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.
I know I’m in the minority when I say I’m not especially impressed by Redbreast 12, though the 15 is much better if overpriced. Personally I lean toward the Powers line-up, especially John’s Lane, but even the very affordable Gold Label is a great daily sipper and way better than Jameson. Also great in the bang-for-the-buck scale is The Sexton single malt. The bottle is a bit gimmicky (and you will spill the first couple pours), but if you like sherry I think it has more flavor than Redbreast. My favorite is Dingle single malt, but it’s next to impossible to get outside of Ireland since they’re so tiny.