I need air!

A good friend of mine used that as he finally drank a bit much and had to throw up on the side of the road after a night out. That was a historical occasion. He has drunk many a good man under the table.

The thing that killed him off? Jameson's Irish Whiskey. Since then every one of his friends had made sure we have a bottle at the ready, "Mike, want some Jameson's?" (And no, it was not me....another Mike).

I'm a long time Scotch lover but I gotta say Irish Whiskey is always welcome. Along with Jameson's I keep a bottle of Redbreast Irish Whisky which is smooth as a baby's bottom. I kinda recall killing off a bottle of that at a friend's wedding in Denver....kinda...the memory of the night is kinda weak!

Interesting article on Irish Whiskey from this weekend.

Irish whiskey now outsells Scotch single malt in the United States | Irish News | IrishCentral

The US Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) recently released their reports on sales for spirits in 2011. The findings show that Irish whiskey has outsold single malt Scotch in the US.

Just-Drinks reports that with the new sales figures , the United States has now become a key battle ground where Irish whiskey outsells single malt Scotch.

During the calendar year of 2011, Irish whiskey sales rose by 24% to 1.7m nine-litre cases, while Scotch single malt whisky sales increased by only 9.5% to 1.4m cases.

According to Just-Drinks, Ireland’s beloved Jameson's brand whiskey is helping to bolster the upward growth of sales.

What’s driving the growth of Irish whiskey sales? “Irish whiskey is enjoying a renaissance at the moment. The bigger companies have come in with enough commercial muscle to expand production, sales and grow the brands,” said Kieran Tobin, chairman of the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland.

Similarly, younger American generations seem to be discovering and enjoying Irish whiskey’s “smooth and sweet texture.”

“On the other hand, let's not get carried away,” writes Chris Mercer for Just-Drink. “If blended Scotch is included in the Scotch figures then one can add a further 6m cases to Scotch sales. Include bulk, bottled malt and grain Scotch, too, and the total Scotch figure is 9m cases.”...

And I mostly drink single malt scotch myself. But many a night I've spent on the porch with a good cigar, good book and Redbreast in the glass. Life is good!