Let's face it: Any day is a good day to drink Irish whiskey, but today is an especially fine occasion. (Don't get us started on green beer and Car Bombs.) But whether you like the delicious spirit neat or in cocktails, you should have it year-round and not just on St. Patrick's Day.
And thanks to the spirit's ridiculous growth in popularity over the last few years, brands are introducing a range of new Irish whiskies. Here are five you need to taste. Sláinte!
Redbreast 21 Year Old ($250):
One of our all-time favorite Irish whiskies is Redbreast. The brand's latest release is the longest-aged bottling the company has put out so far. Creamy with exceptional richness, the new whiskey has an unexpected air of the tropics, with notes of papaya.
Green Spot ($50):
Oh, the frequent-flier miles we Green Spot lovers have racked up. Until now, the revered brand was only available in Europe. But as of a few weeks ago, the pot-still whiskey -- which is aged in both former bourbon and sherry casks -- is finally on shelves Stateside. Even on our domestic shores, it has all the baking-spice notes and intense sweetness we've long admired.
Irish Mist Whiskey ($29):
You may already be familiar with the honey-and-spice-flavored Irish Mist liqueur. This month, the brand introduced a whiskey for the first time, which offers honey and toffee on the palate, along with a smooth finish. It's a four-year-old blend that was matured in American white-oak barrels.
Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix ($55):
Tullamore D.E.W.'s limited-edition Phoenix is aptly named: The potent 110-proof whiskey has all the power of a mythicial flaming creature rising from ashes. This Phoenix is a mixture of pot-still, malt and grain whiskies finished in oloroso sherry casks for two years and has notes of cinnamon and ginger.
Teeling Small Batch ($40):
Walter Teeling made whiskey in Dublin in the late 1700s, and his descendant John founded the Cooley distillery in 1987. More than three centuries of history there. But the family's eponymous whiskey brand, Teeling, is Ireland's newest. This unique spirit, to be released next month, is aged for six months in barrels that previously held Flor de Caña Rum, giving Teeling's whiskey rum-like vanilla and spice flavors.