Irish Whiskey Taste Test: Bushmills Black Bush vs Readbreast

This week's Deadwood Dinner (weekly get-together with friends to share a meal and watch a couple of episodes of Deadwood) landed on a Saturday for various reasons, and since no one had to get up and go to work the next day (sort of), we decided to indulge in a whiskey taste-off. John and I went to the Liquor store and mulled over the offerings and finally decided on Irish Whiskey for this one. Since I'd already had Jamieson's a few times, I suggested we choose two others. So we ended up leaving the store with a bottle of Bushmill's Black Bush, an attractive looking bottle of indeterminate age (that distillery's premium offering), and a 12-year-old Redbreast

Bushmill's is distilled at Ireland's oldest working whiskey distillery, first established in 1608. Billed as having an intriguing flavour and high proportion of malt whiskey, it is aged in former sherry casks, which gives it a slight sweetness and fruity character.

Redbreast, with a somewhat less high-brow approach to marketing, judging by the fact that I couldn't find its website, at least has a "vintage"...or "expression" as it appears to be called in whiskey circles. We tried the 12-year-old version, but we saw a (considerably more expensive) 15-year-old version as well.

In the tasting, both John and I were disappointed and wished we'd stuck with the scotch whiskys instead. As always, I started off with the sniff-test. Black Bush came first, but try as I might, no matter how deeply I inhaled, I couldn't really detect anything very unique about it, besides its very obvious smell of "just plain whiskey," except perhaps for a pleasant creamy smell. On tasting, I found it rather light, which was nice, but without any really distinguishing characteristics which we had noted last time in the scotch whiskys. It did have a rather burny effect on the tongue, but went down smoothly, albeit without that nice warming sensation you look for.

The Redbreast was somewhat more enjoyable. I really couldn't tell the difference between it and the Bushmills in the scent department, but the taste was somewhat more pleasant, with a detectable hint of sweetness, and just a hint of smoke, which I enjoy. It also seemed less burny, but that always seems to be the case with the second sampling, so I think it's more to do with your tongue getting used to it, than the harshness or smoothness of the drink.

So, overall, not really as impressed with these two as I have been with other single-malts I've tried so far. Then again, I'm no expert and don't really know what to look for. An article I found online suggested that the Irish whiskeys might have been improved by the addition of a spoonful of cold water, which is supposed to bring out the caramel and spice tones... I'll have to try that next time, as I have noted that the first couple of sips of bourbon on the rocks are always the best...owing to the temperature and the addition of a tiny bit of melted icewater.