Catholic fiction teaches us then how to better read the Bible, which demands the both/and reading of the letter and spirit. To complicate the issue even more, Bushmills has been owned by a big drinks corporation since 1972 (first Irish Distillers, now Diageo), but before then it was owned by a Scottish Jew! I was wondering this myself. In 1966, with the Irish whiskey industry still struggling following Prohibition in the United States, the Anglo-Irish Trade War and the rise of competition from Scotch whiskey, John Power & Son joined forces with the only other remaining distillers in the Irish Republic, the Cork Distilleries Company and their Dublin rivals John Jameson & Son, to form Irish Distillers. I am still cradling my Bushmills 12 yr Distillery Reserve Whiskey. It is a distinct and beautiful expression of the craft. Like Jameson, it is blended whiskey, some combination of pure pot-still whiskey with column-still grain whiskey (allegedly 70% pure pot still to 30% grain). Parents did their best to kill thatand they did. [3], Following reform of the distilling laws in 1823, the distillery expanded rapidly. While John Jameson was most likely a Protestant, his distillery in Dublin represented the Free State mentality and did not suffer from bigoted hiring practices. Though I like all of the ones mentioned above more. Im sorry but if not drinking a brand of whiskey for some very spurious political reason, and claiming drinking Bushmills somehow condones an Irishman losing his land seems pretty idiotic to me. [1] Irish Distillers owned the brand until its sale to Sazerac in 2016. I answered, Episcopalian because we think of ourselves as both and neither. As an American, am I being disloyal to Scotland when I drink Jamesons? Theres not catholic or protestant whiskey. From the outset of the Reformation, Luther and his associates had fiercely proclaimed the Christian's obligation to "be subject to the governing authorities," asserting, with Saint Paul, that "the powers that be are ordained by God . I even have taken a liking to Bushmills Irish Honey when Im in a cocktail mood.Not being Irish and not wanting to get political. In Ireland theyd drink either, but rarely had enough money for more than a pint o the local beer. Jamesons for sure. Colum Egan (Master Distiller of Bushmills) is himself a Catholic. I noticed a little uncertainty about spelling in the story. [6] In 1855, his son Sir James Power, laid the foundation stone for the O'Connell Monument,[3] and in 1859 became High Sheriff of Dublin. The Ambassador had both Jameson and Bushmills on offer. Funny thing is, Jeffrey, that at the end of your debunking of the myth, you subtly reassert its validity in rightly noting that Bushmills is owned by Diageo, a company based in a largely Protestant country, while Jameson is owned by Pernod-Ricard, which is based in a predominantly Catholic country. Wow, not one mention of Tullamore Dew. Youd be hard to convince me it is 40 proof, much less 80. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X85N-43REag. All of it. Whoever owns Paddys also owns one of these bigger brands and wont export to the US because they know they would cannibalize their own market share. I do live in a Hicktown. I come from an island which has been called the most Irish place outside of Ireland and weve had our papist-loyalist troubles in the past, where they will remain. as the visit was ending up with only 3 tiny plastic glasses half full. Me, Ill opt mostly for the great spirits of the independent Cooley Distillery, located just north of Dublin. Thanks for the clarification. Your grandfather may have lost friends back in the early 20th century to the Black & Tans and im sorry to hear that, but guess what? Most protestant in my area have a real problem with Catholics. Then I must be the luckiest Arab in all o Ireland!. Required fields are marked *. Usually King James Version. Paddy is pretty readily available in the New York Metro Area, but Ive never seen it since I left for warmer climes. The only option is to import a case in through the provincial liquor stores at about $35 CAD per bottle. Cocktail Kingdom Stainless Steel Julep Strainer, Kuhn Rikon 4-Inch Nonstick Colori Paring Knife, UPDATE: So much has been discovered since this post originally went up, about the dangers of quinine in people with quinine sensitivity. Holy moly, Bad Catholic that I am, I always drank Bushmills over Jameson. All Irish whiskey is great. This was a long term plan but theyve brought it forward by about 8-10 years. I do believe Irishness & Irish politics is whitewashed for Americans and presented from a certain political viewpoint. In all the pubs in NYC, no one seemed to really care that I noticed from either side of the bar. Im an Irish barman and I am stunned by the ignorant waffle that some Irish Americans spew about the oul sod. Im leaving this post up as an archive, but I encourage you to read that article first, and if you, As far as Im concerned, springtime is Dark and Stormy season. Spent the rest of the week getting to know Irish whiskey & came home w/ small bottles of Irish Whiskeys I wasnt sure I could get in the US so I could continue my coyage of discovery at home. And it really is an Irish American thing to take to finding out which is protestant and catholic lol. @Rob: my scotch comment was tongue-in-cheek. Besides, Id have to prove I can fill a job where the company cant find a local. Im sure there were dodgy discriminatory practices based on race or religion in most big corporations in many countries in the past. I tasted the Jamesons before I poured in any ginger ale & so glad I did, Irish whiskey is sooooo much better IMHO than Scotch or bourbon IMHO. Well, being of Scots-descent, Ill take one of each. I visited Bushmills Distillery, and they were bottling both Bushmills and Jameson in the same facility!! As a proud Corkonian, I feel the need to set the record straight. Utter nonsense. He said he was going to spend 90% of it on women and Irish whiskey and the other 10% he was going to waste! I tried Bushmills a couple of years ago and was surprised to find I liked it a lot, too. Powers Gold Label is also wonderful and dirt cheap. Who really cares. Bushmills, in turn, supplies the Midleton Distillery with single malt, which they use to make Tullamore DEW. There are some amazing ones, FYI, I will leave it at that. When it comes to what crosses my lips I guess I am an agnostic. 1. Robber jumps out of an alley, holds up a gun, and says, Are you a Protestant or a Catholic? Man says, Neither, Im a jew. Robber thinks for a moment, says, but are you a Protestant Jew or a Catholic Jew?, are you a Protestant or a Catholic? Oh and Bushmills was NOT licensed to distill in 1608Thats marketing Bullshit. So any Americans who believe this, should change to Murphys at once. I sincerely doubt that there are too many Irish Catholics who care about the religion attached to what they drink. I came to mention Powers- it seems my work is done. All appointments are made solely on the basis of merit.. DONT EVER ask an Irish person , north or south if they are catholic or protestant because they will look at you with contempt. The Thirty Years' War was a series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. Such crap why are all these experts so called Irishmen living in US. Nose Mmmm..Middleton distillery. However, this is just a rumor, but I did hear it from a pretty reliable source in the industry back in Ireland. I was born in West Belfast and I can tell you, that most Catholics prefer Jamesons. The three also exchange used casks, when need be, if they have extra. Bushmills, on the other hand, was officially licensed in 1608 by King James I (of Bible fame) and despite of its location deep in the heart of Protestant country (and this next bit is straight from my local Bushmills rep, so take it or leave it) has a Catholic as a master distiller. If I was the kind of person who blogwhored, I would http://tinyurl.com/d92kdl Its an American argument that doesnt carry weight here, whiskey is whiskey. The Protestant Reformation was a religious, social, economic, and political revolution that was sparked when a Catholic monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of his local . Peter Knox Id be all up for emigrating from US to Ireland, in a heartbeat, but I read about the job prospects there are as bad (possibly worse) than here. In: St. Patrick's Day. You will love this stuff. -as he grabbed the Red Breast off the shelf. Im trying one at a time to see what I prefer. 17-18 years old found the love of my lifea catholic girl. [8] After expansion, output at the distillery rose to 700,000 gallons per annum, and by the 1880s, had reached about 900,000 gallons per annum, at which point the distillery covered over six acres of central Dublin, and had a staff of about 300 people.[3][1]. Ill have to try a Manhattan next. Beaumont Funny, I thought of addressing that as I was wrapping up the post, but then thought, Nah, the chuckleheads who read this website arent smart enough to draw that conclusion. Guess I was wrong. Ill take one next time Im out. Ive been to the area that Bush Mills in manufactured and its total UFV territory. The town of Bushmills is a black hole. I believe that Germany is the largest market for Tullamore Dew, followed by many of the Eastern European countries. I grew up thinking I was half Czech and half Irish Catholic. What a treat. Ive used Irish Whiskey in Old Fashions and Sours before with tasty results. Anyway, both of your sources are wrong, but at least your father got the order right. CATHOLICISM vs PROTESTANTISM!! Also how does Navan end up in a Heineken? Drink which ever you palette desires!! The overwhelming majority of people in Ireland just want to get on with their lives, as they have always done and forget about this petty conflict. About one-in-five (18%) chose "the Great Crusade," while 6% said "the Great Schism" and 5% said "the French Revolution The widely-accepted Irish-American version is that Jameson is Catholic whiskey and Bushmills is Protestant whiskey. Drink is one thing that unites Ireland it is shocking to see that some, primarily in the US, try to politicise it. Distilling of locally grown agricultural to produce alcohol is something that is not peculiar to Ireland. It is all quite harmonious between the distilleries. [1] In recent years, several single pot still variants have been relaunched under the Powers label. Any particular reason why in 1998-1999 Bushmills would have distilled of at least bottle up for Jameson ????? These are the books and tools I use every single day to make drinks at home and behind the bar. If you had and asked for Bushmills, you would have received a long stare and possibly been asked to leave. Today in Trader Joes, the checker looked at my bottle of Bushmills and then at me and asked, Catholic or Protestant? I had never heard that one before. When I lived in Providence, there was a lot of Powers drinking going on. When I explained this myth to customers in Ireland they all had a good laugh. 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