A couple of entries back in Rating Whiskeys, I mentioned a very informal rating system that my five siblings and I devised a while ago. We lumped our preferences into three categories:

1) A Fine Drink -- exceptionally good, reserved for special occasions (depends on how you define "special." I'm pretty tolerant). Tends to be pricier whiskey but well worth the money.

2) An Everyday Tipple -- A very enjoyable whiskey good for pre- and post-meal libations, as a complement to your favorite stout, for hanging out with friends and family, for ordering at bars if available, for a post-work wind-down, to celebrate a win by your favorite teams, to console oneself after a loss by your favorite teams, to mark the passing of 1700 / 5:00 p.m., to toast the sunrise, the sunset, the solstice or the equinox, to note completion of a challenging project, to delay completion of a challenging project, to make yourself or others look more attractive and sound funnier/smarter, to say things like, "my, my, such lively citrus notes," or for no reason at all. Usually something under $40 a bottle.

3) Good For Coffee -- The name of this category sounds more negative than intended. It's more along the lines of, "Yes, I'd surely drink that but what else do you have?" Standard Jameson or Bushmills are old and dear friends. But you might, um, save them for another time if you see some Red Breast or Black Bush, for example, nearby. Something like that.

I compiled a list of our preferences over a year ago and have used it as a handy holiday and birthday gift guide for my brothers and sisters (how many families do you know where the siblings know each other's preferences in Irish whiskeys?). The list has been pretty reliable. And not surprisingly, the six of us often have the same whiskeys on that original list though sometimes in different order. Black Bush, Red Breast, Jameson 12, Clontarf, Powers, Knappogue Castle and Tullamore Dew tend to show up a lot.

However, we have continued to expand our whiskey roster since then. Midleton (VR '06 and '07), Bushmills 21- and -16-year-old, Jameson 18, Kilbeggan, T-D 10- and 12-year-old, Greenore, Paddy and others have joined the list. The high-end whiskeys certainly have a significant presence in the "Fine Drink" category. And my own "Everyday Tipple" list is now downright promiscuous. I can't even identify a "favorite" whiskey anymore. Which bottle I grab has more to do with what I feel like having at that moment, maybe a particular craving ("Gee, I'd love a               right about now"), who I'm drinking with, etc., etc. But to me, that variety is one of the most enjoyable things about Irish whiskey.

Anyway, I'd like to hear from my fellow Irish whiskey drinkers about some of your favorites using this or whatever ranking/rating system works for you -- or just what you like. Some folks devoutly drink their one favorite. Others have a few faves or a specific bottle reserved for special time or person. I'd also like to hear if there any whiskeys which just don't do it for you for whatever reason. Let me know.