Paddy Irish Whiskey
by F. Sot Fitzgerald

The other day I wandered into a newish bar in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. It's a cavernous place, very spacey with optic green sloping walls and multiple tiers. I didn't expect much- I was just hoping to enjoy the 2-4-1 happy hour.

Things got off to a roaring start quickly- I ordered a Stoli Vanilla up

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and the bar man, a nice young chap from Ireland, gave me what amounted to a triple shot. I downed it and a cola on the side, then got my freebie, another triple. With nothing in my stomach, I was looped. We got to gabbing and he told me he had something special behind the bar. Out came a bottle of Paddy whiskey. It was their illegal stash, just for staff and friends.

Though my brain was a bit scrambled, I can tell you that Paddy was very creamy and soft, not the bold critter that the standards Bushmills is. I understand that Paddy is triple distilled and aged in oak. It's been churned out by the Cork Distillers Company since 1779 and is named Paddy after Paddy Flaherty, purportedly a great salesman who spread the word of Paddy near and far.

A fine Irish whiskey, and one I wish I could find more often in the U.S. (Rating ****)

Reviewed 10/31