p_elliott wrote:I thought I would expand my whiskey horizons a little by adding Irish Whiskey to the mix. So tonight I bought a bottle of Jameson 12 yo, I really like this. I thought it was very fruity maybe apple then someone suggested melon and I think that is a better description. It's very different from any other whiskey I have ever had I'm glad I plunked down the $40 for it.
Interesting. I did a similar thing. I went to a Jameson tasting last week. I tasted the regular Jameson, 12-year, Gold Reserve, 18-year, and Redbreast. Later I bought a bottle of Bushmill Black Bush and my brother-in-law bought some other Irish - Google-de-blah or something (I'll check the name).
I've never tried Irish before and I was impressed. For the Jameson comparison, side-by-side I liked the Redbreast and Gold Reserve the best, but even the regular was pretty good. Bang-for-the-buckwise I'd pick the regular as the standout. I'd say it was light, slightly sweet, and maybe a bit floral. It's easy to drink and very good for the money. It's everywhere, and if you watch, you'll be able to find a good sale price. If it were the only game in town, I couldn't complain about being whiskey-deprived (the Irish equivalent, to me, of OGD BIB). In fact, if I were to recommend a non-whiskey drinker a first whiskey, I think I'd recommend an Irish, probably the basic Jameson. I could see my wife drinking it.
Overall, other than the basic Jameson, I can't really see myself buying the others very often. For the money per bottle I'd still much prefer bourbon (besides, for budget and storage reasons, I can't afford to be to interested in anything more than bourbon). The 12-year was good. Depending on the price, I may get some. The 18-year was very good, but I think it's at least $75 a bottle around here, and for that I can do much better going the Kentucky route. I liked the Redbreast, but for the price I can't see myself buying it. It reminded me quite a bit of Beam Black, so for the price, I'd stick with the Beam and tell myself it's Redbreast.
The Black Bush was very good for the money and I see myself keeping one of those around.
Mike