What whisk(e)y are we drinking? (Part 2)

You'll get any number of suggestions here, the Irish whiskey market is more crowded than its ever been, at the moment.

Pot still: I was thinking of mentioning the Writers Tears range, which is pot still heavy, but really probably you should just go and try Powers' Johns Lane, if you haven't already. Still the big dog in this field.

Grain: I don't think buying a bottle of single grain, or a grain whiskey blend, should really be anyone's priority, unless they're sure they will like it… They can be quite metallic, and although people will disagree over it, some would say they have been a poor cousin to single malts and blends, and even contemporarily you tend to see them marketed, at a lower price point, as something suitable for mixing. Grains as part of a blend… Different story. Anyway, if you want to, at a lower price point, I'd suggest Kilbeggan single grain, going up I'd mention Method and Madness single grain and JJ Corry The Hanson, a blend of grain whiskies.

Blends: Take your pick of all the well-known blends out there. Since you could really go in any direction, I would suggest you should try the famous and established supermarket blends from the big boys, including Jameson and Powers, and if you want to explore newcomers, personal suggestions would be the Silkie range (regular blend, midnight and dark for peatier versions, and red for wine finishes), which are affordable, and a really good premium blend is JJ Corry's The Gael.

I am actually not a huge fanboy of Irish whiskey, relative to others on this forum, but JJ Corry's The Gael really is sensational, and a good example of a bonded blend beating the pants of more expensive, non-sourced single malts with age statements. The 85 - or so - price point reflects it.

Well, I wouldn't put you off Irish whiskey, necessarily… If you enjoy it, it's widely available and potentially, if drinking in bars, you'll have a better selection to choose from.

If it were me, I'd probably work my way through the Jameson core range, then move onto Powers, then possibly Bushmills / others, and then yeah I'd keep an eye out for Restbreast, Green Spot / Yellow Spot etc, Writers Tears, Method and Madness, Dingle, Drumshambo… I would just go with whatever you're coming across and is in your price range. You'll realise soon enough what you like.

Scotland is a massive producer of whisky, to state the obvious. I thought about recommended you work your way through whiskies from all the different regions, which are (rightly or wrongly) generally associated with particular styles, but in Irish bars you may not see a huge range. Widely available and worth experiencing though might be something like…

Glenmorangie / Balvenie for sherry and port finishes… Lagavulin / Laphroaig / Ardbeg / Talisker for peated smoky whiskies from Islay and Skye… Highland Park for a bit of a middle ground.. I mention these as I see them as top shelf scotches in Irish bars, but you never quite know what's going to be hanging around, depending on the bar.

With respect to peated whiskies… Some people just hate them, but for me and some friends, it was actually the super heavily peated Ardbegs of the late 90s that made us whisky addicts… They are the "wrong" way to get into whisky, according to the conventional wisdom of some, a bit like getting into beer by starting out with strong double IPAs, but they were just so knock-your-socks-off that they kindled an interest. The softer, fruitier and arguably better balanced came later for me.

Last suggestion, don't rule out bourbon / American whisky. Starting out, Buffalo Trace… Bulleit… Knob Creek… Woodford Reserve… Maker's Mark. Even a humble Wild Turkey. Some thought more of as mixing bourbons, but they can all be sipped.