Some may be running wild up 2nd Ave, others will be coloring rivers green, whilst the remaining odds & ends will be dressed as sultry little leprechauns. Regardless of who you are and where you live the luck of the Irish is going to descend on your city and the pints of black will flow and the seisiuns will sing us late into the night, are you ready?

When the crowds get too much and the beer is just too heavy, you will need to reach for one of the real gems of Ireland. As the producer of some of the most recognizable names in whisky, Irish whiskies offer a variety of styles, including single malts, blends, and pot still. These bottles are unique to Ireland. The whiskies of Ireland are typically lighter than their Scottish cousins and offer an approachability not often seen in spirits.

The Irish have been at the forefront of whisky production since the beginning whether it be Bushmills claiming to be founded in 1608 or when Aeneas Coffey perfected the column still to allow for higher volume production and ushered in a era of Blended whiskies that changed the industry and the habits of a world.

While I cannot guarantee that you will find a pot of gold, I can guarantee that you will taste a good bit of Irish hospitality, and you will walk away with a little more sparkle in your eye.

Slainte!

Redbreast 12 year, Pure Pot Still

Loads of spice and nuts, ering towards almonds and a zing of ginger to keep things interesting. Citrus peel and candied orange titillate and cantaloupe sneaks in with slight wafts of flower bouquets.

At first taste the ginger goes from the exotic to ginger snaps and coats the tongue with a weighty body but a light approach. The almond aromas grow into macadamia nuts showing brighter citrus and prune.

The beautiful mouthfeel lingers with creme brulee leaving trace amounts of the fresh ginger root and nutmeg.

Knappogue Castle 16 year Twin Wood, Irish Single Malt

Fruit salad dominates the nose and offers a delightful presence of violet, toasted oak, and a grain forwardness that conjures memories of frosted wheat cereal.

On taste, the slight sweetness bursts into coating honey, vanilla cake frosting and flavors of peach, pear, and Granny Smith apples.

The finish showcases honey as it slowly trickles from memory leaving tropical aromas of papaya and coconut, and plenty of clementine.

Roe & Co., Blended Irish

Cotton candy and pistachio biscotti lurch forward and a lovely spine of toasted oak with vanilla bean ice cream seems to show plenty of resolve as baked apple and tropical fruits including guava and banana flutter deceptively.

The flavor showcases a stable vanilla that underpins more playful fresh fruit, and oak that tasked with the job of keeping everything in check. The complexity is teasing as it coats with a creamy mouthfeel that reveals green grapes and nectarines.

The finish is a pure joy that shows apple pie a la mode, with a caramelized sugar that never seems to disappear.