St. Patrick's Day Irish Whiskey Deals, the Bottle That Should Replace Your Redbreast, and Irish Whiskey's Wild Ride

Last-second change this week — I had originally planned to feature a different retailer, but when I saw the prices Remedy Liquor was running on Irish whiskey heading into St. Patrick's Day, I had to make the swap. It's St. Patrick's Day week, so we're going all Irish with five picks that range from under $50 to cask strength. A couple of these — the Yellow Spot and Blue Spot — have shown up in past newsletters, but given the timing and what Remedy is charging right now, they're worth flagging again. Remedy ships nationally, and they've got $5 off your first order if you download their app.

A 12 year old single pot still Irish whiskey from Midleton Distillery, matured in a combination of ex-bourbon American oak and Oloroso sherry casks. Earthy leather, tobacco, charred wood, dark chocolate, dried apricot, vanilla, and honey. Bottled at 46%, non-chill filtered. Named Irish Whiskey of the Year by Jim Murray's Whisky Bible in 2012.

ABV: 46% | Cask: Bourbon & Oloroso Sherry

Price: $56.99

Typical US Market Range: $58–$75

Savings: At the very bottom of the market range. But the real value play isn't the discount — it's the comparison to Redbreast 12, which retails for $65–$75, comes in at only 40% ABV, and is chill filtered. Powers gives you 12 years, 46% ABV, and non-chill filtration from the same distillery at a significantly lower price.

Who's this for: If you like Redbreast 12, don't waste your money on another bottle — get this instead. Powers John's Lane is made at the exact same distillery, Midleton, using the exact same single pot still method. Same tradition, same DNA. But Powers gives you 12 years of age at 46% ABV with no chill filtration, while Redbreast 12 comes in at 40% and is chill filtered. At $57, this is the better whiskey and it's not particularly close. The extra proof and the lack of filtration let you actually taste what Midleton is capable of — there's a richness and a texture here that Redbreast 12 smooths right out of existence. This is one of the most underrated Irish whiskeys on the market and the fact that it sits on shelves while Redbreast gets all the attention is genuinely wild to me. If you're only going to buy one bottle for St. Patrick's Day, make it this one.

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A 10 year old Irish single malt matured for six years in bourbon and sherry casks, then finished for four years in Portuguese Moscatel casks. Floral notes, caramelized sugar, orange blossom, tropical fruit, and a rich dessert-like sweetness. Triple distilled, non-chill filtered, bottled at 48.5%.

ABV: 48.5% | Cask: Bourbon, Sherry & Moscatel

Price: $49.99

Typical US Market Range: $60–$65

Savings: $10–$15 under what most retailers are charging. For a 10 year old age-stated single malt at 48.5%, non-chill filtered, with a premium cask finish — under $50 is borderline absurd.

Who's this for: Here's the thing about Bushmills — their core range has always been overpriced for what you actually get. The standard 10 is a perfectly fine whiskey, but at 40% ABV, chill filtered, and increasingly creeping toward $40, you're paying a premium for a whiskey that doesn't give you much to think about. This is a completely different animal. Non-chill filtered, 48.5%, and you can actually taste the distillery character that Bushmills is capable of when they stop watering things down. The Moscatel pushes it in a sweeter, fruitier direction, but the real story is what's under the hood: this is what Bushmills tastes like when they actually let the whiskey speak. At $50, this might be the single best value in the entire deals section this week.

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A 12 year old Irish single malt matured in bourbon and sherry casks for six years, then finished for a minimum of six years in Pomerol Bordeaux casks from France. Ripe plums, wild berries, warm vanilla, black cherry, honey, and a velvety smooth finish. Triple distilled, non-chill filtered, bottled above 46%.

ABV: 47% | Cask: Bourbon, Sherry & Bordeaux

Price: $59.99

Typical US Market Range: $70–$75

Savings: $10–$15 below what you'll find at most retailers. The SRP on these 12 year Private Reserve expressions is $74.99. Getting a 12 year old age-stated, non-chill filtered single malt with six years in Bordeaux casks for $60 is serious value.

Who's this for: Everything I just said about the Moscatel applies here too — this is Bushmills presented the way it should be. Higher proof, non-chill filtered, nothing hiding behind a low ABV and heavy filtration. The Bordeaux finish takes it in a darker, more tannic direction — dark fruit, leather, grip — while the extra two years of age over the 10yr Moscatel give it more depth and structure. If you grab both of these, you've got a side-by-side tasting for $110 total that'll completely change how you think about this distillery. And honestly, it'll make you a little annoyed at how much they hold back with the core range.

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A 12 year old single pot still from Midleton, matured for the full 12 years across three cask types: American bourbon barrels, Spanish sherry butts, and Malaga casks. Honey, red apples, crème brûlée, milk chocolate, coffee, toasted oak, and a sophisticated, complex finish. Bottled at 46%.

ABV: 46% | Cask: Bourbon, Sherry & Malaga

Price: $87.99

Typical US Market Range: $95–$115

Savings: Comfortably below what you'll pay at most retailers. Total Wine runs this around $100, and a lot of independent shops push it past $110.

Who's this for: Yellow Spot is the middle child of the Spot family and arguably the sweet spot of the lineup (pun intended). Green Spot is the entry point, Red Spot is the premium play — Yellow Spot is where the complexity really starts to show up without the price tag getting out of hand. The Malaga cask influence is what makes this one special — it adds an exotic sweetness that you don't find in most Irish pot stills. At 46% and matured in three different cask types for a full 12 years (not just finished — fully matured), this is a serious whiskey. If you've had Green Spot and wondered what's next, this is the answer.

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The cask strength member of the Spot family from Mitchell & Son. Triple distilled at Midleton, matured in bourbon barrels, sherry butts, and Portuguese Madeira casks. Pineapple, kiwi, baked apple, hazelnut, clove, cracked black pepper, cinnamon, and exotic fruit. Non-chill filtered, bottled at cask strength — ABV varies by batch but typically lands around 58–59%.

ABV: ~58.7% | Cask: Bourbon, Sherry & Madeira

Price: $124.99

Typical US Market Range: MSRP is $95, but good luck finding it anywhere near that. Most retailers that actually have it in stock are listing $140–$220+.

Savings: Significant. This bottle has become genuinely hard to find at a reasonable price. At $125, you're paying well under what the secondary market and most online retailers are asking.

Who's this for: If you already know you love Green Spot or Yellow Spot, this is the big sibling that takes everything up a notch. This is an exceptional Irish pot still whiskey that pairs perfectly alongside something like a Redbreast 12 Cask Strength — two completely different expressions of what Irish whiskey can be. The Madeira cask influence adds a richness that's unlike anything else in the Spot range, and the cask strength ABV means you can open it up with water and get a different experience each time. This is the bottle you bring out when someone says "Irish whiskey is all the same."

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The Whisky Study got their hands on the cask strength version of Powers John's Lane — a travel exclusive that's currently only available in Ireland. Same 12 year old single pot still from Midleton, same bourbon and Oloroso sherry maturation, but cranked up to 57.8% ABV with no chill filtration. They found honey, buttercream, browned butter, fresh baked sourdough, and a minty herbal note on the nose. Despite the high proof, they called it shockingly calm and balanced — one of the easiest drinking cask strength whiskeys they've had in ages. A few drops of water added more spice on the finish, but they noted it didn't even need it.

Score: 92/100

Full Review Here

My take: If you read this week's deals section, you already know how I feel about the standard Powers John's Lane. This cask strength version is the logical next step — same whiskey, no water added, full power. The catch is you can only get it in Ireland right now, which makes it a perfect bottle to hunt down if you're traveling, or to add to your wish list for when it (hopefully) gets wider distribution. At around $85 with a 12 year age statement and cask strength ABV, the value is absurd compared to what other distilleries charge for their cask strength releases. If Midleton makes this widely available in the US, it'll be one of the best buys in Irish whiskey overnight.

Jeremy from Sipper Social Club pulled the Blue Spot off the shelf for a Revisit Wednesday — he's actually reviewed this bottle three separate times on the channel going back to 2021. This 2023 batch comes in at 59.1% ABV from Midleton, matured in the usual combination of ex-bourbon, sherry, and Madeira casks. On the nose he got cookie dough, mango, passion fruit, and a strong malt character. The palate hit hard at that ABV — he described it as chocolate chip cookie dough, vanilla ice cream on a waffle cone with a Chips Ahoy stuck in the middle, with tropical fruit sprinkled on top. He called the finish seemingly endless and noted that for a seven year old whiskey, the complexity is impressive. He's scored Blue Spot an 88 or 88.5 every single time he's reviewed it, and this batch landed right there again.

Score: 88/100

Full Review Here

My take: Jeremy's been reviewing Blue Spot since 2021 and keeps landing at the same score — that kind of consistency across multiple batches tells you everything about how dialed in this whiskey is. His tasting notes also line up perfectly with why I recommended it in the deals section this week. If you grabbed it from Remedy at $125, you're getting what Jeremy calls a "straight delicious" cask strength pot still for well under what most people are paying. And his point about prices creeping up every year is worth hearing — this bottle was $100 not that long ago and it's not going back down. The window to buy Blue Spot at a reasonable price is shrinking, and $125 is squarely inside that window.

Ramsay at Dramface — one of the most respected independent Scotch review sites — took a rare detour into Irish whiskey with the standard Powers John's Lane 12. He found red apples (juice and skins), honey, vanilla, varnished wood, plum, raisins, and milk chocolate on the nose. On the palate he called it straightforward, very approachable, and flavourful. His one hesitation was the price — at £60 in the UK, he noted there's a lot of similarly spec'd Scotch competing for that money. He also flagged the cask strength version at £75 as potentially excellent value.

Score: 6/10 (Dramface uses its own rating system where 6 is "Very Good Indeed" — above average and well worth drinking)

Full Review Here

My take: I love that Dramface reviewed this because they don't pull punches and they almost exclusively review Scotch — so when an Irish whiskey gets a "Very Good Indeed" from them, it means something. Ramsay's pricing concern is fair for the UK market, but here in the US, Powers John's Lane at $58-$65 is a different conversation entirely. His note about the cask strength version being worth the step up? That tracks perfectly with what The Whisky Study found. Two completely independent reviewers both saying this whiskey punches above its weight. That's not a coincidence — it's just an underrated bottle.

With St. Patrick's Day putting Irish whiskey in the spotlight, I wanted to flag a few smaller distilleries that are doing things the right way on paper.

This one has been quietly stacking awards while most people have never heard of it. Echlinville revived the historic Dunville's brand and their Palo Cortado finished single malt has now won Irish Whiskey of the Year at the Irish Whiskey Awards two years running. That's not a fluke — that's a distillery doing something right. Their releases are non-chill filtered, natural color, and they're bottling at proper strength. They've also revived Old Comber, a historic pot still brand, bottled at 46%. A Northern Ireland distillery winning back-to-back Irish whiskey of the year while putting out sherried single malts at those specs? That's worth investigating.

Echlinville Distillery

A family-run operation on Ireland's southwestern coast that's doing the farm-to-glass thing for real — not as a marketing gimmick. Their first fully distilled-and-matured single pot still is made from 100% Irish malted and unmalted barley grown on the Scully family farm, triple distilled, aged in ex-bourbon, Amontillado, and Oloroso sherry casks, and bottled at 46% ABV. At an SRP of around $50, the specs-to-price ratio is hard to ignore. They're maturing their whiskey in an Atlantic Ocean-facing warehouse, which is the kind of detail that sounds like marketing until you taste the salt air influence in coastal Scotch distilleries and realize it actually matters.

Clonakilty Distillery

This is Ireland's smallest distillery, and they're operating like an indie Scotch bottler — small batches, experimental cask finishes, cask strength, no compromises on presentation. Their Bonded Experimental series releases are cask strength, non-chill filtered, no added color, and they're putting out bottles in quantities of a few hundred at a time. They focus on single pot still whiskey and they're clearly not interested in playing it safe. If you're the kind of drinker who gets excited about independent bottlers in the Scotch world, Killowen is the closest thing to that in Irish whiskey right now.

Killowen Distillery

With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, you're about to see Irish whiskey everywhere — green bottles, shamrock labels, the whole thing. But the actual story of Irish whiskey is way more interesting than whatever marketing stunt Jameson is pulling this week. So let's talk about it.

The highs: Irish whiskey used to run the world. Not an exaggeration. In the mid-1800s, Ireland had around 88 licensed distilleries and controlled roughly 70% of the global whiskey market. Dublin alone had powerhouse operations — Jameson, Powers, George Roe — that were some of the largest distilleries on the planet. When people ordered whiskey anywhere from New York to New Delhi, they meant Irish.

The lows: And then it all fell apart. A brutal combination of the Irish War of Independence, Prohibition killing their biggest export market, a trade war with Britain that locked them out of the entire British Empire, and a stubborn refusal to adopt the column still while Scotland ran circles around them with cheaper blended scotch. By the 1970s — and I still can't believe this number — just TWO distilleries remained in all of Ireland: Bushmills and Midleton. An entire category that once dominated the world, nearly wiped off the map.

Where it stands today: The comeback has been incredible. Ireland went from 4 working distilleries in 2010 to over 50 by 2024. In 2024, the category hit a record 16.15 million cases sold globally. Irish whiskey has been one of the fastest-growing spirit categories in the world for years, and the premium segment above €50 is where the real action is.

But it's not all green beer and rainbows. The US market — which accounts for about 1 in every 3 bottles of Irish whiskey sold worldwide — took a hit in 2025. Exports dropped 5% overall, driven by a 15% US import tariff and a dollar that lost 12% of its value against the euro. As many as 90% of Irish distilleries have reportedly paused or reduced production. We're seeing receiverships, examinerships, and even giants like Midleton temporarily going quiet. The smaller craft distilleries are getting squeezed the hardest, and industry insiders are calling it a "correction" — the polite word for a shakeout.

The long game still looks strong. Growth in India, Japan, and Africa is surging, and the established brands are holding up fine. But this St. Patrick's Day, when you pour yourself a Redbreast or a Spot, just know you're drinking something that went from world domination to near-extinction and clawed its way back. That's a story worth raising a glass to. 

Another casualty of the cooling Irish whiskey market. Whisky Bidders, a secondary market auction platform based in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, has cancelled its February 2026 auction with immediate effect. The platform was founded in 2021 and specialized in Irish whiskey on the secondary market — basically the place where collectors and flippers went to buy and sell bottles at above-retail prices.

The timing tells you everything. Whisky Bidders launched right in the middle of the post-pandemic whiskey boom, when limited releases were selling out instantly and secondary prices were climbing every month. That market doesn't exist anymore. Demand has softened, prices have come back down to earth, and the people who were treating bottles as investments instead of things to drink are finding fewer buyers on the other end.

My take: I'm not going to pretend this is bad news. When auction houses that exist purely to facilitate bottle flipping start going under, it means the market is correcting in a way that benefits people who actually want to drink whiskey. The boom era created a world where limited Irish releases were getting scooped up by speculators before real drinkers could get near them — and the secondary markup was absurd. If the correction means more bottles stay on shelves at retail prices and fewer end up in someone's "investment portfolio," that's a win. The Irish whiskey industry has real challenges right now — tariffs, oversupply, small distilleries struggling to survive — but the secondary market deflating is not one of the problems. It's the market doing exactly what it should.

This week was all about lighting — and figuring out how to make a basement actually feel like a lounge instead of a finished basement with bar stools.

The general lighting is straightforward: LED recessed cans on dimmers. I'm going with 4-inch fixtures so they stay subtle, and putting everything on separate switches so I can control zones independently. The key is dimmers on everything — nobody wants to drink whisky under full brightness.

The more interesting decision is the perimeter lighting. That ambient glow around the edges of the ceiling that you see in every high-end bar? There are two ways to get it. Option one: crown molding mounted a few inches below the ceiling with LED strips hidden behind it, washing light upward. It's the more budget-friendly route and it looks great if you nail the spacing. Option two: a tray ceiling with built-in cove lighting, which is the premium version. You're building out a dropped border around the ceiling and hiding the LEDs in a recessed ledge. It looks more intentional and polished, but it's a bigger investment — and it only works if your ceilings are at least 9 feet. At standard 8-foot basement height, a tray will make the room feel cramped. Cost is definitely part of the equation here and I'm still getting quotes on both.

I'm going warm white for the perimeter — 2700K to 3000K — because that amber glow is exactly the vibe you want in a whisky room. I'll probably spend a little extra for RGBW strips so I have the option to switch it up, but warm white will be the default. Then accent lighting where it counts: LEDs under the bar top, backlit floating shelves for the bottle display so the liquid glows through the glass, and puck lights inside any glass-front cabinets. That's where the room goes from "nice basement" to "wait, this is actually cool."

More next week.

That's it for this week. If you've got an Irish whiskey recommendation I should know about — or if you think I'm wrong about Powers vs. Redbreast — hit reply. I read every one and I'm fully prepared to argue about it.

If you know someone who'd be into this, forward it their way. More people on the list means better deals, better content, and more leverage when I go knocking on doors for exclusive offers.

And if you're not already, come hang out on Instagram and Tikok — that's where I post the stuff that doesn't make it into the newsletter.

— Tim