DDT: I still know what you drank last summer! AKA Part 2!

As promised, here comes the continuation of yesterday's post.

To start it with a bang, I'm going to introduce you to a little something I sampled at a pub in Cork on my vacation, namely the Red Breast Cask Strength.

This is not something for the faint of heart. Really, if you've got a weak heart, just looking at this drink will probably send you to kingdom come. Like any self respecting cask strength whisky, this one will knock you on your arse. It packs quite a punch, and not just in terms of alcohol content, but in terms of strength of flavour. It contains all the flavour of the regular Red Breast, but in higher concentration, so it hits you harder at first, and then takes a little while longer for you to taste all of it.

Served the same any as whiskey, only with the addition of a couple of drops of water to release the flavours properly.

Next!

Ah, yes, the Jameson Gold Reserve! I got a bottle of this from my girlfriend's mother as a present for my 25th birthday, and it is something quite special.

The first thing one notices is that it doesn't pack a punch. It's surprisingly soft and smooth, even for a Jameson. It is, in general, much more subdued than the regular version, and the flavour tends to come somewhat later, adding a lot in terms of aftertaste than is common for a smooth whisky. It could, quite fairly, be described as both the most delicious and the most delicate expression of Jameson's whiskey.

Serve only to those deserving and able to appreciate it.

I'll end tonight's issue with a little overdue surprise, namely the Innis & Gunn Rum Cask ale. It's quite rare for ales to be aged at all, and this is, in fact, the major selling point of I&G.

I found that this very special brew has the very best qualities of both light and the dark beer; it's sweet and aromatic, but also powerful in taste, with relatively mild bitterness. If I were the kind of snob who ascribed characteristics such as "Divulges faint notes of chocolate", I'd kill myself. But before that, I'd say there is indeed a hint of dark chocolate somewhere in there.

Serve chilled in a tankard, in a british pub.