I ran out of Irish whiskey a while back, and for whatever reason (mostly Scotch...) I've dragged my feet on replacing a bottle in my stocks. I absolutely ADORE Redbreast 12, but for whatever reason the $60 price point has been a turn off recently. Not sure why since I'm perfectly willing to drop more than that on good Scotch...anyhoo, I was wandering around at Total Wine and saw this for $30 in a sleek new bottle (yes, packing works on me. Commence pointing and laughing) and made an impulse buy. I tried the Powers 12 Year John's Lane a while back and found it a bit harsh, so I had low expectations, but wow! This wins the slugfest for best budget Irish by a longshot! Nose has all the expected buttery, shortbread notes with some of that pot still spice poking through. Taste follows suit. Lots of buttery, vanilla notes. Don't detect any sherry cask but honestly I feel like it's not necessary. There's a long, spicy finish that entices me back for more until I realize that my glass is empty. Even though this is a blend, I don't get any harsh, metallic grain notes like on Black Bush or Jameson, and I like the higher ABV. Seems like they were going for a quality product over mass production (though I suspect there's that too). There's clearly a high proportion of that Powers aggressive house pot still style in this, but it's rounded off by the grain, and I actually find myself enjoying it more than the John's Lane. Whoda thunk?! This gets to stay. This is my new favorite affordable Irish. I still love the Redbreast, and I'm sure it'll be back, but for now, this is a fine, everyday placeholder. Cheers!