Beyond Guinness: what to drink this St Patrick’s Day

Hold off on the Guinness and grab a whiskey. Photograph: Getty Images/Westend61

lt’s easy to caricature the Irish drinks scene, especially on St Patrick’s Day, when you get the impression that the entire world is drinking Guinness. Or are they these days? I was so disappointed by the way Guinness tasted last time I was in Dublin – far, far too cold – that I won’t easily be persuaded again, let alone by its new offering, Guinness Golden Ale.

I’m not a Baileys kinda girl, either – particularly when I’m expected to pay £20 a bottle (at time of writing) for it. That’s likely to be down significantly by today, but even then I’d be surprised if it’s cheaper than Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Irish Cream Liqueur (£12.50 for one litre; 17%), which continues to be the best own brand I’ve tasted, and has a real kick of Irish whiskey to it.

Speaking of whiskey, which we should, Ireland has its own distinct style, which I’d loosely characterise as between scotch and bourbon and which owes its character to triple distillation and the use of a single pot still. It’s smoother and sweeter than scotch, but less full-on, rich and vanilla-y than bourbon. A good example is the smooth, gently rounded Green Spot (40%), which is made at the Midleton distillery in County Cork and, in my humble opinion, tastes its best on the rocks. Jameson has also brought out an interesting expression in its Caskmates series aged in stout barrels, which has a nice touch of dark stout bitterness.

But the two whiskeys I’ve been most excited about are the Dingle Single Malt Batch No. 2 (46.5%), from an independent distillery, which is more delicate, complex and subtle than you’d imagine for being aged in Pedro Ximénez, oloroso and bourbon casks; and JJ Corry’s award-winning The Gael, which has revived the old practice of whiskey “bonding”, where whiskies were aged by local grocers. Despite the age of its constituent malts, which are blended 60:40 with grain, it’s a bright, fruity, spicy whiskey – although at £72.95, it’s not exactly cheap (from the Whisky Exchange). But it is delicious.

My big St Paddy’s Day find this year, however, is a series of brilliant products from a small company called Johnny Fall Down that grows rare apple varieties on its farm in County Cork. The cider itself is well worth a try – more bitter than bittersweet, and beautifully refreshing – but the standout is the sweet, deeply appley Pom’O Apple Port, a neat take on Normandy’s pommeau and ideal with an Irish cheeseboard.