to all be refreshing if a bit samey. Yebisu’s “The Hop” is pretty tame after getting into some of the domestic “megahops” that have popped up lately. Chinese beer is pretty forgetable IMO.
Last words of Dylan Thomas: “Twelve whiskys! A new record!”
I drink Jim Beam at home because it’s affordable. Out to a tavern I’ll ask for Knob Creek and get it, most of the time. Basil Hayden, Bookers, and Woodford Reserve, however, I usually have to buy by the bottle to enjoy. Jim beam I can get for $25 for 1.5 liters; the others are almost twice as much.
Woodford Reserve is the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby.
.
Sorry, I’ll try cutting back…
But I do love my Dew.
You might want to give Michael Collins a try. That’s the whiskey, not Dan’s creepy older brother.
Like Rosie, a massive insult to the brain.
So named for its practice of killing foreigners.
Let me second Black Bush – save a few extra shekels and give it a whirl.
What, is that some lefty way of referring to Condi?
Hmmmm.
I think that’s the dreaded maotai.
From everything I’ve heard drinking it is like one of those scenes from a John Wayne western where the cowboys belly up to the bar, down a slug of raw whiskey and then spend the next few minutes coughing and gagging.
All I know is that I’m glad there’s an entire internet between you and me.
Ah, Tullamore Dew: the drink of the Dorsai. Which is probably why it’s rare: would you try to keep a bunch of future mercenaries from buying as much as they wanted?
On a budget and looking for a decent single malt Scotch instead of the lesser quality Irishes? Try Auchentosahn (sp?). Sells for about $22/bottle in Pa, slightly cheaper in Jersey, if you can find it. Clean, bright, with a crisp finish. Never had next-day issues with it.
Stay away from the McClelland’s single malts, which all can be had for less than $20/bottle in these parts. They’ll make your tongue beg for mercy like a Gitmo tourist staring at a female soldier in BDUs holding a copy of the latest Victoria’s Secret catalogue.
Oh, sorry. “Beg for mercy?” I meant, “wail and nash your teeth before contacting the nearest ACLU attorney about the unjustness and ‘brutality’ of your stay.”
They’re cheap for a reason. Be forewarned.
Redbreast is my favorite Irish. I like Tullamore Dew too. The telling statistic is there are 3 bottles of RB in my cabinet. Only 2 are full of course.
Shaoxing wine is one of the many secret ingredients of cooking good, authentic Chinese food at home. And sesame oil.
Anyway, carry on. Never actually drank Shaoxing wine, mind you, just as I’ve never actually slugged down any cooking sherry.
The other thing I don’t like about the Michael Collins (other than the aforementioned next-day headache) is that it strikes me as being a half-assed Scotch wannabee—a little peaty, but not really. If they want to make a Scotch-like drink in Ireland, that’d be fine (and I’d be happy to give it a try), but don’t fuck around with half-measures.
Maybe the idea is to lure Scotch drinkers to Irish by turning out something that’s vaguely “scotchy”, but it just doesn’t work for me. When I feel like drinking Scotch, I want the real thing.
Oh, and be careful with those Chinese beverages…. wouldn’t want to find yourself drinking “Three Penis Wine” (variously reported as donkey/dolphin/dog, or dog/deer/seal).
Black Bushmills is around $29. A little too expensive for this category.
I cannot find any single malt scotch, no matter what brand, for less than about $25 where I live. The Glenlivet and The Glenfiddich both cost that much, and those are not the best single malts I’ve had, though I think they’re completely serviceable. Actually, for my birthday in two weeks, I plan to go out to a good place and sample some of the really good single malts.
As for the Michael Collins, I’m going to take Andrea’s negative take on it to heart and save the money. But I will try to find the Redbreast and give an Irish whiskey update down the road. In the comments, if necessary.
bush AND black bush are blends. The (green label) is the single malt. However, black bush is still a great blend.
Course, I lived near Bushmills for 15 years,,
Pendleton Canadian Blended Whiskey, usually $25 when you can find it. Currently my favorite drink.
Is the Pendleton sweet-tasting, like CC?
Bushmills is a single malt whiskey, not a blend. It is also not called Scotch because, well, it’s not from Scotland. Also, according to Detective Jimmy McNulty, Bushmills is a Protestant whiskey. Do with that what you will.
Hmmmm.
Remember that you can usually go and buy liquor at any Sams Club in your area without being a member.
Bushmills sells both blends and single-malt whiskeys. The standard Bushmills that I paid $17.50 for is a blend.
Not sure anyone said it’s scotch. We’re talking both scotches and whiskeys here. I like both.
I’m not sure if Sam’s Club has a better liquor collection than Costco, but Costco’s selection is very weak.
What about the Hu-hitjon?
How’s about Crown? Or VO when the pocketbook is low (when is it not?)? Oh, and “when I’ve had more than one”, surely you mean more than one at a time, right?
I was also informed of this by one Sean Patrick Fergus. He will only go for Jameson…What’s with the sectarian whisky hatin’?
I recommend Marty Flaherty’s poitin.
He smuggles it in to Galway from Carna. Only available around Christmas.
He uses copper, all the way. No car radiators in *his* distillation process.