whiskey recommendations please?

jackrussell007 · 29-04-2015 10:03pm #1

hi folks

I'm a relatively new whiskey drinker but have developed a bit of a taste for it. I dont use mixers, I prefer to taste the spirit clean. so far I've tasted Jameson busmills white label, Paddys and JackDaniels. I slightly preferred bushmills over the jameson. I;ve also been supping a bit of brandy which is quite nice too.

Anyway. I'm all out at the moment and my birthdays coming up so Im gonna get the missus to pick me up a bottle or maybe even two. I'm looking for recommendations please. the budget is approx 80 or 100quid. I open as to whether I get one excellent bottle and blow the budge on that or two good bottles. Maybe one good bottle of premium stuff and then another decent everyday whiskey..?

I havent tasted any of the scotch whiskys, and the islay whiskys are interesting. I see that there is an isaly blended in aldi at the moment for approx 30quid or there abouts, is that worth the money? I also read on another forum lots of positive comments about redbreast.

Anyway, I've appreciate any suggestions ye would have. Also, where's best to get a good selection of spirits. I'm in Limerick. The local offie and local tescos dont seem to be great selection wise.

thanks

Passenger · 29-04-2015 10:23pm

Yellow Spot. An absolutely delicious whiskey. One of the finest Irish whiskey's imho and aged in sherry casks giving it a subtle sweet note but it's much more complex than that.

jh79 · 30-04-2015 9:56am

For that budget I would pick from the following;

Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel approx 50 euro
Green Spot approx 56 euro
Teelings Single Malt approx 45 euro
Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey approx 45 euro
Greenore Single Grain approx 38 euro

Tesco often has some of the more expensive whiskeys on special offer

Loire · 30-04-2015 11:01am

Passenger wrote: »

Yellow Spot. An absolutely delicious whiskey. One of the finest Irish whiskey's imho and aged in sherry casks giving it a subtle sweet note but it's much more complex than that.

Really like yellow spot too. Connemara Cask Strength is also very good

Loire.

the beer revolu · 30-04-2015 11:20am

If I was going to blow the budget on one bottle it'd be Tyrconnell Maderia finish.

Also really like Yellow Spot and Powers John Lane 12 YO.

At the cheaper end, the Jameson Caskmates is very good if you can get it.

murphyebass · 30-04-2015 7:48pm

Was going to start a new thread but think I'll highjack this one instead as its related.

I'm no whiskey expert op but I love bushmills 10year old. Sooooo tasty.

I've a bottle of Middleton in the press that gets the odd sup. very special.

You mention the Islay whiskeys. I've a bottle of the Aldi one in the press which I'll be buying another bottle of. €25, very peaty but very morish if you take to it.

Anywho onto the highjacking...

I just bought a bottle of 10year old whiskey in Lidl by Dundalgan. Hoping it's decent.

Anyone any experience of it?

Very little info on it online. Maybe distilled in Cooley? ... Edit saw something else about Cavan maybe?

It's €30 a bottle which is why it caught my eye vs about €40ish plus for my usual 10year old bushmills.

...edit.... it's tasty.

L1011 · 01-05-2015 5:58am

The Dundalgan 10 is wildly disappointing. Much better uses of 30 quid. Bush 10 is 35-37 on offer at peak periods so stock up.

It's Cooley, likely identical to another of their 10s - Tyrconnell matches in taste profile.

murphyebass · 01-05-2015 7:19am

L1011 wrote: »

The Dundalgan 10 is wildly disappointing. Much better uses of 30 quid. Bush 10 is 35-37 on offer at peak periods so stock up.

It's Cooley, likely identical to another of their 10s - Tyrconnell matches in taste profile.

I only had one small glass of it last night in fairness so just going on that.
I thought it was tasty enough but yeah if I saw bushmills 10 for €35 I'd definitely stock up. I never have though. Lowest I've seen it was €40

Not that I mind spending the extra tenner, it was more out of curiosity tbh with the dundalgan.

Personally from the glass I had I found it quite nice, nothing special mind you, in particular vs the bushmills 10 but very drinkable.

Sweeter than bushmills 10 and not as full on flavour malt wise I found but that's just me.

Anyway it won't go to waste.

The Aldi Islay bottle for €25 is great value if you're into your peat imo

jeepers101 · 01-05-2015 7:27am

Writer's Tears is another fantastic whiskey that hasn't been mentioned yet. Also Bushmills 16 can be gotten for a good price on occasion. Delicious.

Morf · 02-05-2015 1:30am

Interesting to see the love for Yellow Spot on the thread. Green Spot or Redbreast and Powers Johns Lane seemed to be all favoured for Irish single pot still whiskeys.

syklops · 02-05-2015 1:36am

My overall favourite would probably Glenfiddich 15 year old. Its 60 euro in the Celtic Whiskey shop but it can be gotten cheaper in many off licenses. If I had 90 to spend I'd buy a bottle of that and cheaper bottle of something.

Interesting to see the love for Yellow Spot on the thread.

Makes a nice change from Laphroaig being the one to be touted all the time.

Chloris · 02-05-2015 1:37am

Tomaten 18 is the best whiskey I've ever drank, so warm and woody. Hakushu is my lad's favourite; crisper and slightly sweeter than I like but absolutely delicious nonetheless. Needless to say, both to be consumed at room temperature.

Pinch Flat · 02-05-2015 1:46am

murphyebass wrote: »

The Aldi Islay bottle for €25 is great value if you're into your peat imo

Big fan of peat - so lagavulin, laphraoig (love the 10 yo but also have a bottle of quarter cask on order from flaviar) and ardbeg. Have to say the Aldi islay blend is a decent sup.

As well as the peated malts, I also enjoy Crested Ten - vastly underrated imho. 10 year old Bushmills mentioned earlier as well - lovely. Green spot, the basic expression, is also nice and a very keenly priced single pot still whiskey. And the johns lane 12 year old - nice and smooth.

Mesrine65 · 02-05-2015 9:57am

Teeling's single malt is superb.

limnam · 02-05-2015 11:39am

Passenger wrote: »

Yellow Spot. An absolutely delicious whiskey. One of the finest Irish whiskey's imho and aged in sherry casks giving it a subtle sweet note but it's much more complex than that.

My default response is nearly always to recommend the powers john lane instead I think you're getting almost identical profiles for less money.

If you want to do 60+ I would tend to go for a Red Breast 12yo and 15yo if you want to spend more but personally I find the 12yo to just edge it and again it's much cheaper than the 15.

limnam · 02-05-2015 11:41am

syklops wrote: »

Makes a nice change from Laphroaig being the one to be touted all the time.

That's only because we're too far away from xmas

phobia2011 · 02-05-2015 11:51am

my personal favourite is Chivas Regal, something to consider.

G rock · 02-05-2015 7:03pm

Sorry to hijack, but reckoned this might be a good time and place to ask this.

I'll be flying from Toronto in a couple of weeks, and would like to avail of the duty free options. If you were to recommend a widely available duty free "treat", what would the "boardnescenti" recommend??

I'm a fan of redbreast, but reckon I can get it and similar here, and doubt it's the kind of thing I'd be able to get at a good price in somewhere like Toronto

Laphroaig? Talisker? Balvennie?

Something like those??

syklops · 02-05-2015 8:19pm

G rock wrote: »

Sorry to hijack, but reckoned this might be a good time and place to ask this.

I'll be flying from Toronto in a couple of weeks, and would like to avail of the duty free options. If you were to recommend a widely available duty free "treat", what would the "boardnescenti" recommend??

I'm a fan of redbreast, but reckon I can get it and similar here, and doubt it's the kind of thing I'd be able to get at a good price in somewhere like Toronto

Laphroaig? Talisker? Balvennie?

Something like those??

Why don't you read the thread.

ceekay74 · 02-05-2015 8:25pm

I'm by no means an expert, but Chivas Regal & Glenfiddich are my favourites.

I enjoy Bushmills too.

G rock · 02-05-2015 8:49pm

syklops wrote: »

Why don't you read the thread.

Funnily enough, I did.

My point was that a foreign airport is hardly the place to buy irish favourites like yellow spot, redbreast (which I have already), Bushmills etc, which can be got here fairly readily.

Hence asking about some recommendations for other "mainstream" or big suppliers likely to be available in airport duty free abroad.

Apologies that my post didn't make that clear enough for you

syklops · 02-05-2015 9:32pm

G rock wrote: »

Funnily enough, I did.

My point was that a foreign airport is hardly the place to buy irish favourites like yellow spot, redbreast (which I have already), Bushmills etc, which can be got here fairly readily.

Hence asking about some recommendations for other "mainstream" or big suppliers likely to be available in airport duty free abroad.

Apologies that my post didn't make that clear enough for you

One of the most expensive places to buy Irish Whiskey is Ireland. You might be able to pick it up 'handily' enough, but you will pay for it as well. A duty free in North America should allow you to pick up the same stuff at a considerable discount.

That said, according to online reviews of the duty frees in YYK, the prices aren't that special. You may well do better in a canadian liquor store and put it in your checked luggage.

My overall favourite would probably be Glenfiddich 15 year old

G rock · 02-05-2015 10:08pm

Cool, that's actually very informative.

Didn't realise irish stuff would be more expensive here at home.

Thanks for that.

syklops · 02-05-2015 10:56pm

G rock wrote: »

Cool, that's actually very informative.

Didn't realise irish stuff would be more expensive here at home.

Thanks for that.

From: http://www.checkout.ie/irish-distillers-ceo-outlook-for-our-industry-is-extremely-concerning/6235

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard chief executive Anna Malmhake has said that "penal excise increases" in recent Budgets mean that the outlook for the Irish whiskey industry in Ireland is "extremely concerning".

"Ireland is one of the most expensive places in the world to buy Irish whiskey with the €17.37 tax take on a bottle of Jameson in Ireland working out more than the total price (€16.61) of that same bottle in New York," she said. "How sustainable is the current international growth of Irish whiskey without a solid local market in which to support home grown brands as well as new market entrants?"

She said that the high price of alcohol in general (at 178% of the EU average) "has only served to damage the industry and increase costs for responsible drinkers doing little to address misuse."

A friend of mine was moving from the Czech Republic to Ireland and asked me did I want him to bring anything and I said, a bottle or two of Jameson. He said "Surely you have plenty in Dublin?!?, but at 300 Czech crowns a bottle, or 12 euros, two bottles from there is cheaper than one bottle is here.

Edit: G-Rock, sorry if I was brusque earlier but I visit and comment on a lot of threads on boards and often people hijack threads having not read the thread, not realising the thread itself contains a lot of the information they need.

If I was you I would either buy a bottle of something you know you like, or take a punt on something you've not seen before. Taste is a very subjective thing and there is no right answer. Johnny Walker Red was the market leader for a very long time in number of worldwide bottles sold but they changed their formula recently and perhaps coincidentally, the Indian Officers Choice has overtaken them as leader worldwide.

If you happen to see a Czech whiskey called Hammerhead, and its around the $40 dollar mark, I would suggest you get it, not because of how it tastes but because of its uniqueness. It has an interesting history.

jackrussell007 · 02-05-2015 11:10pm

great info here , thanks for that folks.

I think I'm gonna get the aldi islay blend as I havent heard anyone dismiiss it yet. It seems to be decent value and will serve as an intro to scotch for me. Its tempting to go for the 10yo Laphroag or the 12yo glenfiddich which are about 50quid but I want to save the most of the budget for the irish whiskey rather than the scotch.

on the irish whiskey then I'm still a little undecided. I'm probably most attracted to either the Redbreast 12yo @64quid, the greenspot @56quid or possibly the teelings single grain @44
the teelings is a nice price. no age statement though which I find a little off putting when spending a bit more for a more premium spirit (in my world anyway) Is that just a newbie attitude though? would you rank the teelings up with the rebreast or green spot?

thanks for all the suggestions anyway

L1011 · 02-05-2015 11:38pm

syklops wrote: »

One of the most expensive places to buy Irish Whiskey is Ireland.

Reverse is often true. $36.95 (€32.99) for Black Bush in Oregon, a state with 0% sales tax when its avaible for €25 here. "white" Bush is €24.06 which is vastly more than it sells for here, and so on - http://www.oregonliquorsearch.com/browse_categories.jsp?category=IRISH

The manufacturers have to semi-subsidise (they're still making a profit) the product in this - and others - market compared to what they can sell it for elsewhere. The major brands that have international appeal sell for very high prices abroad.

L1011 · 02-05-2015 11:43pm

jackrussell007 wrote: »

I think I'm gonna get the aldi islay blend as I havent heard anyone dismiiss it yet. It seems to be decent value and will serve as an intro to scotch for me.

Glen Marnoch Islay is fine for its price, but don't expect to compare it to a single malt. Its also often not in stock - it was a Christmas special, hung around for ages then was announced as a regular but my local branch has been out for ages. Comes in a white tube normally.

jackrussell007 wrote: »

Its tempting to go for the 10yo Laphroag or the 12yo glenfiddich which are about 50quid but I want to save the most of the budget for the irish whiskey rather than the scotch.

In time its worth starting to explore single malt Scotch in time, and there are plenty for less than 50 (albeit not that much less).

Laphroig and Glenfiddach would be fairly far apart on the taste scale, though.

syklops · 03-05-2015 5:20pm

L1011 wrote: »

Reverse is often true. $36.95 (€32.99) for Black Bush in Oregon, a state with 0% sales tax when its avaible for €25 here. "white" Bush is €24.06 which is vastly more than it sells for here, and so on - http://www.oregonliquorsearch.com/browse_categories.jsp?category=IRISH

The manufacturers have to semi-subsidise (they're still making a profit) the product in this - and others - market compared to what they can sell it for elsewhere. The major brands that have international appeal sell for very high prices abroad.

"The reverse is often true"?!?

I don't know what to say.

L1011 · 03-05-2015 7:48pm

syklops wrote: »

"The reverse is often true"?!?

I don't know what to say.

You've just been given solid numbers showing that Ireland is not always the most expensive place to buy Irish whiskey, contrary to your claims. What else do you want to contribute on the subject?

Simply put Ireland is nowhere close to the dearest market for Irish whiskey.

syklops · 03-05-2015 8:31pm

L1011 wrote: »

You've just been given solid numbers showing that Ireland is not always the most expensive place to buy Irish whiskey, contrary to your claims. What else do you want to contribute on the subject?

Simply put Ireland is nowhere close to the dearest market for Irish whiskey.

You gave an example from one US state and it put the price at around the same price as here.

In Europe the only places more expensive than Ireland are Norway, Sweden and Finland.

You said "The reverse is often true", which would suggest Ireland is one of the cheapest places to buy Irish whiskey which simply is not true. It is cheaper in the following countries:

France
Germany
Austria
Poland
Czech Republic
Italy

To name but a few.

L1011 · 03-05-2015 9:04pm

A US state with no sales tax and the price being 20% higher, not "around the same price"

You don't seem to understand the meaning of "often" along with other logic problems

I don't see the point in continuing to try explain this to you.

whiskey recommendations please?

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