ralfy review 963 Extras - Irish Whiskey in 2023

[@Soldano999]

I love Writer Tears. It's one of these whiskies that you open, leave for one month and when you come back to it it tastes like 10 years has passed !

[@Tomerus_NL]

Ralfy you mentioned about the importance of slow fermentation. As a homebrewer I couldn't agree more. Maybe you could do an extra one day about fermentation and different yeast strains and their respective profiles? Greetings from the Netherlands

[@WhiskeyStraightAl]

It is great to see the resurgence in Irish whiskey and there are exciting times ahead. Definitely Dingle and the Spots are the way to go - also Redbreast. And Powers John's Lane is a must!

[@TasmaniaIsAHole]

I recently tried Powers John's Lane. It's not a particularly available bottle here in Aus. It was a good enough whiskey but it didn't blow me away by any means. They definitely use tired 3rd or 4th fill ex-bourbon barrels for it.

[@lyness1217]

@@TasmaniaIsAHole that's absolute bollocks 😂

[@TasmaniaIsAHole]

@@lyness1217 Pardon?

[@glencoewhite6939]

John’s Lane is one of my favorites. The Spots can be a hit or miss for me.

[@VagaBohn]

Woah my malt mention! Made my day this is awesome. Thanks for nailing my name. Sorry for the language. Thought I wrote mother muckers but I guess I went more R rated with it. Made me day

[@candidaprout2401]

Haha nice work

[@VagaBohn]

@@candidaprout2401 thank you!

[@lyness1217]

You've made it kid

[@chrisnil]

Jamesons are experimenting with different barrels. These are released under their "Method and Madness" brand. Tried a French chestnut release a couple of years ago. Really interesting whiskey.

[@ssd1874]

Thanks for sharing just looking at the website the chestnut barrel has peaked my interest if you sample any would love to know your thoughts greetings from London

[@majornut9728]

In Sweden we have a destillery, Agitator Destillery, using cestnut in some whiskies and all whiskies are destilled in vaccum. Really nice whiskies, all of them.

[@GaryP515]

Interesting stuff, Ralfy. I started out as an Irish whiskey drinker, largely thanks to my wife's uncle from Antrim, who gave me a bottle of Powers Gold Label in the late 1980s. I stuck with Irish for years - a particular favourite was Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Dun Leire 8 Year Old. In the early 2000's it was about 18 quid a bottle, and I loved it. That was a Cooley whiskey and was once Jim Murray's Irish Whiskey of the Year. I was gutted when Sainsbury's discontinued it, but that led me to try other whiskies. A couple of things took me away from Irish - one was your reviews, which encouraged me to expand my horizons into Speyside, Highland, Lowland and the occasional Islay, and - whisper it quietly - Brexit! After Brexit, a lot of Irish online spirit retailers either wouldn't ship to England at all, or the cost was so prohibitive, it wasn't worth the money. Things have changed a bit recently, but I don't think I'll be buying much Irish anymore. As you say, it was at its best some years ago. Mind you, I agree about the Spot range - it's one of the better examples. Are you going to review the Gold Spot that came out last year at some point? Keep up the great work and cheers!

[@ivanshipy1966]

Shame you wont buy Irish nowadays you dont know what you are missing

[@GaryP515]

@@ivanshipy1966 Maybe I'll give it another shot if it's available in England for a decent price. Like I said, Brexit was an issue, but maybe things will improve.

[@messier4033]

Jameson Black Barrel is very nice 👍🏻

[@johnbradshaw7525]

Enjoying a bottle of yellow spot as well as Redbreast Lustau finish.

[@jameswright6567]

Irish whiskey is a subject I know very little about tbh. Hadn't appreciated just how much additional freedom they had in the new make spirit and maturation process. As you say, what an advantage! I may have missed it, but I didn't hear a mention of Waterford, method and madness and Glendalough. I have only tried Glendalough's double barrel bottling and it was very pleasant, especially for the sub $45 CAD price here in BC, Canada. Waterford is just too expensive, at least over here, so I haven't tried their official bottlings

[@patrobrien]

You're not missing much its still all very young

[@gavincassells7585]

Method and Madness is just an experimental unit of the Midelton Distillery. They do fun stuff for sure, but it's just another Midelton brand.

[@jameswright6567]

Didn't know that Gavin. Thanks for that intel! 👍

[@WhiskeyNovice]

Irish whiskey law states that these producers aren't allowed to state where the whiskey came from. It's not like independent bottling in Scotland. It's really just the same as the bonding that has always went on. More of the new distilleries are actually getting their spirit/whiskey from Great Northern Distillery also in Dundalk. Dingle are indeed a great distillery to watch. They waited their time and, although are releasing some young whiskies, they are of great quality. West Cork are not far off being the second largest distillery in Ireland after Midleton. Safe to say that Irish whiskey is currently in a state of puberty. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next ten years or so. Cheers Ralfy.

[@robfut9954]

So they intentionally made a law that maker their spirits less appealing to the world market and hamstrings their integrity? Seems about right.

[@sav7568]

You seem to have a few wires crossed. There is no Irish law preventing a bonder or distiller from saying where their whiskey came from. The only law on that subject prevents them from making misleading claims about the place of maturation, blending or distillation ( Article 7 regulation 1169/2011 ). Great Northern Distillery is owned by Teeling and principally used to distill corn whisky in column stills. Some is used by Teeling and some sold to bonders. You might be thinking of Cooley Distillery which is located quite close by. It is owned by Suntory and produces a wide range of whiskies for sale by the barrel on the wholesale market. Both bonders and small distilleries regularly buy Cooley products. Cooley has a much bigger presence on the wholesale market than great Northern.

[@WhiskeyNovice]

Ask Hinch, McConnells, Copeland, etc., etc. where they source their whiskey. If they answer you...that answer is GND. Also, ask them why it doesn't say "Produced by GND" on their bottles. Peter Lavery once mentioned on a release of his that it was a product produced by Cooley distillery. He had his wrists slapped for it and pulled production.

[@Aircraftsystemst]

Irish Whiskey has a lot of work to do. I’m from the midlands!

[@josephocallaghan4645]

@@sav7568 Dr John Teeling started Cooley to sell to third parties. He sold Cooley to Beam and set up Great Northern to do what he used to do in Cooley. Beam are using Cooley to build up brands - Kilbeggan, Tyrconnel, Connemeara brands. Teelings 2 sons also set up Teeling distillery in Dublin separately and they got the pick of the aged Cooley stock to get that rolling

[@lyacoubian]

Thank you Ralfy for a very educational presentation. 🥃

[@11thstalley96]

As always from Ralfy, this is a very interesting video. How about what Mark Reynier is doing at Waterford? You mentioned experimentation at distilleries in Ireland and there’s a lot of that going on at Waterford. His team has produced two peated versions using Irish peat sourced from Kildare. Waterford certainly isn’t bashful with their pricing as you pointed out about some Irish distilleries pricing their young whiskey. Reynier also put the team together that came up with Port Charlotte peated whisky at Bruichladdich, so I’m hoping for the best from Waterford.

[@welshtoro3256]

Are you happy with the price of that stuff? I'm far from interested at that price.

[@11thstalley96]

@@welshtoro3256 No. I’m not happy with the price, which is why I said that they’re not “bashful with their pricing”. Maybe that’s a colloquialism, but old timers in STL used that term for stores who were nervy enough to price things way too high. I remember that the initial PCs were priced exorbitantly high by Bruichladdich, and then the prices came back down to earth when the standard PC 10 yo and the PC Islay Barley were introduced. I’m hoping that Reynier will do the same at Waterford.

[@welshtoro3256]

@@11thstalley96 Don't count on it.

[@tombularbells]

I'm from Belgium but my favorite holliday destination is Ireland. So every holliday I try to visit one or two Irish distilleries. I especially like the things Dingle and Boann are doing. Although I still have a sweet spot for Redbreast 15, Yellow Spot and Powers John's lane. And last but not least: Indy bottler WD O'Connell delivers fantastic stuff. Scotch is still on nr 1 for me but Irish comes close(r). Sláinte Ralfy.

[@Pogue4]

Fantastic Video Thank You for all the info.

[@gazman7579]

a few Irish whiskeys I have on my wish/taste list for this year are Writers Tears Double Oak (46%), Powers John Lane 12, Pearse 7 (43% non-chill filtered) and Roe and Co (45% non-chill filtered).

[@alsullivan4322]

i always liked Bushmills 16 yr but getting too expensive.the millenium malts were/are really good and starting to throw a crust in the bottles;the 21 was overly oaked;here in the stated the dunvilles singlemalt 10 is good and 46% and you can get 3 more versions.;your whole review of the current Irish situation is pretty accurate.

[@KarmaFlight]

Drinking Redbreast 12 right now. It's my favorite Irish Whiskey!

[@AndrasIstvan]

Regarding Jameson, I was last year at the distillery and had the paid tour of warehouse with a sip from the barrel where I got a 17 yo Jameson straight from the cask…it was magnificent!!! Night and day difference from what they bottle!!

[@tonyflynn3822]

A few Irish to look out for: Clonakilty, Lambay Whiskey, Drumshambo and Glendalough. I’ve tried different variations of the above and they’re definitely worth a try.

[@tombularbells]

Visited Clonakilty distillery last summer during holliday 👍💚☘️ And personal love the Lambay cognac finished whiskey 👍💚☘️

[@tonyflynn3822]

@@tombularbells Yes, that expression of Lambay is great! Very drinkable! 👍🏻

[@paulcozz1]

Hi Ralfy, I enjoyed your conversation with Laurie O Dwyer "Whiskey Chats" on Irish whiskey. There are a lot of under the radar distilleries distilling their own liquid Gold. (And Poitín) like Killowen, Baoilleach, Great Northern. And then some superb clear and open bonders like WD O Connell , JJ Corry, Two Stacks It would be great to have another chat to Laurie and the likes to get a bunch of samples sent over to you

[@ssd1874]

Thanks again for sharing valuable information for those of us early in the journey recently finished Tipperary 10 knockmaeldowns a new distillery not far from where my family is from everybody I shared with enjoyed about £50 and available I will be buying more from the as different expressions become available there you go now you know 🍻

[@neilmontgomery3470]

Great to see Irish Whiskey growing in confidence and popularity.

[@artvandelay3922]

I'm looking forward to the Powers Rye that's due be released in the next month. Irish is definitely looking up, but agree there could be a price/quality/integrity gap in places

[@Ronsat]

Ill agree with the Powers recomendation, although,I am a regular purchaser of the Bushmills 10 yo Single malt, Often to be had for 25 in supermarket discounted. I remember with great fondness the older bottlings of Black Bush, oh yeay, Lol

[@robfut9954]

Bushmills prohibition edition has me a little excited for a budget Irish whisky. Non-chill filtered and high ABV.

[@rosswelsh9819]

Recently did a tour of hinch distillery in county down, Northern Ireland. Only open 2 years, but in my opinion are turning out some great stuff. Their hinch peated, which hasn't received overwhelming support from the online community, remains one of my favourite peated whiskeys. Pairs wonderfully with guiness, for anyone interested. Their Hinch 10 sherry cask is also in my opinion excellent. Belfast has also seen the return of Titanic whiskey, another great peated Irish added to the market. They will soon be offering tours aswell. As an Northern Irish guy, the resurgence of Irish whiskey, which is up to I believe around 40ish distilleries is at least one exciting development in recent times. There is only 1 master cooper in Ireland, who I believe works at Tullamore Dew currently. So yeah, good career path. And lastly, for all you Scots, us Irish had whiskey first. Irish water. Look at the records, you our welcome.

[@piotrledochowski5824]

Dingle is currently my irish No1! And if we are talking about Cooley distillery i think that Tyrconnell is decent to:)

[@easterneuropeantracksuit3312]

I like tyreconnell

[@josephgreene3074]

Great vid Ralfy. Just to note that Connemara whisky is from the Cooley Distillery (!!).

[@Darragh1]

West Cork is nice, Connemara is nice, never had Dingle but that's more for gin. My new favourite whiskey you should look out for that won't cost an arm and a leg is actually Slane Whiskey, I'm not sure if it's aged or not, but it's a nice whiskey that will only cost about 25-30 max. Also Bushmills Caribbean Rum Cask is one that stands out from the crowd. Good review Ralfy!

[@Darragh1]

@ralfystuff. Can I do a Malt Mention!! Let's go for Malty Magnificent Mutant Mandarin oranges! 🤣👍🏼

[@Rob-rg4oe]

I've been very much enjoying Pearse Founders Choice. It's stated as non-chill filtered and natural color at 43%ABV. It isn't a groundbreaking Irish whiskey but enjoyable non the less.

[@gwobcke]

I just came back from a winter trip to Athlone and Dublin and the Blue Spot 7yr and Dingle Number 3 were fantastic.

[@aitoriri1]

I have been enjoying the Drumshanbo pot still. A young one, but good teasting nontheles

[@lunacave]

Ha! That was exactly my reaction when I tried Redbreast 12 for the first time last year. Thank you once again dear sir!

[@mark5ization]

Sounds like another windy, hustery-blustery day outside the bothy, Ralfy!

[@dane5896]

I'm in New Jersey, USA. I never saw the Jameson Crested 10, on the shelves. I always looked for it, after your review. Quality bread, from a bakery, does not have sugar.

[@fatdaddy2713]

Crested doesn't come to the USA. Canada gets it tho.

[@faded_ink3545]

Fantastic to hopefully see more of the obscure Irish whiskeys from you this year Ralfie. Be cautious of the tend-chasing charlatans like Lambay; I had a lovely glass of Fercullen 14 at Christmas when visiting home. Enjoy the finer pot stills and give an honest review. All the best mo Chara. PS I’d you’re looking for a cheap secret Pot Still, check out Writers Tears (sshh don’t let it get popular or it’ll double in price).

[@Vladimir-hq1ne]

Cardhu was that really made me _think_ for interesting aromas - not only pipe-smokers club in early-90s that I was a member of... Tamdhu 12, Auchentochan 25 were... Great in mid-90s...

[@neilb2793]

Old Comber ( bottled as 21 yo) was an interesting whiskey. I bought 2 bottles about 30 years ago, one to drink and one to keep. Drank both though. I could tell a tail or two about it. Amazing whiskey, slightly ruined by dilution and bottling. Great shame they closed.

[@VladMatejka]

Thank you for the recommendations. Moving to Irish for a change from Scotch. Being a Canadian I am embarrassed and saddened by our tastes and the amount of sugar we put in things. My first Irish was Bushmills 10 and I can't deny it's good, but it's really not worth the price I pay. Next was Tyrconnell and the Jameson IPA and Stout version. All good, but excited to expand my horizons. IPA was dear to me because I can no longer drink beer and I was a beer drinker - it reminded me of Czech beers and I am a proud Canadian Czech (but also enjoyed many others country's brews). I also dislike the amount of carbonization in North American beer. Visiting Czech Republic for the first time the same brands I drank at home were a completely different experience. The best, of course, was drinking Pilsner Urquell right from a cask in their cellars on a tour. I know this is supposed to be about whisky, but I enjoy all good drinks. Cheers

[@11thstalley96]

Sorry to hear what you reported about recent bottlings of Connemara. I really liked their cask strength versions, but I haven’t seen any bottles in the states for years. TBH there’s hope yet for the American palate. It’s true that Jameson’s dominates the market here and it’s often regarded as a whiskey to be guzzled as part of a “beer and a shot”. I was surprised to read that Jameson’s had recently replaced Powers as the most popular whiskey in Ireland. I usually fill the flask that I bring to neighborhood happy hours and football tailgates with standard Powers and folks reacted very positively. I recently used Johns Lane because I ran out of the Gold Label and I was swarmed like when I was growing up and my parents tied a pork chop around my neck to get the dogs to play with me. 😂 Years ago, a friend with Irish heritage asked me for suggestions as to what whiskey to bring to an extended family gathering and I suggested Green Spot, Johns Lane, or Connemara cask strength. He brought all three and he said that members of his family were shocked by how good those whiskies are.

[@Stephen_Curtin]

Another new Irish distillery to keep an eye on is Blackwater Distillery based in County Waterford. One of the owners is trying to get the Irish Government to rewrite the technical file for "Irish Pot Still Whiskey" at the moment a maximum of 5% of the mash bill is allowed to be cereals other than barley, but apparently in the past this wasn't the case.

[@michaelgonzalez347]

Thanks for bringing more Irish whiskey to look out for. I have had the blue spot on my radar for a few years, but prices here in the US are over $300. I might just have to order from overseas and pay for the shipping, it will still be cheaper than what I can find here. Good stuff as always. Thank you

[@gavincassells7585]

You can currently get it in Dublin Airport Duty Free for €80. Treat yourself to a holiday :)

[@michaelgonzalez347]

@Gavin Cassells do they ship to the US? I'm not traveling so I wouldn't be able to purchase unless they ship. I will look up the airport online, thanks for looking out and helping a fellow Malt Mate

[@MrJBLH]

I got given a free sample of Bushmills Causeway Collection 2000 Port Finish cask strength, really really good stuff, much more depth and complexity compared to the standard releases, not sure I'd ever buy a bottle at the price but proves they're still capable of good quality. Also heard that Powers is releasing the first 100% rye Irish whiskey, interesting stuff and loving all the different takes on rye these days.

[@JJ-iy9cz]

A Scot railing about the American palate's penchant for sweetness... pot meet kettle meet sticky toffee pudding! 😂

[@thewhiskybothy]

😊👍

[@chimknee]

Thanks for this.

[@ronlillard4885]

I love Crested 10 by Jameson. It is the best product that they make and I import cases at a time from the UK because I and a lot of my friends love this whiskey.

[@scottyblog]

You forgot to include Writer’s Tears, Irishman Founders Reserve Cask Strength, Method and Madness, Teeling, or Middleton. All very competent drams in the right expressions. Waterford - look out for this one.

[@tomsimone3228]

Ralfy, I’d love to hear your take on Waterford distillery, with their emphasis on single farm barley. Cheers!

[@25gramsofbluesky33]

Bushmills 16 used to be amazing. I had a guy bring in a case. I feel bad cause I won't buy it. Its weak. He's stuck with it now. Over 100 dollars a bottle. Its not the same. Springbank is pretty bad over here now. Massachusetts. Im buying Bruichladich and barrel proof bourbon. Lagavulin young age are still pretty good the older ones are weak and cosmetics. I wish you would do a review on Jack Daniels Barrel Proof. Its a belter!

[@patrickconlon86]

Great stuff, looking forward to the reviews of Irish whiskey. A alot of new distilleries, want to know what to keep on eye on

[@mjstcdnce5]

I've been exploring Irish peated whiskies. You did a review in 2010 of Connemara. Have you tried Waterford and Fitzwilliam? I have not, but i'm looking into them. Would love to hear your thoughts on them. I'll be visiting Ireland in July, so i'm hoping to do my exploration in pubs - as opposed to buying bottles - for a tasting. Much less expensive that way!

[@ralphthomson2680]

Much magnificent malt sample of your own Caol Ila bottle - hope you enjoyed the Cadenhead Longrow in port 😉

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . all good ! glad you've enjoyed the malt-moment.

[@ralphthomson2680]

@@thewhiskybothy the Caol Ila bottling is beautiful. Thanks 🙏🏻

[@andrewblatherwick8758]

Any Irish distillery that produces integrity whisky will steal the march over their rivals.

[@emtcubby]

Very good and interesting. Being from America I agree and do not like or understand our love of sweet sugary everything. The only Jameson I like is their stout cask. Otherwise as for Irish whiskey I prefer Redbreast and Green spot.

[@CharlesOffdensen]

Until 2010 or so the Republics of Ireland had only 2 distilleries (Tullamore Distillery for example was opened in 2014, Tullamore D.E.W. before that was made in Midleton). In compression Germany had at least 10. Speaking of interesting whiskies, in Germany they make whisky from almost every grain you can think of. Not just wheat and corn, but also oat, millet and such. In terms of history, the Schlitzer Destillerie has been producing grain spirit since 1585. Yes, it wasn't matured in casks, but neither was Irish or Scotch for centuries. There is no ultra premium or very old whisky in Germany, but there are people who make competent delicious naturally presented single malt whisky, like Elsburn. And this is just one country. In France they make excellent peated whisky - Armorik. There are 15 and 20 years old Armoriks available now. In Sweden Mackmyra is hit and miss, but when they use fresh or small casks, it's working. Why does Irish get more attention then? For me, there are a few reason. First, most media, be it traditional, or youtube is done by British people. So there is a language barrier, etc. But the biggest thing is that European whisky, for what ever reason, doesn't get exported to the USA. This makes distilleries in Europe focus more on the Chinese market, where people just want cheap stuff. As a result, while there is excellent European whisky, most bottles are just barely drinkable. So even if an youtuber gets a bottle of Mackmyra or something, chances are they are going to be disappointed. But there are Mackmyras which are worth.

[@baka3489]

Never tried Redbreast. Jameson only. Greetings from Madeira. Drinking quality Port Wine. Break from Scotch Whisky 😀

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

Ralfys recent review of Redbreast wasn't overly positive. These whiskeys seem to be going downhill over the years. Last year I bought a bottle of Arran 10yo (Scotch), reminded me of a good Irish whiskey from the past. I'm no expert -- in the 80s, I used drink Powers gold label, Redbreast 12yo on a special occasion, and then there was a pub in Limerick, the White Horse, that had a barrel of Jameson 20yo. They were all great. But as another commenter said, maybe we've changed. A good port sounds nice :-)

[@baka3489]

@@sdrtcacgnrjrc Taylor's L.B.V. 2010 😊

[@philipfranco3526]

I've enjoyed a few good bottles of Teeling, but also had a dud, more often than not pretty tasty.

[@messier4033]

Try check out what Waterford Distillery are doing. Single farm origin bottlings. Their Cuvee is delicious 😋

[@rickymccurdy.404]

Irish poitin is now being legally produced in Distillerys such as Glendalough and Killowen .

[@orituhkguyjmnrmnht]

I remember Knockeen Hills Poteen (that one was around 75-79% abv) as absolutely amazing. A bit rough if you try it neat but with just one little drop of water very very dangerously easy to sip and has the most beautiful fruity notes. It makes you think about why is flavoured vodka even being produced? The stupidity...Going to Dublin in may and definitely on the look for some Poteen.

[@Vladimir-hq1ne]

I have nothing but to applaude to you about US oversweetered tastes...

[@Tantrum777]

No mention of Teeling?

[@johnbradshaw7525]

Was looking at some of the interesting whiskey that Teeling create

[@mpharr2]

In US Honey has sugar added!

[@andyarmstrong1175]

What about the cork? I like to see you testing for squeakability! 👹👍

[@gtfishing4163]

Thank you for this qualitative video as always Ralphy. I'm a "young" scotch enthousiast and I must say that in 2022 I've been really amazed by the Waterford Hunter. Have you tried it? They experience the influence of the terroir where the barley is farmed. I would be grateful to get a feedback from you about their approach and if you never tried it I do recommend the Hunter which is also the name of an old type of barley they use to make it with. Guillaume from France.

[@riancreamer6904]

Agree about Cooley. Such a shame it's not more available. Have you seen the price of Dunville 10 though?!I Not a chance ...

[@deltamirror8085]

Some of the Bushmills Causeway Coast collection is pretty tasty, though expensive.

[@SchrieberChris]

Let's give a Thumbs up for everyone anticipating the 1000th review!!

[@fredlabosch5164]

Ralfy, I wonder if you've tried one (ore more) of the many Waterford Distillery bottlings and if so , what you make of it (them). In my opinion Mark Reynier's approach to transparency and variety is a role model, but I don't know if I am willing to fund this @ 70 quid for a NAS botttling and be left with (maybe very) decent, but still young and undermatured stuff... Sláínte!

[@kaiserhog]

Irish whiskey is sweet, sweeter than bourbon to my palate.

[@kaiserhog]

I should add that I mean it is too sweet. Tullamore Dew has become like drinking sugar water. Another thing, that I've noticed is that many sherry cask matured whiskies can be too sweet but if distillers choose the right casks and do it right, it can be sublime.

[@daithi_boii]

Dunvilles is made in Echlinville Distillery not Cooley... Tut Tut

[@WhiskeyNovice]

The bulk of the spirit in Dunvilles comes from Cooley. It was bought up by Shane at Echlinville where it is aged and released under the Dunvilles name.

[@DaireSheehan]

Their older aged stock is cooley is it not? They're not open long enough to produce a 10 year old. I think they can at the end of the year though.

[@davidwalker457]

Couldn’t agree more about blackbush unfortunately. Dunvilles once was the biggest employer in Belfast till prohibition bankrupted it.

[@Pete_YT]

Dingle is one I’m watching closely. I hope prices come down.

[@andrewmainprice2179]

Just bought a kinahans kasc for £35 because it sounded interesting.

[@Mike-fg2gl]

Confectionery whisky. Love it! Jameson, Bushmills, Paddy and Powers all went down this road. Used to love the simplicity of these back in the 80's but all of them completely unrecognisable now - drowned in sweetness.

[@robfut9954]

Could be that we changed. Oak is probably not as good these days though, of course.

[@habitalista]

90% of irish whiskies (mainly the big names) are colored with E150 Kinahan's, JJ Corry, Clonakilty, Silkie are the brands I'm supporting now We (whisky affcionados) should fight against the big coorporations policy

[@alehhandro1]

Wish that non-Jameson Irish whiskey wasn’t so expensive here in the US!

[@marcdedecker3400]

Hey Ralfy. Thanks for your insights once again. Have you tried W.D O’Connel’s Whiskey yet? Some were fantastic

[@lorenzohernandez8371]

Hi ralfy, it is funny the fact that Americans like very sweet stuff and light beer as well as spirits. However, as you are also a cigar smoker, you have noticed that Americans like very very strong cigars from Nicaragua and Honduras.

[@rafaelcid]

Despite liking Redbreast 12 a lot I could only feel disappointed when I bought a bottle of their Cask Strength a couple of years ago. Not saying it is a bad whiskey but definitely is not my cup of tea.

[@RichardHowells1234]

ralfy... French whisky! heard about today🤯😆Surely that's...not allowed.

[@rghomebrewer604]

Hi Ralfy, What are your thoughts on Waterford? I’ve sampled their Hook Head farm version and found it very delightful.

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . eccentric stuff.

[@88johnbarnes]

Hello Ralfy I'm new to the whiskey journey and I recently got myself a bottle of bushmills 21 year old. I've not opened it yet, just wondering on your view of aged Irish whiskey.

[@MrPsiman]

sounds like Ralfy is going to review Killowen someday

[@Peadar-up2mc]

Ralfy, West Cork produced The Pogues, the blend, which was a decent dram. Then they released The Pogues Single Malt. This is the most vile liquid I've ever tasted. I doubt that it is whiskey. They claim to know nothing about the shocking quality. The Internet is bursting with reviews and comments on this garbage. I'd love you to taste it.

[@Onoelo23gf]

Since the 1990s, Irish whiskey has seen a resurgence in popularity and has been the fastest-growing spirit in the world every year since then. With exports > 15% per annum, existing distilleries have been expanded and a number of new distilleries constructed. As of December 2019, Ireland had 32 distilleries in operation, with more either planned or under development. Global export of Irish whiskey was on track to double by 2020, delayed by Covid. Historically, Irish whiskey was the most popular spirit in Scotland for a period in the 1800s. At their peak, the distilleries in Dublin were the largest in the world, with a combined output of almost 10 million gallons per year. George Row, one of the Big Four, produced more whiskey than ALL of Speyside put together. I could be way off mark, as this is just data collated off books.

[@ultimateplaylists7525]

Hi Ralfy, please can you make a video on the single best bottle of Whiskey that you currently own? Thanks!

[@-beno-]

Hi. It's a good thing that there is such a channel where one's own thinking and one of the main elements is the production of quality whiskey. But unfortunately, money and the modern world are going against this, because the food and beverage line is also determined by cheap, artificial flavors and high profits. That's why all abnormal manual quality very expensive vs. a lot of cheap crap. I received an Irish whiskey as a gift - I haven't tasted The Irishman Marsala cask finish (small batch, single malt) yet - and there isn't really a review about it online, so it will be interesting to taste it. It would be interesting to know what you think about this whiskey. A bit expensive, limited edition, beautiful on paper, but... the test of the pudding is the eating.

[@log0log]

Cooley >>> Connemara Peated & The Dublin Liberties 10 YO Copper Alley 👍

[@ic3105]

I so much liked Connemare Peated Cask Strength. Not available any more!

[@rares_21]

As I found Redbreast 12 a delicious dram(although unfortunately is 40%,chill filtered, plus caramel), I had to pick further between Redbreast 15 and 12 cask strength. And as we do live in a crazy world (that including also whisky industry), on my market Redbreast 15 is 43euro and 12cask strength is 97euro. I.m glad after this new Ralfy review that I decided to go for 15 one:)

[@Eunegin23]

strange pricing. In Germany you can get them for more or less the same price .

[@БьярмГипербореев]

We need to test the cheap Hinch and the exclusive TITAN.

[@andremelandray7102]

i'm sure there's a reason i may overlook in my question , but if scotch whiskey is limited to oak barrels , then why for example is arran able to use sherry casks for one their whiskey lines ?

[@sav7568]

The sherry casks are made from oak.

[@andremelandray7102]

@@sav7568 Oh now i feel silly , thank you for this info :)

[@chrisnolan7627]

I've tried so many lackluster Irish whiskies recently. Many dull and bland or worse, hot and raw, all over priced. The new Scottish and English distilleries have managed to produce palatable young spirits but the raw heat in some of these new Irish whiskies has made me apprehensive trying many more new ones. I agree with you about Dingle, it's great but expensive. West Cork has some lovely new bottlings but the basic versions are a bit bland.

[@primetime8137]

If I got offered one I’d take it but that’s about it.

[@steveh.3370]

Irish whiskey still has a long way to go to catch up to scotch, bourbon, rum, and rye. I think the best Irish today are the simple blends such as Powers. The pot stills are way to expensive for the value.

[@bb1jones20]

As an Irishman I started out on Irish whiskey but over the last year or so I have started to drink/buy more Scottish whisky. I cant justify the price's of Irish whiskey at the minute. The price for some non age statement Irish whiskey at the moment is painful.

[@phillipcollins1103]

I must agree..bushmills has been diageod…the sherry cask one tastes like bubble gum ..very strange..very poor distillery nowadays I’m sorry to say. Redbreast can’t be beat I think especially considering how expensive green and yellow spot are now

[@userperson5259]

I had a bottle of Teeling once that was respectable, I thought. Redbreast 12 to me is good but sort of, meh.. for the money.