St. Patrick’s Day is almost upon us again, and to celebrate a bottle of Irish Whiskey seemed in order. As I mentioned in last years discussion of Jameson, Irish Whiskey doesn’t receive a lot of love on our shelf. In fact, other than this time of year, we don’t reach for it, and have a nary a (completed) cocktail that calls for it. A search of the cocktail books at home, there are only a handful Irish Cocktails. Perhaps though, Dubliner Irish Whiskey can change my mind.
The Dubliner Irish Whiskey
Sight: A light, bright, pale gold with hints of yellow.
Smell: The nose is softer, leaning into pome fruits (apples, pears, etc), floral touches, and honey, before picking up a vanilla, rye spice, and hints of ethanol.
Sip: The beginning is like a strange cross between a honey liqueur scotch and a mellow bourbon. There’s a light body here that leans toward some floral notes before shifting full into a semi transparent bourbon / rye flavor.
Savor: The ending is lightly spiced with touches of honey, a hint of vanilla, and a bit of an anesthetizing tendency.
The Dubliner Irish Whiskey is a lighter alternative compared to some other Irish whiskey on the market. The softer notes of honey and spice with touches of vanilla make it inviting, and less brash than Jameson. Some of the spice elements lean into a lighter interpretation of scotch or a faded bourbon. It doesn’t scream anything particular, but it is gentle, soft spoken, and inviting.
The Dubliner Irish Whiskey Overall
Normally I would explain how well The Dubliner works in cocktails, but outside of a Black Thorn (Irish) and Irish Coffee, there’s not a whole lot of immediately notable testing cocktails to go on. That aside, between this and Jameson, I highly recommend trying The Dubliner Irish Whiskey. It’s new, gentler, refined approach might just surprise you.
P.S. Again, I appeal to those Irish Whiskey loving readers – please leave us a recommendation for your favorite Irish Whiskey in the comments.