As someone with a modicum of Irish heritage (Irish-ish), I do like to try and enjoy Irish things, be it St. Patrick’s Day or Irish cuisine, particularly alcoholic beverages. So at Costco, I just had to purchase that uniquely green shaped bottle engraved with a four leaf clover (that is also aged for four years). Four can also mean bad luck or even death, particularly in some Asian cultures. (OnePlus, a Chinese company, opted to skip the number 4, with their OnePlus 3 going straight to 5). So far, the Irish whiskey seems to pair really well with Coke Zero. I have yet to try it with other cocktails, but it is a reasonable assumption that it would also go with other soft drink cocktails that call for a whiskey, such as the “7 & 7” (Seagram’s 7 Crown and 7 Up. Personally, I don’t like the weird aftertaste Seagram’s 7 Crown leaves in my mouth).
In comparison to using other spirits (Tequila, Vodka, Canadian and Tennessee Whiskey), the Irish whiskey adds a wonderful mellow taste, owing from the described caramel, licorice, orange and toffee tastes present, alongside a not so overpowering hint of oak (The oak tends to be rather overpowering in the Canadian whiskey we tried for Kirkland, and is quite strong in golden tequilas, which too are aged in oak barrels. Oak also gives Kirkland Spiced Rum a good deal of its kick). However, for us (as we are not Whiskey connoisseurs), taking a sip of it straight, never mind a shot, the Irish whiskey’s mellow properties didn’t seem to be there, but instead, basking my tongue in a harsh liquid that tasted like old leather shoes. Then again, shots or sips of any spirit tend to have that effect.