CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
My introduction to Irish whiskey was in college in the form of an Irish car bomb -- a pint of Guinness into which the bartender drops a shot of Irish whiskey and some Bailey's Irish Cream'but queens have been drinking it in far more refined ways since the 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth I was said to have had casks shipped to London on a regular basis.
When I reintroduced myself to the spirit years later, after having become well-acquainted with its Scottish counterpart, I was delighted to discover that Irish whiskey has a comparatively lighter, smoother taste -- flavor nuances I'd missed as I scraped myself off the floor of the bar the first time around. Unlike Scotch, which is usually distilled twice, and American whiskey or bourbon, which is distilled just once, Irish whiskey undergoes three distillations (usually in copper-pot stills), so that much of the smoky and oaky elements associated with its cousins are removed. To celebrate the 400th anniversary of its license to distill -- the first issued in Ireland -- the venerable brand Bushmills has released a limited-edition Bushmills 1608, which will be available in February through the end of 2008 for $100. In March, the distillery's chief competitor to the south, Jameson, is releasing its own limited edition, the Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve, a creamy, fruity concoction of which only 1,300 cases were produced. If you can get your hands on a bottle, it'll set you back $250.
At prices like that, it's a shame to mix the whiskey with anything but a little water to release complex flavors, but with less expensive Irish whiskeys, when I'm not warming up with an unbeatable Irish coffee, I've been combining it with ginger ale or even cranberry juice on ice to refreshing success.
On the next page, Out proceeds with caution outside Ireland and Scotland and picks four international whiskeys worth trying.
Whiskey Wanderlust
Suntory Yamazaki Single Malt 18-year-old Whisky, Japan. The nations's oldest whiskey distillery, Suntory was made famous as the product Bill Murray's character was shilling in 2003's Lost in Translation.
Mackmyra Preludium, Sweden. Started by eight alumni of Stockholm's Royal Institute of Technology. Mackmyra's first bottles of malt whiskey sold out in an hour in 2006.
Mekhong, Thailand. Made at the Bangyikhan Distillery since 1941, some 19 million cases of Mekhong are sold in Thailand every year. Renowned both for ubiquity and potency.
Bagpiper Whisky, India. India's best-selling whiskey -- with sales of 10 million cases in 2006 -- Bagpiper boasts endorsements from several of Bollywood's finest.
Penderyn Single Malt Welsh Whisky, Wales. After a 100-year absence from the world whiskey scene, the Welsh Whisky Company introduced Penderyn in 2000.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
41 male celebs who did full frontal scenes
September 16 2024 2:02 PM
39 LGBTQ+ celebs you can follow on OnlyFans
November 19 2024 9:39 AM
33 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
September 17 2024 5:43 PM
26 LGBTQ+ reality dating shows & where to watch them
December 10 2024 12:38 PM
21 times male celebrities had to come out as straight
November 19 2024 3:33 PM
17 queens who quit or retired from drag after 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
November 30 2024 12:26 AM
Love is in the air! Unforgettable gay kissing scenes from TV & movies
February 12 2025 3:07 AM
52 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
August 27 2024 1:08 PM
15 things only bottoms understand
October 08 2024 5:18 PM
A gay adult film star's complete guide to bottoming
September 16 2024 8:50 AM
Latest Stories
Queer actors & characters on 'Variety's best TV performances of the century
February 16 2025 9:00 AM
The best (& worst) LGBTQ+ sketches in 'Saturday Night Live' history
February 15 2025 11:10 PM
Turn to 'Conclave' for a timely Oscar film on trans acceptance
February 15 2025 10:00 AM
See the Stonewall protests against trans erasure
February 14 2025 7:28 PM
Sam Smith and Raveena bless us with new love songs for Valentine's Day
February 14 2025 6:50 PM
Ariana Grande shares prophetic 'confession' about 'holding space' meme
February 14 2025 6:43 PM
Rosalía, Dominic Fike, and more to star in 'Euphoria' season 3
February 14 2025 5:13 PM
This Valentine's Day wedding inspiration is giving us heart eyes
February 14 2025 4:17 PM
'Euphoria' to end with season 3 — HBO promises 'satisfying' ending
February 14 2025 4:13 PM
Netflix speaks out on Karla Sofía Gascón's 'Emilia Pérez' controversy
February 14 2025 3:33 PM
Holy He-Man! Nicholas Galitzine is blond and bulked in leaked 'Masters of the Universe' pics
February 14 2025 3:26 PM
Attn himbos! Here's what daddy wants on Valentine's Day
February 14 2025 2:08 PM
Eat your heart out! 'Drag Race' S17 queens recreate 'Yellowjackets'
February 14 2025 12:00 PM
Spilling some tea on 'White Lotus' season 3 bros Saxon and Lochlan