Welcome to Sláinte: the Irish Whiskey Blog, an online exploration of and discussion about Irish whiskey and the good things that go with it -- fun, family, friends, music and talking, or,  the "craic" as the Irish say.

A Quick Intro And Some Why's And How's
I'm an independent writer and marketing consultant near Boston. I enjoy good food, good company and good drink or what's been called, "The Art Of Drinking Well." Why Irish whiskey? Several reasons:

First, it's a cultural connection for me of sorts. My great-greats emigrated to the U.S. and Newfoundland from Co. Kilkenny and Co. Cork in the 1850s. There's more about Irish-American identity that we may cover in future entries, but for now the whiskey is just a fun link to my ancestry.  And it provides an excellent excuse for future trips to Ireland and stops at the duty-free on the way home.

Second, Irish whiskey is a relatively unknown beverage in the States and elsewhere (aside from Ireland, of course).  You could say it's underrepresented in the liquor-drinking world.  Many, many more people are Scotch aficionados.  And the premium vodka market is hyper-saturated (seems like most countries can't have a real international economic presence without their own brands of vodka).  But Irish whiskey is little understood and little known beyond the usual bottles of Jameson and Bushmills (the "standard" ones) on bar shelves. And those typically end up in coffee or only make annual appearances during the weird little overdrinking festival that passes for St. Patrick's Day in the U.S.

Third, to date I've enjoyed about 30 different kinds of Irish whiskey and it's fun to introduce people to the many varieties.  I've held Irish whiskey tastings with friends and with many of the 53 first cousins on my father's side of the family. Most are unfamiliar with the breadth of brands, tastes, colors, scents, feel and finish in Irish whiskey.   With so little foreknowledge out there, it's fun to see people's reactions as they try each one. They're expecting something different -- will it be like bourbon? Like Scotch? Harsh? Smooth? Can you really tell the differences between each? There is more of a pure sense of discovery -- and a pleasantly warm glow that goes with it. Even most of those who started out saying, "I don't like whiskey" came away with at least one new favorite.

Finally, it's all about the craic.  Sharing good drink in a tasting, at home, in a pub or at a party is a great way to spend time with friends and family, to meet new people and generally relax and have fun. 

Just A Dram Or So
That leads me into some important how's.  When we're tasting, once as many as 18 whiskeys, we only take very small sips, with water and small breaks between. Nobody gets slammed, and there's no knocking back shots of booze. That would be a waste of time, whiskey and brain cells, and it's hard on some of my favorite internal organs. We also avoid using excessive amounts of what I'd guess you'd call "tasting decorum." Adorning and encumbering the introduction of whiskey (or Scotch, or wines, or any liquor) with protocol, pomp and hifalutin rhetoric creates unnecessary barriers, especially when the idea is to learn, explore and have some great craic. This is social drinking, not the chemistry class at Charm School.



So we keep it simple and accessible. We talk a little about the history and characteristics of Irish whiskey, the barley, the malting, the roasting, the water, the triple-distilling, the aging, and so forth. That might sound like a Discovery Channel Special, but it's a lot more fun than that. (But what a great idea, no?  Instead of Shark Week, they could have Whiskey Week, or even Good Booze Week. Sure it's ain't P.C., but imagine the sponsorships and tie-ins with pub promos! Ah, but I digress.)

We use some of the vernacular of professional distillers and tasters because it's useful in trying to describe some ineffable and highly subjective aspects of nose, feel and finish. But it's more fun to see people figure that all out for themselves without being told what's "good." The tasting results are usually as varied as the people doing the tasting.

So welcome to the blog.