Charles Passy
In America, we have the cola wars. In Ireland, it's the whiskey wars.
How else to explain the centuries-old rivalry between Jameson Irish Whiskey and Bushmills Irish Whiskey, the two leading brands of Irish whiskey? Both are names steeped in history and among the best-known Irish exports in the world, though Jameson outsells Bushmills by a three-to-one margin in the United States. Back at home, in a country still somewhat divided by religion, they have their fiercely loyal fans: Jameson, produced in the Catholic-rich cities of Cork and Dublin, has naturally gained the reputation as the "Catholic whiskey." By contrast, Bushmills, distilled in Protestant-heavy Northern Ireland, has a Protestant following. Never mind that until a few years ago, both brands were owned by the same conglomerate, Pernod Ricard of France. (Bushmills has since been sold to London-based Diageo(DEO Quote - Cramer on DEO - Stock Picks).) The Jameson-Bushmills divide has even crossed over into this country: Witness the scene in the HBO(TWX Quote - Cramer on TWX - Stock Picks) series The Wire, when Irish-Catholic police detective James McNulty refuses a drink of Bushmills at a party. "That's Protestant whiskey," he snarls. But whiskey is best judged by its taste, not by matters of faith. (To quote one spirits expert, "Bushmills ... has much to recommend it to Catholic, Protestant, Zoroastrian and Baha'i alike.") Irish whiskey is a much more approachable elixir than, say, Scotch single-malts. Though both are made from grain -- barley, to be exact -- Scotch gets its often distinctively fiery flavor from the peat smoke used in drying the barley. Irish whiskey does without the peat, resulting in a lighter taste. Another key difference: Scotch is distilled two times, Irish whiskey three, making Irish all the smoother. With the arrival of another St. Patrick's Day, it's perhaps time to put these two brands side by side. History Jameson is the brainchild of one John Jameson, whose Dublin distillery dates from 1780. "He invested in the latest industrial processes and when he discovered that certain strains of barley made a superior whiskey, he persuaded local farmers to grow them by providing seed grain every spring," touts the Jameson brand today. Bushmills, on the other hand, takes its names from the Bushmills region. And it has a history that goes back all the way to the 14th century. But it took until 1608 for the brand to become legit, when it was granted an official distilling license by King James I. Product Line Jameson offers a range of whiskeys, from the traditional Jameson Irish Whiskey ("smooth, sweet wood with nutty notes," the brand says of the taste) to Jameson 12-Year-Old Special Reserve ("sherry richness, full bodied") to Jameson 18-Year-Old Limited Reserve ("a mouth full of complex flavors including fudge, spice, hints of leather"). Bushmills has an even broader array: The varieties include Bushmills Original ("an approachable whiskey with rich, warming taste," the brand says), Black Bush ("rich, fruity notes and deep, intense character"), Bushmills 10-Year-Old Single Malt ("uniquely smooth, sweet honeyed character"), Bushmills 16-Year-Old Single Malt ("tantalizing flavors of caramelized fruits, toffee and dark chocolate") and Bushmills 21-Year-Old Single Malt ("interweaves dried fruit flavors with spicy, aromatic maltiness and subtle nutty toasted raisin notes").
RSS
