WASHINGTON 鈥� Enough with the green beer already. Why not go for something a little more authentic on St. Patrick鈥檚 Day? It鈥檚 time to give Irish whiskey a second look.
鈥淭here are many good things about Irish whiskey and about Irish drinking culture, and a lot of that gets lost 鈥� especially in the United States 鈥� behind this stereotypical image of St. Patrick’s Day, green beer and shots of cheap Irish whiskey,鈥� says J.P. Fetherston, head bartender at Columbia Room in D.C.
In homage to St. Patrick’s Day, Columbia Room is聽featuring the good stuff in its Spirits Library for the entire month of March. Fetherston says he鈥檚 hoping it will help to separate fact from lore when it comes to Irish whiskeys.
鈥淔or the most part, they鈥檙e excellent,鈥� Fetherston says. 鈥淭here’s some amazing quality out there.鈥�
Getting a real taste of Ireland
Irish whiskeys represent聽a聽small segment on聽the spectrum of whiskey styles out there, but it doesn鈥檛 make them any less distinct.
鈥淭hey all have this lovely interplay between unripe fruit flavors and rich, toffee-like dessert flavors,鈥� Fetherston says.
In comparison, American whiskeys flavor profiles are聽characterized by the charred oak barrels in which they are aged. For scotch, the malted barley and cereal flavors are prominent.
The unique style of Irish Whiskey, derived from the use of unmalted barley and triple distillation in single pot stills, gives certain whiskeys聽a distinctive oily texture, something more pronounced than American bourbons and ryes, and in most scotches.
These types of whiskeys have the taste of ginger and spice, rich dried fruit and 鈥渢offee-fudge, Christmas pudding鈥� flavors, Fetherston says.
Irish whiskey sales taking off
Sales data suggest that D.C. residents are warming up to Irish whiskey. According to figures from the Distilled Spirits Council, the Irish whiskey sales in D.C. increased聽85 percent between 2010 and 2015, when they reached $15.9 million.
Fetherston recommends Redbreast, Powers John鈥檚 Lane brands 鈥� even well-known names like Jameson, which he described as a summer whiskey, are worth giving a try.
鈥淪ome of the best whiskeys out there, period, made are by the same people who make Jameson and are called Midleton,鈥� Fetherston says. 鈥淚f they take the best whiskeys that went into the Jameson blend and sort of tweaked them and aged them longer, that鈥檚 Midleton.鈥�
Fetherston has personal ties to the spirt. His mother is from Tipperary, Ireland. He actually has a relative named Paddy O鈥橳oole, who drinks his whiskey hot.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen this richer side of Irish culture,鈥� Fetherston says. 鈥淚t’s nice to give people a little bit of glimpse into something beyond the St. Patrick’s Day craziness.鈥�
