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The Drink
Michael Collins Irish Whiskey
The Price (750ml)
$26 for Michael Collins Blend
$38 for Michael Collins Single Malt
The Score
The Taste
If you're celebrating St. Patrick's Day, it's pretty clear you're drinking something Irish. The usual choices are rather obvious: Irish beer like Guinness, Harp or Smithwicks; and Irish whiskey like Bushmills or Redbreast; or an Irish car bomb (a shot of Baileys dropped into a pint of Guinness and Jameson).
A newer option, and one that has some nifty cocktail adaptations, is called Michael Collins, named after the revolutionary leader and founding father of the Irish state. Mr. Collins, also known as "the big fellow" for reasons unknown, inspires two versions of whiskey: a single-malt and a blend. Both stem from water that shuttles down the Cooley Mountain and into Cooley Distillery, the only independent Irish-owned distillery in Ireland. The single-malt is twice distilled in copper pot stills and has a terrific, light, peaty flavor. It's aged for between eight and 12 years in oak casks and seamlessly blends sweetness with smoke and chocolate with honey. It's lovely, smashing and tastes great neat or on the rocks.
The blend is aged in bourbon casks for between four and 12 years. It has creamy vanilla aromas, tentative honey and oak flavors, but some harshness going down -- ultimately it seems tame for a spirit named after a war hero. The mellow finish, however, may appeal to fans of lighter whiskeys, and the blend works wonders with apple schnapps or ginger ale.
And even if you don't reach for a Michael Collins on St. Patty's Day, please leave the green beer to the amateurs.
-- James Oliver Cury
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for the Blend
for the Single Malt