OT Irish, Canadian, Etc...

Don't know about either the Bushmills or CC you mentioned, and I haven't been a fan of Irish whisky generally in the past. However, I recently had the opportunity to try Connemara, and was impressed. It has a remarkably smoky/peaty nose, very much like a malt whisky, but is very smooth on the palate, almost too smooth. But a remarkable bargain. I'd be interested in knowing what others think.

-- Greg Beaulieu snipped-for-privacy@chebucto.ns.ca Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

Hmmm,-a bear, a beaver, and a moose?

Sounds like the start of some old joke:

A bear, a beaver, and a moose walk into a bar.

I agree a nice, complex malt and like you I found the peat familiar in unknown territory. I was surprised to note that it was Cask Strength. It my favourite non-Scottish malt.

Bart,

I like this one. It's a nice, mellow after dinner Irish. The maderia touch is not unlike that of the Glenmo wood finish - the best of that lot, IMO. Smooth and a little sweet, but very nice every once in a while for a change of pace. I'd call it a buy, if one is already so inclined. 21 yo Irish whiskey is not easy to find and this release is yet another good Bushmills.(In my neck of the woods it's just under $100 a bottle.)

If you have tried the 3-wood Bushmills and liked it, I think this one would please your palate as well.

Connemara is a very nice whisky, both in the standard version and the cask strength version which only became available locally this year.

It's a single malt, and peated, but somehow still manages to taste like an Irish whiskey. It may not be to everyone's taste, but is definitely worth trying. And it isn't shy about the peat. It has more smokiness than many scotch whiskies. There are one or two other peated Irish whiskies, but Connemara is the only one available here so for me it's in a class of it's own.

Bart

Thanks for the impression. I like Bushmills. I have a sentimental attachment as well, in that Bushmills while not the first whisky I ever tasted, was the first whisky I truly liked. So I'm inclined. Local price is about the same, perhaps a few dollars more as is usual for Texas. If they remain available for a while I'll certainly pick one up.

I did like the 3 wood though it's not a regular bottle on my drinks shelf. I also noticed the 10yo has changed its label and is now the 2 wood. I wonder if there is any change in the whisky or merely a label redesign?

Bart

I am not a big fan of Bushmills whiskey, but the 21 year old is very good. Connemara is superb, and the new 12 year old version is a world beater.

I would also recommend the Lockes 8 year old single malt, although I don't know if everyone would like it. I think it's superb.