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If you’re going to tipple in honor of St. Patrick today — and I know I will — be mindful of which brand of Irish booze you choose. Depending on how oldschool the pub is, a certain whiskey might be pointedly off the menu:
Distilled in County Antrim, in Ireland’s north, Bushmills has been derided by some as “that Protestant whiskey.” As Jameson comes from County Cork, in the heart of the Republic, it’s no surprise that some Catholics refuse to drink anything but.
“I know people that prefer one over the other, just for taste,” says George Clancy, a bartender at Patrick Kavanagh’s on Third Avenue. “But some would ask for Jameson, knowing what it stands for. Sometimes people will tell you why they’re drinking it, because they want to let you know they know what the difference is.”
It’s not as big a deal anymore, especially in terms of business: Until recently, both Jameson and Bushmills had the same corporate parent in Pernod-Ricard (Bushmills was sold to Diageo last summer).
But you never know. At the very least, you might find yourself bellying up to a bar, next to some old guy from Dublin, and get an earful as soon as you ask for a dram of “that Protestant whiskey”.
Or, I suppose, you could avoid the issue altogether and stick to the ubiquitous green beer. (Yuck.)
Personally, I’ve drank far more Jamesons than Bushmills. It’s not a preference, it’s just based on availability — seems like Jamesons is more common in bars. To be fair, I’ll doubledip tonight, where possible.
THE CATHOLIC GUILT COCKTAIL…
Courtesy of The Flowfield Unity, the recipe for The Catholic Guilt Cocktail:
Take one glass
Add two shots of whiskey
And fill to taste with holy water
Yeah, holy water definitely is an underrated mixer…
One crucial piece of advice: When you reach…
Trackback by Population Statistic — 02/15/2007 @ 10:52:31 PM
Wow.
I remember my grandfather, who died more than 20 years ago, saying something… like this. (His father, and my third cousins, I assume, owned/operate a pub in County Mayo.) I don’t remember what it was about, really, but a few years ago when I moved here my father and I went to MacDinton’s for a drink and he told me we Burkes drink Jameson and never Bushmill. He didn’t know, or wouldn’t say, why, so I just took his word for it the way any son assumes his father knows what he’s talking about.
Now I know why. Thanks, CT
Comment by tim in tampa — 02/16/2007 @ 12:05:15 AM
DOTW: Irish Coffee…
Happy St. Paddy’s Day!
A wee bit early, you say? Nae, says I.
Although St. Patrick’s Day is usually observed on March 17, this year - with Easter coming so early - a bit of liturgical arcana has moved mountains. Because Catholic rules prohibi…
Trackback by Married ...with dinner — 03/14/2008 @ 11:41:53 AM
PRE-ST. PATRICK’S TIPPLING…
As I write this, I’m knocking back a bit of Bushmills on the rocks. Yes, it’s an Irish whiskey in honor of tomorrow’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration (and yes, I’m going with “that Protestant whiskey” this year; I’ll have to remember to give equa…
Trackback by Population Statistic — 03/16/2008 @ 08:33:26 PM
King James 1 persecuted Irish and English Catholics. King James 1 licensed Bushmills back in 1608, as long as they wouldn’t hire any Catholics to work in the distillery. Bushmills still doesn’t hire Catholics and is located on the northside of the island. Jameson is located in Cork and employes Catholics.
Comment by Irish Catholic — 12/05/2008 @ 06:56:24 PM
So the fact that Bushmills sponsor the County Antrim GAA team means nothing? Weird. Anyone who thinks along the Protestant/Catholic lines for a flipping whiskey is a bigotted - and probably drunken -idiot.
Comment by Jonny O'Hare — 02/08/2009 @ 10:17:04 AM
that comment about King James licensing the Bushmills distillery in 1608 providing they wouldnt hire catholics is pure rubbish. James’ representative gave a license to Sir Thomas Phillipps for the whole of county Antrim to distill whiskey in 1608, not the actual modern ‘bushmills’ distillery which is much much younger and was founded in 1784. Until the 1980s, the bottles were marked with this later date but then a few of the lads in advertising seemed to cope on and started spinning this yarn. As for the “still doesnt hire catholics,” that’s also absolute rubbish. Hell, the master distiller is named Colm Egan, not exactly your typical Northern Irish Protestant name…
As for which whiskey to drink, my advice is touch neither and go beyond the mass market blends. There has been a tremendous revival of fine irish single malt and pure pot still whiskeys in the past decade and if you really want to celebrate irish culture, you’d be better off leaving stuff like Jameson and Bushmills behind and trying something like Tyrconnell, Connemara, Redbreast, Green Spot, Greenore, Knappogue or any of the other fantastic drams out there.
Comment by Conor — 02/21/2009 @ 03:34:45 AM
Jamesons was founded by a Scottish protestant unionist immigrant to Dublin… just throwing that out there
Comment by Conor — 02/21/2009 @ 03:45:04 AM
well said connor, to be honest im in shock at hearing it being referred to as a ‘protestant whiskey’ i come from newtownabbey which is in Co. Antrim just outside Belfast and i can’t believe any drink has any identity in that respect. the black stuff, etc etc they are just drinks! i pick my drink based on taste, which everyone should do! bushmills also sponsor antrim GAA which is anything but protestant. just enjoy all the drinks lads! happy days
Comment by Neill — 02/26/2009 @ 08:49:00 AM