Top Tier Irish Whiskey Offerings

• Redbreast 27 Year – Hands-down my favorite Irish whiskey to date. Bar none. The layers of flavor and long finish of Redbreast 27 Year truly can’t be found anywhere else.
• Bushmills 16 Year – A great pour with layers of flavor from aging in a combination of sherry, bourbon, and port casks. This Irish single malt definitely represents a super well-rounded whiskey that carries itself well, and punches above it’s weight class in terms of flavor.
• Jameson 18 Year – I’m a huge fan of Irish whiskey that sports a wine finish, but Jameson 18 goes in a different direction that–in my opinion–speaks to the American whiskey buyer. This whiskey is finished in a fresh American oak barrel, and that really bumps up the bourbon-esque profile with a good twist of oak, spice, and added sweetness that showcases why Jameson is synonymous with Irish whiskey.
• Spot Whiskey – The availability of premium offerings from the Spot Whiskey team aren’t super easy to track down, so my thoughts are simple: if you find a bottle of Yellow Spot, Blue Spot, Gold Spot, etc. just do yourself the favor of grabbing it. This is a bottle that should scratch the itch for the bourbon hunter, limited edition whiskey fiend, or anyone who enjoys truly great Irish whiskey. All of the Spot Whiskey bottles are good, but when you get into their higher-end offerings, they become truly great.

Irish Whiskey for all Budgets

• Two Stacks – Perhaps the sneakiest bottle in this entire lineup. I have to give a lot of credit to Two Stacks for their labeling. It’s as though Two Stacks took notes on everything whiskey nerds want to know so they could check all of the boxes in one fell swoop. Right off the bat we find out that this Irish whiskey comes to us without coloring or chill-filtration (big win). They then go on to tell us where it was distilled, aged, and imported. Finally, Two Stacks saw fit to give us a transparent look at the derived liquid percentages of what is in the blend. Truly outstanding labeling in a world of competitors who just don’t seem to understand what whiskey drinkers want. Oh–and the whiskey? It’s damn nice too!
• Redbreast 12 Year – This recommendation should come as no surprise. This is essentially my ride-or-die recommendation to anyone asking “what do I try first?” when speaking of Irish whiskey. There are some great one-off Redbreast 12 offerings as well, and they’re worth investigating, but I’d always say start with the 12 year first, then go to the 12 Year Cask Strength (especially for high proof bourbon hounds). You’re going to get off on the right foot here.
• Green Spot – The proverbial little brother of the Gold Spot and Blue Spot offerings, but still hits the target just right. There are even a few subsets of the traditional Green Spot featuring great wine finishing, and they’re absolutely worth tracking down. Not as readily available as others on this list, so you may need to do some sleuthing for these, but you’ll be rewarded well for the effort.
• Limavady Single Barrel – I recently shared this on Instagram because it’s such a unique offering, which makes sense seeing as though Limavady is partnered with our weird whiskey friends at WhistlePig. An affordable offering that comes in an incredibly unique bottle, and showcases labeling not unlike Two Stacks in its transparency pertaining to the liquid itself. Single barrel, single malt, ex-bourbon and PX Sherry maturation, and 92 proof points to scratch that itch for the enthusiast crowd. Definitely worth checking out.
• The Busker Single Pot Still – The Busker lineup comes in at extremely affordable prices, and with unassuming labels that actually look like they’d fit right in on the shelf with many of today’s bourbons. Check out their single malt and single pot still for classic Irish whiskey vibes that bring an elevated finish and good depth of flavor.
• Writer’s Tears – A solid offering I recommend frequently to folks looking to try their first step into the Irish whiskey pool. Writer’s Tears Double Oak in particular brings additional layers of flavor by combining single malt and single pot still Irish whiskey with maturation in ex-bourbon barrels as well as XO Cognac.
• Keeper’s Heart 10 Year – Admittedly, this bottle comes in right about the top of the “budget friendly” category, or perhaps even a bit outside of the friendly portion, but it doesn’t completely break the bank even though it delivers an age-stated and very articulate Irish whiskey that packs a few more proof points than a lot of traditional Irish whiskey offerings.
• Keeper’s Heart Irish + American – Okay, this isn’t strictly Irish whiskey. You caught me trying to sneak in a fun (but weird) blend. I was kind of scared of this bottle at first to be totally honest; however, I was pleasantly surprised with the way these spirits work together to create something harmonious. The caramel and butterscotch sweetness of the American whiskey really dovetail into the delicate grains and honey behind the Irish whiskey to make a pour that stands out.

Don’t Forget Dessert!

Alexa, play The Boondock Saints theme song…

Let me begin by saying I’m not really a cupcake guy. I think part of that is just because I feel like they get more praise than they’re worth, and for as great as they taste they each have their own paper which makes more waste, blah, blah, blah.

All of that said, Guinness and chocolate cake with a twist of Bailey’s Irish Cream and Jameson frosting can forgive most sins if you ask me. This recipe from Just a Pinch is definitely what you need to try these if you’re looking for a sweet treat that goes well alongside a pour of Irish whiskey, or even an Irish coffee (a personal favorite of mine).

Thanks for reading along, and have a safe and happy St. Patrick’s Day!