I love bourbon, scotch, rye, and Japanese whiskey, but I can’t seem to get into Irish much. I wasn’t a big fan of Jameson when I’ve had it a few times, but I did like Proper Twelve when a buddy got me a bottle (despite the consensus that its mediocre, I honestly preferred it to Jameson). Even still, it’s not something I would go out of my way to buy and would rather just drop the money in another bourbon or scotch. All the Irish I’ve had just doesn’t seem to have much flavour or debth compared to a cask bourbon or islay. I’ve been thinking about trying Redbreast 12 since it gets so much praise and hype, but I wanted to get some other recs to give a shot.
Alas I also am not as well-versed in Irish whiskies as I am in other styles. My understanding is that the Irish tend to double or even triple distill, and that combined with a mild, low malt mashbill leads to a whiskey that is very clean and easy to drink but may lack spice, smoke, or heavy flavors - especially if you’re comparing it to cask strength bourbon or islay peat! Another I’d put on your radar is Glendalough which I find to be more flavorful than some.