First I reviewed the Bruichladdich Classic Laddie and pointed out that despite the apparent note on the bottle that it was unpeated, I couldn't help but detect a bit of smoke in the background. It was a perfect summer scotch for drinking at the beach, not that I've ever done so, since the beach town we go to is a dry one, and even if it weren't, I'm pretty sure drinking on the beach is something you're really only supposed to do on the DL, most of the time with cans of beer in cozies that hide the fact it's not soda. The Laddie was malty, citric, with notes of sea salt and light peat in the background. When I reviewed Glenglassaugh's Sandend whisky here, which one Whisky Advocate's 2023 Whisky of the Year, I was lukewarm mainly because, as I pointed out then, it has basically the same aroma and flavor profile as The Classic Laddie, even has the same proof at 100, but it comes $10-$20 more depending on where you're acquiring it. I was even able to test my theory as I had an open bottle of Laddie and Sandend at the same time, and they're not EXACTLY the same, but they are so closely identical, that unless there's a note in the Sandend you really prefer that's absent from the Laddie, there's no point in paying the extra for the Sandend. Why am I brining this up here and now? It's because Silkie Irish Whiskey, despite being Irish and despite being 92 proof, is extremely similar to both those whiskies and you can get this one for aboutr $40, which is $20 cheaper than Laddie and $30 cheaper than Sandend. Which is surprising. I had the Dark Silkie, which is not at all like the standard Silkie. I liked the Dark Silkie because it's more heavily peated than this, but the peat is kind of rubbery, which is an interesting taste, but also maybe it's not going to appeal to everyone, not even peat fans. The standard Silkie is, in fact, described as lightly peated, which is perhaps what puts me in mind of the Laddie, there's a slight touch there, not enough to be overwhelming but enough that those who don't drink peat will say, "Oh, this is peaty." So in the end I'm a fan and a convert. If I want an Irish, this is now going to be my go-to budget bottle given just how good it is vs. value for money. If I'm going Bruichladdich in the future, it's much more likely to be the Port Charlotte 10, and if I'm going Glenglassaugh, well, I'm sorry to say, they didn't impress me enough with the Sandend for me to consider being a returning customer. I've never had an Irish whiskey that has reminded me so much of a scotch, so that alone makes this a winner.