IRISH WHISKEY SHOWDOWN Redbreast Single Pot Still 12 Year Green Spot Single Pot Still My experience with Irish whiskey is quite limited. I used to travel to Dublin pre-9/11 and would bring back Redbreast for an Irish friend of mine (and myself), as apparently it wasn’t available in the US at the time. So I had a few bottles over a period of a few years way back when. Since then, I’ve been gifted Bushmills 10 Year Single Malt (tasted and reviewed 8/4/2022) and Powers Gold Label. And I’ve had the occasional Jameson in bars years ago. Irish whiskey is a hole in my whisk(e)y palate that I’m working on rectifying. Redbreast 12 Year Watery amber color. Nose of candied orange rind, apple pie, vanilla, and a bit of minty coolness. Lightly viscous mouthfeel, with gobs of vanilla on the palate—more than any whisk(e)y I’ve ever had. Finishes with a white-pepper spiciness, a (not off-putting) slight espresso bitterness, and another long pull of sweet vanilla. While I love the 12-year age statement, the 40% ABV—which is the bare minimum required by law, even if it is the most common in Ireland, as I understand it—doesn’t sit well with me. It also makes it that much more easy drinking, which also doesn’t sit well with me. Likeable; no hard edges; but lacking complexity. 3.5 on the Distiller scale. Green Spot Watery color like the Redbreast, but just a tad brighter. Nose shows spot-on yellow banana popsicle, kumquat, freshly cut hay, applesauce, and pears in syrup. Interesting nose, but less robust than the Redbreast. Light palate, with more vanilla, before finishing with a gentle, dark-roast-coffee-bean (dipped in vanilla extract) bitterness. 40% ABV, like the Redbreast; this cost-cutting economics makes it a little more difficult to take seriously. No age statement, but comprised of whiskey seven to ten years old, according to the distiller. Good, not great. 3.5 on the Distiller scale. Both of these are enjoyable, but not special in and of themselves—not that they need to be. They do open up over the course of an hour. Despite the low ABV—or maybe because of it—these are two whiskies that I wouldn’t hesitate drinking with just a little ice on a hot summer day—light, pleasant, and refreshing. Or neat, in a dark Irish pub, with a pretty woman: the low alcohol would necessitate more drinks, which would mean more conversation. Outside the bar, if consumed neat, I believe both would benefit from a higher proof. Green Spot’s older brother, Yellow Spot (which I’ll try eventually), checks that box and is bottled at 46% ABV. Redbreast 12 is available in cask strength as well.