Two Irish Whiskies on a Tuesday Night

On Tuesday we decided to go out for Myron's birthday and had two stops we were going to make. The first was Soldier McGee's on the Upper West Side (480 Amsterdam Avenue, NY, NY 212-579-4299). Spencer was about to pour us a round of shots when I noticed a bottle behind the bar that a Spencer described as being "similar to Paddy's."

- 2 Gingers
According to the website for 2 Gingers Whisky:

2 GINGERS® whiskey is faithfully distilled at the famed Kilbeggan Distillery in Ireland, formerly called the Cooley Distillery. The award-winning spirit is smooth, malty, and slightly sweet to start, with a tingle of honey and citrus. The woody essence of this four-year-aged blend suggests caramel and vanilla to the finish.

Kieran Folliard was inspired by his fiery-haired mother and aunt to start 2 GINGERS® WHISKEY, the spirit over which ideas travel forward. Mary and Delia, whose faces are found on our bottle, never wasted a good idea by pondering its impossibilities. 2 GINGERS® WHISKEY is a product of an  undeniable urge to make a go of a good idea.

In terms of how it is made and tastes:

Smooth, malty, and slightly sweet to start, with a tingle of honey and citrus. 2 GINGERS® is a blended Irish whiskey, distilled twice and aged four years in the mild climate at the Cooley Distillery.

I took a sip of the Whisky and found it to be very, very smooth. It didn't have the harshness that some Irish Whiskys I've tasted can have. The back end of the shot had a nice kick.

After we were done at Soldier's, we cabbed it over to the Upper East to visit Pete at Bailey's Corner Pub (1607 York Ave, New York, NY 212-650-1341). Walking in the door with Myron and the Kahuna, the shots were being lined up. What was Pete pouring? As if fate intervened, Pete was pouring the aforementioned Paddy's Irish Whisky.

- Paddy's Irish Whisky
According to the Paddy's Irish Whisky website:

Call it fate. Call it luck. But in 1882, a young Patrick J. O’Flaherty was in need of a job, and Cork Distilleries Company was in need of a salesman. And while the perks of having whiskey as the product you’re selling was a draw, this legendary pairing of man and drink was fueled by something bigger. Soon whiskey glasses everywhere would never be the same...From Cork, to Mallow to Macroom, Paddy took to selling whiskey like a duck to water. At every pub along the way, he sold more than just the taste of "Old Irish Whiskey," making friends at every stop along the way. He embodied fun and good times and the next round’s on him.

By 1913, when pubs ran low on stock, they wrote to the folks in Cork, not for more “Cork Distilleries Company Old Irish Whiskey,” but for more of “Paddy’s Whiskey.” And because of the success of Paddy, the distillery officially changed the name of its whiskey to “Paddy Irish Whiskey.” A whiskey not named for the founder but for the man who made it his calling. The ultimate compliment in good taste and good times.

In terms of how its made:

It’s the ingredients that make PADDY stand for quality. It’s a tribute to what’s inside and gives the whiskey its distinctive soft and mellow taste: Barley harvested from the East Cork countryside; water from the river Dungourney, and malt and our special distiller’s yeast. All these ingredients make for a whiskey as unique as the man himself.

Not all whiskey is created equal. What separates PADDY Irish Whiskey from others is the addition of malt and the triple distillation process, which makes it soft and mellow. After fermentation, the wash is pumped to the first of three copper pot-stills; the Wash Still for distillation. Under the care of the Master Distiller, this process is repeated two more times: Once in the Feint Still and again in the Spirit Still, to get that great Irish Whiskey taste. It’s then filled into oak casks to rest and mature for years before the final careful blending process.

I found it to be quite smooth and I can see why Spencer said that the 2 Gingers Whisky bears a resemblance to Paddy's. I'm surprised that Paddy's isn't found as easily as let's say Jameson, Powers or even Bushmills whisky. Maybe they should engage in an ad campaign similar to Bushmills' "Since Way Back"

Well, maybe not. ;) Those ads irritate me. They come off as being fake. I know who drinks Bushmills at the bar and its not any of these people. Oh well. That's enough of the Irish Whisky for one night. Any recommendations on which Irish Whisky brands to try next?

Until Then Happy Drinking,

Sisco Vanilla

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