A Very Pleasant Surprise
One of last Sunday afternoon's errands was a stop at a local liquor store to re-stock my home supply of Tullamore Dew. It's a favorite among friends and family and, like milk and butter, a staple that should be kept on hand. But as I scanned the store shelves for the distinctive rectangular bottle I was seriously diverted by what I first thought was a visual anomaly, or a disruption in the space-time continuum. Whatever. I was stunned. And excited.
There, gleaming in front of me, were bottles of The Irishman Superior, aka, The Irishman 70.
I had not seen a new, unopened bottle of The Irishman 70 since April when I bought a bottle at Duty-Free on the way home from Dublin. I bought The Irishman 70 and two other labels (Greenore and Paddy) then because they have not been available in the States.
I purchased the blend because I already had tried the Irishman Single Malt at a Dublin pub and wanted to add another name to the roster of sampled whiskeys. The "70" signifies a unique blend of 70 percent malt whiskey with 30 percent pure pot still whiskey (vs. grain whiskey that's typically used). The pot still content adds flavor and dimension.
Our initial sampling back home found an appealing nose, slightly peppery but very smooth taste and long and pleasing finish. We (mainly my brother, my cousin and I) confirmed our initial results until about two-thirds of the bottle was consumed. Then, sadly, without ready access to more, we had to reserve the remainder, pour very modest amounts thenceforth and look wistfully at the diminishing supply.
Until three days ago.
Wait, It Gets Better
On the liquor store shelf above the Irishman 70 was a supply of The Irishman Single Malt:
I immediately grabbed one of each and headed for the checkout, the Tullamore Dew deferred for another day. BTW, the 70 was $30 and the single malt was $50.
Maybe A Positive Trend?
I don't how widespread American distribution is, but I'm hoping its availability in the Boston area and in New Hampshire means a broader presence in the U.S for this excellent whiskey produced by The Hot Irishman of Urglin, Co. Carlow. I also hope that this is a continuation of a trend toward a wider selection of Irish whiskey in the U.S.
In the past six months I've found Kilbeggan (one of several terrific whiskeys from Cooley in Co. Louth), Jameson Gold Reserve and the 10- and 12-year old bottlings of Tullamore Dew. I'd love to see others such as Green Spot (from Mitchell & Son), Greenore and Connemara (both from Cooley), Red Breast 15-year-old, Paddy and others find their way to U.S. stores.
The Irishman Has Landed
So, my fellow whiskey drinkers, The Irishman Superior and The Irishman Single Malt are in America. Go forth, find them and let the craic begin.
There, gleaming in front of me, were bottles of The Irishman Superior, aka, The Irishman 70.
I had not seen a new, unopened bottle of The Irishman 70 since April when I bought a bottle at Duty-Free on the way home from Dublin. I bought The Irishman 70 and two other labels (Greenore and Paddy) then because they have not been available in the States.
I purchased the blend because I already had tried the Irishman Single Malt at a Dublin pub and wanted to add another name to the roster of sampled whiskeys. The "70" signifies a unique blend of 70 percent malt whiskey with 30 percent pure pot still whiskey (vs. grain whiskey that's typically used). The pot still content adds flavor and dimension.
Our initial sampling back home found an appealing nose, slightly peppery but very smooth taste and long and pleasing finish. We (mainly my brother, my cousin and I) confirmed our initial results until about two-thirds of the bottle was consumed. Then, sadly, without ready access to more, we had to reserve the remainder, pour very modest amounts thenceforth and look wistfully at the diminishing supply.
Until three days ago.
Wait, It Gets Better
On the liquor store shelf above the Irishman 70 was a supply of The Irishman Single Malt:
I immediately grabbed one of each and headed for the checkout, the Tullamore Dew deferred for another day. BTW, the 70 was $30 and the single malt was $50.
Maybe A Positive Trend?
I don't how widespread American distribution is, but I'm hoping its availability in the Boston area and in New Hampshire means a broader presence in the U.S for this excellent whiskey produced by The Hot Irishman of Urglin, Co. Carlow. I also hope that this is a continuation of a trend toward a wider selection of Irish whiskey in the U.S.
In the past six months I've found Kilbeggan (one of several terrific whiskeys from Cooley in Co. Louth), Jameson Gold Reserve and the 10- and 12-year old bottlings of Tullamore Dew. I'd love to see others such as Green Spot (from Mitchell & Son), Greenore and Connemara (both from Cooley), Red Breast 15-year-old, Paddy and others find their way to U.S. stores.
The Irishman Has Landed
So, my fellow whiskey drinkers, The Irishman Superior and The Irishman Single Malt are in America. Go forth, find them and let the craic begin.
Posted by Richard Nagle at 12/10/2008 1:50 PM 
Categories: The Irishman, Tullamore Dew 10, Paddy, Jameson Gold Reserve, Tullamore Dew, The Irishman Single Malt, Red Breast 15, Kilbeggan, Tullamore Dew 12
Categories: The Irishman, Tullamore Dew 10, Paddy, Jameson Gold Reserve, Tullamore Dew, The Irishman Single Malt, Red Breast 15, Kilbeggan, Tullamore Dew 12
The Irishman has landed or Christmas has arrived early, in fact a case will arrive at a New Hampshire State Liquor store (to remain secret for now) this coming Monday.
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I've been looking for a good Irish Whiskey blog for some time, and I'm thrilled that you've started one. Content so far is great, keep it coming!
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Thanks very much for the kind words Justin, and I'm glad it's connecting with you. Anything you'd like to see covered? Also, what was the most recent whiskey that you had, and what are looking forward to having next?
Cheers.
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Thanks for the reply Rich. I must admit that I'm definitely not as well versed in the language/verbiage of Irish Whiskey as you are - I'm more of a novice who is interested in learning more. I recently came into possession of a bottle of Jameson's Rarest Vintage Reserve, which I tasted just a bit of, but am saving the bottle for Christmas/New Years. For the price (about $250) I think it's a very impressive flavor - complex yet smooth.
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Wondering if you've had the opportunity to try Greenore Single Grain by Cooley Distilleries? A wonderful whiskey that I am having quite some difficulty finding in the states. On-line would cost a bit over $100, but, quite worth it if all else fails.
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Hi Barry, and yes indeed I have enjoyed Greenore, and it is a wonderful issue from Cooley. I picked up a bottle at duty-free last time at DUB and have had to go easy on the quarter-bottle left after an enthusiastic tasting/drinking session with a brother and a cousin. I think I paid about $30 at the airport so the $100 on-line price is bit high but not undoable. At that point I start doing the math on the dollar-Euro exchange rate, the round-trip airfare (about $450 from Boston), cab fare, how many pints of stout I might drink, food and a hotel, divide by the savings on how many bottles of whiskey I'll buy on the way home, and discount the total by a completely arbitrary rationalization factor and then look at the calendar. Funny thing is that I was just doing that a few days ago but haven't pulled the trigger yet (still working on the calendar part). I keep checking with friends and family who might be passing through Dublin or Shannon to give them a shopping list of whiskeys not available in the States. Sounds like we need a whiskey buying co-op...
Rich
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Sure, and someone would have to volunteer to go to Ireland as the go-between. My hat is firmly in the ring!!!
I bought the aforementioned bottle of Greenore in Chicago last summer. Spent the fall nipping a very wee bit at a time until an aunt died in early November. Well, after the funeral, the gathering took place at one of the many Irish families' home being attended by the O'Briens, Hamlins, Shannahans, Lapplanders, and the Barrys. I brought in this lovely bottle and was immediately assaulted by one and all asking about my "friend", and might I have just a taste? Well, my friend expired within the next two hours, followed by two bottles of Jamesons and a pair of Tullemores to boot over the next six hours. You know, a good Irish wake is almost worth knocking off one of our Irish friends just to have another (wink, wink).
I read just recently that the Greenore was intended to be a very limited bottling, 5000 bottles of 8 year old, followed by 5000 bottles of 10 year old, the rest being save for a 16 year old version. Then I read that the demand was so great, the 10 year old was bottled early to meet the demand. After searching high and low, I decided to replace the Greenore with a bottle of Redbreast. That was my first taste of that brand and was quite good as well. The Greenore seems to be in the area of $50. In your quests for the fine drink, can you recommend another brand in that price range? I'm still a bit new to this, but, have already graduated to having multiple bottles on hand at the ready. Currently, they are Redbreast, Feckin, and Michael Collins.
I'm sure that my next step should be in the $100 range. Ideas for that one as well?
Thanks, Barry
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Barry: Well, they say that a proper Irish-American send-off is one at which you can say that the deceased would have had a good time. Growing up I thought that all wakes and after-funeral gatherings were supposed to be spirited (pardon the multiple puns there) occasions. I always have to re-calibrate when heading to pay my last respects to folks from another culture. I read that too about the limited bottling of the Greenore 8-yo, though I guess that 15 and 18-yo are on the way. BTW, on the fine drink front, I really like Midleton. But I don't drink it often given its $120-ish price. However, I ran a tasting of seven whiskeys (Tullamore Dew, Bushmills, Black Bush, Jameson, Jameson 12, RedBreast and Midleton) for some friends a few weeks ago and reminded myself just how lovely that stuff is. We polished off the one-third bottle I had. Worth every drop and every penny. Sláinte, Rich
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Interesting. I've read that there are 3 distilleries in Ireland. Would you know who makes "The Irishman"? And while we're on the subject, would you know who makes Finian's and Merry's? I can find no information on the google. Cheers!
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Hi James: Yes, there are three physical distilleries/plants in Ireland -- Midleton in Co. Cork, Cooley in Co. Louth and Bushmill in Co. Antrim -- that produce whiskeys and other distilled spirits under contract for a number of brand owners under a bunch of different brand names (sort of like the beer business). The blending, aging and bottling make take place elsewhere. The owner of the Irishman is The Hot Irishman in Co. Carlow, though I'm not sure which distillery they use. I have yet to come across Finian's and can't dig up much on it, though Merry's is produced by James A. Merry & Co. in Clonmel (Co. Tipperary). Merry may be better known for their Merry's Irish Cream liqueurs (www.merrysirishcream.com). Sláinte! Rich
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....and The Irishman has found his way to Michigan as well---both varieties. I got the 70 and made the proprietor promise to not allow the other run out before I returned. So, now for my tasting I have Blackbush, Redbreast, Collins, Knappogue Castle and the Irishman with a Greenore on the way. Thinking of rounding out with Powers and Brennan's. What do you think of this collection? How many is too many?
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Barry: Sounds like a great lineup and a great intro for your guests. I haven't found out how many is too many. We did 18 once. Up to 12 is probably pretty workable.
Cheers,
Rich
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Got my bottle of Greenore! My cousin found one for me about 10 miles away. "Tis now in my kitchen and the seal is broken!
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where in ireland can i get the irishman whiskey
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First and foremost I'd point you to the Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson St., Dublin 2. Here are the particulars on The Irishman offerings available there:
http://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/Irish_Whiskey/Other_Irish_Whiskey/The_Irishman_Whiskey/a_to_z_of_Irish_Whiskey-category-1-distillery-30-brand-17-z-brand.htm
You can also ask the good folks at the Irish Whiskey Society (www.irishwhiskeysociety.com) or David Havelin via his www.irishwhiskeynotes.com website.
Sláinte,
Rich
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