Getting my Irish up

St. Patricks is upon us. I'm German and Swedish, but in and around the Chicago area, everybody is Irish on St. Patty's day. I remember hearing that Chicago has the most Irish citizens of any city in the world, except Dublin. It's a big deal around here. Ireland is one of the great Whiskey producing countries in the world. At this particular time, when I venture away from bourbon, it's usually to have some Irish Whiskey. It has a lightness and smoothness that is a nice change of pace from bourbon.
I have a couple of Irish whiskeys in stock right now, Jameson and Tullamore Dew 12. The regular Jameson might be the most accessible whiskey on the market, which would account for the growth in recent years. When I drink bourbon, it's usually neat or with a small chunk of ice. With Jameson, I fill a tumbler with ice and pour a full glass of whiskey. When it gets diluted by the ice, its even lighter and more refreshing, almost like iced tea! It's just light and smooth with a very understated whiskey flavor. The Tullamore Dew 12 year old is more of a classic expression, with more aged taste and pronounced flavor. It's more of a sipping whiskey. Click here for a review of Tullamore Dew.

To get us started, check out this link for nice review of Irish Whiskeys. Also, In case you missed it when it originally broadcasted on St. Patrick’s day last year, the History Channel’s Modern Marvel’s series “Whiskey” show will be rebroadcasted on March 17, 2009 at 10 AM and 4 PM. As mentioned in some earlier posts, this show is an excellent primer for the budding Whiskey enthusiast.