Top 5 Bars to grab a Whiskey (Bourbon, American Whiskey, Scotch or Irish Whiskey)

5. Brown Hotel – They always keep a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle in stock. Made me a believer!

 

4. Galt House – Over priced, but a beautiful bar with a nice selection.

 

3. The Bristol – They cater to the “tourist” crowd and keep a nice selection of the “good stuff”.

 

2. Bourbon Bristol – Probably the best selection of Bourbon in town, hence the name. I rate them second because a bartender admitted they jack the prices because “people are willing to pay it.”

 

1. The Irish Rover – While I love Bourbon, being a Kentucky Native myself, I enjoy Irish Whiskey and Scotch more. Nobody locally has a better Irish Whiskey selection and very few can rival Mr. Reidy’s Scotch selection.

Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

I drink so much Jameson, Bushmills and Red Breast, it was nice to find a new Irish Whiskey to try. Kilbeggan was priced at $24.99 at Liquor Barn of St. Matthews. Kilbeggan has been sold throughout Ireland since 1757. The Whiskey is known for its old school taste and tradition.

Taste – Kilbeggan is no Jameson or Bushmills. This Whiskey taste more like a decent Scotch than an Irish Whiskey. Unlike Jameson, there’s no fruity flavors found here. It also has that smokey flavor which is absent from Bushmills.

Price – The $24.99 price is beyond fair. It’s nowhere close to the better Irish Whiskeys, but better than say, Michael Collins Whiskey which carries a $29.99 price.

How to drink it – This is an excellent sipping Whiskey. I recommend drinking it with 3 medium size iced cubes.

What it compares to – While an Irish Whiskey, it taste more like a Scotch than an Irish Whiskey. It has a mild smokey flavor with a medium wood color to it.

Overall, I would give Kilbeggan a 7.5 out of 10. A good sipping whiskey indeed to have around during a cold winter night.

Knappogue Castle 12 year – very good!

If Jack Daniels is your favorite whiskey, you are a typical American. If Jim Beam is your favorite; you know shit about whiskey. Irish Whiskey and Scotch, are by far, the best whiskeys in the world. The Irish and the Scottish know booze. They have been making good booze for hundreds, if not a thousand years.

Today, while at Liquor Barn, I came across Knappogue Castle 12 year Whiskey. My favorite whiskeys are Middleton, Jameson 18 Year and Bushmills 21 Year. I love almost all Jameson, almost all Bushmills, Redbreast and all Middleton. I gave this new Whiskey a try. And man, it was worth the $37.99 price. I like it better than Bushmills 10 year and Jameson 12 year, which are in the same price range.

Smell –  Knappogue has a very fruity smell. It’s more mild than say Jameson, Jameson 12 year and Bushmills. It sort of reminds me of Bushmills’ Black Bush which barrels are coated with cherries.

Taste – Like the smell, the taste is very fruity. It reminds me of Jameson’s Vintage. Not as well flavored, but then again, it’s a $37.99 bottle when compared to the nearly (and sometimes more) $200 price tag of the Vintage. It has a mild kick to it and goes down smooth overall.

When compared to other Irish Whiskeys – I rate all Middleton, Jameson 18 year and Vintage, Busmills 21 and 16 years, and Redbreasts 12, 15 and Casket as a perfect 10 out of 10. I rate Jameson Gold Reserve a 9.5 out of ten. I would give this whiskey an 8.5 out of 10, which would make it equal to Jameson 12 Year and Bushmills 10 year.

Price – Knowing my Irish Whiskey, the price of $37.99 is great. This whiskey is equal to Busmills 10 year and Black Bush, and Jameson 12 Year. Those whiskeys are in the same price range. Being aged 12 years, the whiskey is no equal to Redbreast, but the price range is more pleasing to the eye and bank account than Redbreast.

For Americans who are use to shit whiskey – Most Americans who drink fake whiskey would probably like this one. It is very fruity in nature and easy to drink. I can picture some trendy college chick enjoying this with a splash of something.

How to drink it – Anyone that knows me, knows I love drinking most Irish Whiskey neat. At times, I may add one (or two) ice cubes. This one is best served with one or two ice cubes. The ice brings out the fruity flavors. I tried a sip neat and the flavor was just not the same.

Partying at Louisville’s Strange Brew HQ

   This is why you should never drink heavy….. Irish Whiskey, Scotch, beer, moonshine, beer and a few other things…………………………………..

Who is most drunk? A clue…. he writes for the website!

When Bud Light commercials were fun

Man of the Year Candidate #5 – Cops who arrested Reese Witherspoon

Reese yelled at cops, “Do you know what my name is?” I sure do. Your name is “My Career Ended About 5 Years Ago.” I only wish these police officers would have beat her with a nightstick.

Elizabeth M. Hanes – repeat criminal walks again

 (thank God her mouth isn’t open – rotted and missing teeth!)

Once again our horrible court system has failed. A repeat criminal once again has walked. Great job Jefferson County, Kentucky courts of failing the people of the Commonwealth. A repeat drug addict, drunk and thief walked away once again from numerous crimes. As a taxpayer this pisses me off. This bitch should have been behind bars.

I’ve already talked about this bitch on this site. I won’t waste my time again talking about her crimes over and over. You can read the back stories here and here. You can also see how her work was looked into for prescription fraud also – here. I am just pissed that a worthless person can commit numerous crimes and nothing happens. Could a black kid caught with some crack get away with this? More than likely, no.

Since the court system has failed us, I will sum of Elizabeth “Liz” Hanes for you. She is a pathological liar, thief, drunk, drug addict, user, snitch, bitch and loser. Anyone that abuses heroin is a moron. Her rotted teeth make me wanna puke. The nasty spider veins on her legs due to heroin needles could kill anyone’s boner. She is beyond worthless. A pile of dog shit is better than her.

I could care less if this sounds harsh. The loser has no respect for the law, other people or the well-being of others. The website www.buycrimes.com shows the fact she has no issue in breaking the law over and over. Look at the charges there. They are all drug related charges. If she has been caught twice, no telling how many times she hasn’t. She needs jail time. End of debate.

Think about this. Could you and I get pulled over twice with drugs and avoid jail time? Could we wreck three cars in the past five years, twice (more than likely all three times) while drunk and avoid jail time? Could we hide heroin from the cops and avoid jail time? Of course not. A judge would have thrown the books at us. Elizabeth M. Hanes has walked away from all the crimes named above along with a DUI and fleeing the scene of a crime. Tell me why this cunt is not in jail?

I could say more, but why bother? Our court system is a mess. The rich can do whatever. White snitches can walk. The poor and minority races suffer. That is the American way. Ask Liz Hanes. She has committed numerous crimes with no punishment. Ask a 16 year-old black youth who got 25 for a gram of crack. That is the (UN) American way – injustice.

Irish History #18

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona

Chun gach mo chomhghleacaithe Gaeilge Meiriceánaigh, Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona. Inniu an lá mór a bheith bródúil as ár n-oidhreacht mór. Daoine as gach cultúr ar domhan sa lá atá inniu ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar ár lá speisialta. Inniu, tá gach duine ar bheagán Gaeilge, nó mar sin deir siad. Tonn Let s na bratacha na hÉireann, deoch go pionta agus scéal ard nó dhó a insint.

Níl níos mó ná ól inniu. Sa lá atá inniu faoi cairdeas. Roinnt scéal le daoine eile. Ag insint scéalta grinn agus cúpla a fheiceáil aoibh gháire ar an duine ar aghaidh. Agus ar ndóigh, tá cúpla pionta beorach na hÉireann. Nó a lámhaigh nó dhá cheann de roinnt uisce beatha Gaeilge mhaith. Just a cuimhnigh, cairdeas maith is tábhachtaí.

Bíodh spraoi agus a lán deoch. Bí sábháilte agus tuiscint coiteann a úsáid lá atá inniu ann. Ná deoch agus tiomáint. Ná lig chairde tiomáint atá ar meisce. Sa lá atá inniu tá thart ar spraoi. Ní Spraoi chiallaíonn go bhfuil easpa de chiall is coitianta. Ní lá atá inniu ann fiú a chailliúint do cheadúnas, a bheith gafa nó marú duine éigin nó tú féin. Ní lá atá inniu faoi ar féidir leo a ól an chuid is mó, blacking amach nó DUI ar. Sa lá atá inniu mar gheall ar an Harp, Shamrock agus Glas, Bán agus Óir.

 

Irish History # 8

Full story here

I recently read the book Irish Whiskey: A 1000 Year Tradition, which is no longer in print but still available. It was originally published in 1980 and most recently reprinted in 1998. A lot has happened since then, but this book has some good historical information.

Here are some facts and assertions from the book.

As in Scotland, oppressive laws and taxation drove many people into  illicit distilling. “In 1806, out of 11,400,000 gallons of spirits made  in Ireland, 3,800,000 of these were produced by illicit manufacturers.  In the years 1811 to 1813 almost 20,000 ilegal stills were destroyed by  the revenue authorities and the military.”

In the earlier 1800s, scotch whisky was heavy in flavor profile and the English didn’t prefer it. Irish whiskey, which used malted and unmalted barley, was both lighter and more consistent.

When column distillation was invented, Irish whiskey makers were very reluctant to use it to water down their whiskey. They argued against it and refused to use it, while the Scots took to it to dilute their strongly flavored spirit. The lighter flavor profile was more popular both in England and America.

The Irish whiskey industry was further harmed by world war rationing, independence from England, and American Prohibition.

The last remaining Irish whiskey distillers banded together in the 1960s to form Irish Distillers. They were the sole producers of Irish whiskey, which was made both at the Old Bushmills distillery and down at Cooley.

I’ll have some of the more modern history and production of Irish whiskey in a forthcoming story in the San Francisco Chronicle,