Comments on: Ask Your Bartender: Protestant vs. Catholic Whiskey (Repost)

By: Martin

Martin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:58:58 +0000

I had the 15yr old Kilbeggan during a visit at the Cooley distillery a few years back, and it was damn tasty. Not sure if it is available outside of Ireland, but if you can, get a hold of a bottle.

By: Cyn

Cyn — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:48 +0000

Anyone try Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey? As of late, it’s been my favorite — it has rich barley notes that leave my palate craving more. Jameson is always a great go-to, easy and smooth. Redbreast IS great for sipping (especially for the price) and Powers Gold is fine too. If you guys can get your hands on Kilbeggan, it will not disappoint…I only recently discovered it and thought I’d share. Sweeter, rich with barley, and perfect with one ice cube. Cheers!

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:19:25 +0000

Corvallisbarman is half right. It is Bushmills that supplies single malt (The Old Bushmills Distillery is the only one of the three in Ireland that distills only triple distilled single malt whiskey, while the Midleton Distillery produces grain & pure potstill spirit and Cooley produces double distilled single malt, grain & potstill), as well as doing the bottling for Jameson, Powers & Paddy’s (All from Midleton, along with Red Breast, Greenspot & Tullamore Dew). In return, Bushmills receives grain whiskey from both Midleton & Cooley. The three also exchange used casks, when need be, if they have extra. There is a rivalry, to be sure, but it is all about business, and not about religion.

By: Corvallisbarman

Corvallisbarman — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:50:57 +0000

Jameson has distilled fine Irish malt which has been then sold to Bushmills to use as a blend all of the way through the most controversial of times of Irish English relations to current. Ireland is %110 united in whiskey.

By: Jim O'Dhalaigh

Jim O'Dhalaigh — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:50:57 +0000

@Eamonn: always good to hear from a Dubliner. Love Black Bush but Jameson’s Gold Reserve gets my vote as the very best I’ve had. Powers is my number one as the “every day” Irish whiskey of choice.
@Matt: sorry to hear about religious intolerance in West Virginia but this is a discussion about the distilling history of Irish whiskey, not moonshine.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:39:24 +0000

Eamonn, I thought all that was in the past and your country moved on? I must have been misinformed. I do drink whatever. My post was simple stating that the problem still exists. I can see you have been horribly scared by the conflict. You are a great person to forgive and forget the horrible crime that were personal committed against you. I do live in a Hicktown. The good news is I don’t have to worry about car bomb in Hicktown. Good luck and god bless Hun.

By: Eamonn

Eamonn — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:27:04 +0000

The situation is ridiculous. Get over it and drink what you feel. And I obviously know alot about it being from Ireland and the horrific scenes of the troubles. Car bombs, kidnappings, murders, protests, etc. I think it’s alot worse than some backward hick town in yankeeville. lol

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:04:38 +0000

If you are not an active Catholic or Protestant.
You wouldn’t really understand the depth of the situation.
If you don’t beleive in god the whole situation would appear ridiculous. I’m an American Catholic raised in the bible belt, West Virginia to be exact. West Virginia is the only U.S state where you can legally handle venomous serpents to prove your faith. Most protestant in my area have a real problem with Catholics. My wife’s grandmother an active protestant would not let me in her house due to my faith. I don’t know about Ireland, but in some parts of the U.S there still major problems.

By: Eamonn

Eamonn — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:03:22 +0000

I prefer the taste of Bushmills as it’s smoother where Jameson is a sharper taste.

And it really is an Irish American thing to take to finding out which is protestant and catholic lol.

I can guarantee no one here in Dublin or Ireland gives a crap either way.

By: Seán Ó Ceallacháin

Seán Ó Ceallacháin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:15:30 +0000

Though Jameson is currently distilled in lovely Cork, it was actually founded and first distilled in Dublin. As a proud Corkonian, I feel the need to set the record straight.

By: Marty

Marty — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:04:14 +0000

The spelling of whisk(e)y is actually a bit up in the air as far as that pesky “e” goes. Not all American or Irish whiskies spell the word with an “e”…like Maker’s Mark, George Dickel, Old Forester, Early Times or Paddy spell the word w-h-i-s-k-y. However, it is generally accepted that the catagory, as a whole, is spelt that way as well.

By: danny boy

danny boy — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:25:45 +0000

As an irish american raised in an irish roman catholic family I can say this:
Those of us that still drink enjoy guinness as our beer
Irish for the whiskey
Potatoes for supper
Love a pleanty
And as our clan motto states “commit thy work to god”

So have a pint, pull, prayer, and let’s party.

By: Fred

Fred — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:07:29 +0000

I noticed a little uncertainty about spelling in the story. “Whiskey” is Irish, whatever brand (or religion), followed by Americans (as in bourbon whiskey etc.). “Whisky” is Scotch, followed by Canada.

By: Jim O'Dhalaigh

Jim O'Dhalaigh — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:41:18 +0000

Terrific reading. History matters — which is why the Catholic/Protestant thing is relevant. Fact: the worst atrocities in the Irish struggle for freedom were perpetrated by the Irish on each other — and were not likely fueled by religious affiliation but the politics of the time. In true Irish US tradition, my son is a cop and we will drink any Irish whiskey — all of which are superior to Scotch.

By: Marty

Marty — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:38:51 +0000

Dean – well said!

By: Dean

Dean — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:49:38 +0000

This must be one of the most pointless debates I have seen in a long time.

I grew up in a so-called Protestant area in west County Down where nobody really cares what you are. I still live there.

I sincerely doubt that there are too many Irish Catholics who care about the religion attached to what they drink. There will always be a few zealots who do, but from my knowledge, both Bushmills and Jamesons are enjoyed by people of both faiths.

Rabble Rouser, Bushmills is not ‘total UFV (sic) territory’ in the slightest. It is true to say it is an almost exclusively Protestant village, but otherwise it is a quiet rural area on a picturesque coastline, visited annually by thousands of tourists from both side of the divide. It was largely untouched by the Troubles and paramilitaries. I could be fairly sure the master distiller was hired because he was good at distilling whiskey and not because they needed to hire a Catholic. Utter nonsense.

This works in the same way that Protestants love their Guinness just as much as Roman Catholics – in fact, I know a lot of Catholics who never drink the stuff. Both sides here will gradually realise that they have more in common with each other than they do with folk in ROI or England, that’s been my experience.

Drink is one thing that unites Ireland – it is shocking to see that some, primarily in the US, try to politicise it. The overwhelming majority of people in Ireland just want to get on with their lives, as they have always done and forget about this petty conflict.

By: Rabble Rouser

Rabble Rouser — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:37:00 +0000

I was born in West Belfast and I can tell you, that most Catholics prefer Jameson’s.

I’ve been to the area that Bush Mill’s in manufactured and it’s total UFV territory.

If they do in fact have a Catholic Master Distiller, he is probably just the token worker.

By: Rich

Rich — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 04:24:58 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X85N-43REag

By: Dick Choke

Dick Choke — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:17:16 +0000

In the tv show “The Wire” McNulty made a comment about not drinking that “fucking Protesant whiskey” when asked by Bunk why he always drank Jameson’s.

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:11:14 +0000

Another tip of the hat to answer #34.

Having just visited Ireland, I spent time in both the north and the ROI. I even stayed in what was one of the hotbed cities during the troubles.

Never once was I presented with a this is the north, or this is Ireland like many seem to believe in the States.

To those who want to talk about Catholic vs Protestant issues, at least go visit the country before assuming anything.

I am still cradling my Bushmills 12 yr Distillery Reserve Whiskey. What a great treat.

By: Davy

Davy — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:05:15 +0000

Hi and i take my hat off to Rob Mchardy answer 34..more people should be like you and the world would be a nicer place,anyway there is only one kind of whisky,the answer is in the spelling.

By: holly jackson

holly jackson — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:52:16 +0000

red breast is my favorite single pot still whisky!! best bang for your buck for a sipping whisky.

By: Marty

Marty — Sat, 22 May 2010 16:37:55 +0000

Yes, it is me and I have returned.

By: Kevin Erskine

Kevin Erskine — Sat, 22 May 2010 13:10:20 +0000

Marty D. Is that you? Still in Ireland?

By: Marty

Marty — Sat, 22 May 2010 03:22:56 +0000

The make up of the folks who work at Bushmills reflects the religous makeup of Northern Ireland – roughly 40% Roman Catholic. The Master Distiller, Colum Eagan, is indeed a Catholic himself and comes from Co. Laois in ROI. The 1608 license is not “marketing shite”, but did refer to the area of the town of Bushmills. there was thought to be up towards 25 distilleries in this town at one time. Many of these came from the grain mills along the Bush River, where the current distillery stands today. The big difference between the two whiskies has nothing to do with religion, which is silly and, in some respects, rather ignorant. Jameson is a blended potstill whiskey (malted + Unmalted grain blended with grain whiskey). Bushmills is produced from 100% malted barley and grain whiskey (which it receives from the Midleton Distillery in Co. Cork where Jameson is made). For this reason, Bushmills has a bigger flavor, while Jameson has a much lighter flavor. Upon this one should decide which whiskey they prefer, and not upon any religous matter. It is about the spirit in the bottle, not in a church. This kind of stupidity makes us look like clowns in the eyes of most real Irish.