ST. PATRICK’S DAY IRISH WHISKEY SHOWDOWN Redbreast Missouri Oak Edition Redbreast Cask Strength Blue Spot Cash Strength I’ve really gotten into Irish Whiskey over the past two years, in no small part to my good friend Siobhàn (@Joanie), with whom I’ve tasted (drained) a couple of dozen over that period. Redbreast in all its forms. The Spots in all its forms. Teeling in its many expressions. Multiple bottling of Clonakillty. And several others. What more appropriate way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with some great Irish Whiskey? The purist in me has a penchant for the high-test expressions, so I pulled three to honor the saint who banished all the snakes from Ireland. Redbreast Missouri Oak Edition Vanilla and sweet oak are immediately recognized on the nose, along with tropical fruit notes of papaya and guava, as well as black cherry cola, mulled apple cider, and spice cake. Viscous mouthfeel and more of the same notes on the palate. Spicy cinnamon on the finish. Redbreast Missouri Oak Edition can be found online for ~$130. Made exclusively for the US market. Would I buy it again? A bhuin! (Hell yes). 4.5 on the Distiller scale. 50.5% ABV. Redbreast Cask Strength As expected, not as much oak and vanilla as the quasi-eponymous Missouri Oak Edition. Nose and flavor profile might be described as leaner and less expansive, more focused. Chocolate-covered cherries, pomander, dark caramel, fruitcake. Not quite as viscous as the Missouri Oak Edition. Neither a Kentucky Hug nor an Irish Car Bomb on the finish, but the expected high-test presence is most certainly present. Lingering flavors evoke vanilla cake with chocolate icing. Redbreast Cask Strength can be found online for about $100. Would I buy it again? I already have. At least one in inventory, in addition to this one. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. Batch B1/22. 58.1% ABV. Blue Spot Cash Strength One of my favorite whiskies, Irish or otherwise. Notes of honey, vanilla, hot candied cashews, ginger, warm brownies, espresso, banana bread. Controlled ostentatiousness. If you've got it, flaunt it--and Blue Spot most assuredly does. Proper Twelve this ain‘t, but you may need a Connor McGregor tolerance to enjoy it. Surprised I haven’t reviewed this since late 2023. At the time, I’d only had it in a restaurant, but I’ve since acquired a few bottles, including a couple brought back directly from Ireland by @Joanie (it can be found there for about $US 120 vs ~$300 here). Would I buy it again? Yes, at either price. Backup already in inventory. One of the best. 4.75 on the Distiller scale. 7-Year age statement. Non-chill filtered. 58.9% ABV. There is no substitute for doing side-by-side tastings--even for whiskies that may be considered incongruous or not part a similar set. Tastes are influenced by context. These three are Irish, and two are from the same producer, but each is quite different in ways that are likely not recognized when each is tasted separately, at different times. I love cask-strength whiskies. Don’t get me started on the economics of water dilution. That‘s what any whiskey less than cask strength or barrel proof is--a water-diluted expression of whatever was in the barrel. It has nothing to do with what tastes “best.” If that were the case, there wouldn’t be a bare minimum (40% ABV / 80 proof), nor would there be so many common ABVs (43%, 45%, etc.). If I had to rank these three whiskies, it would be Blue Spot, Missouri Oak, and 12-year Cask Strength. This surprises me, because I love the latter (and still do), and the second one is more diluted. Each of these are hedonistic and contemplative whiskies, Irish or otherwise. Sláinte!