Re: Why isn't Irish whiskey as good as Scotch?

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 16:47:00 +0100, Terry <terrywhatever@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

>On 26 Aug 2005 08:34:04 -0700, hauntedriver@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
>>I'm sure I read somewhere that the Irish started distilling the 'water
>>of life' before their Scots counterparts, so why is Scotch -
>>particularly the single malt variety - so much better than the original?
>
>It's a myth:
>
>"Several factors led to the poor status of Irish whiskey in the
>American market. In the 1870s Irish whiskey was second only to rum in
>the world market following the destruction of French brandy production
>by blight. But soon unauthorized blending of Irish whiskey with other
>spirits by shady American merchants became common. During Prohibition
>bootleggers often labeled homemade whiskey "Irish" to help it sell.
>The bad taste it left in the mouth soured many customer's memories,
>and hurt sales both before and after the 20's. The upheavals that led
>to Irish independence hurt production and distribution; the British
>Commonwealth leveled an embargo on Irish goods. Finally, Americans
>began what I consider to be a distasteful love affair with Scotch when
>our G.I.s were stationed in Britain during the Second World War. "
>
>http://www.mindspring.com/~mccarthys/whiskey/irish.htm
>
>
>Belief: Irish whiskey isn?t as good as Scotch whisky.
>
>Reality: Just like Scotch whiskies, some Irish whiskeys are
>outstanding while others are not.
>
>When I told a Scotch whisky distillery manager that I was going to
>Ireland, his reply was (tongue-in-cheek), ?I didn?t know they made
>whisky in Ireland.? The truth is that Scotland, Ireland, the United
>States, and Canada make some great whiskies, and they also make some
>not-so-great whiskies.
>
>Unfortunately, I encounter many single malt scotch drinkers who don?t
>drink Irish whiskey and aren?t willing to even try it. Given that the
>flavor gap between Irish and Scotch whisky is narrowing, combined with
>the recent release of outstanding, high-quality Irish whiskeys, if you
>adopt such a myopic view you will miss out.
>
>To prove this point, I often slip in a good Irish whiskey during my
>single malt scotch tastings events; you would be surprised by the
>overwhelming favorable response.
>
>http://www.maltadvocate.com/html/ir_irish.html
>
>

The difference between black bush and powers is big.
John Powers is rotten, while bush is less rotten.

Brandy makes you randy
Whiskey makes you frisky
and beer I never drink.

max.it (the orange cage)
.

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