At least, that’s what we were later told, having gone there to meet up with one of the founding partners, Michael Foggarty. Honestly, it didn’t seem dodgy. But to three people from Denver who’re enjoying only their second day in Dublin city, maybe they have no idea what dodgy looks like.

W.J. Kavanaghs is Michael’s second place, in addition to what has become a rather famous drinking and eating emporium, L. Mulligan Grocer, situated on a far less dodgy Stoneybatter street just north of the River Liffey, and made famous by its massive selection of craft beers (in blessed relief, no Guinness!) and, of course, whiskey.

So what happens when a Scotsman who grew up with two distilleries on his doorstep, decided at the age of 14 he wanted to grow up to be a whisky maker, studied chemical engineering at university, worked as a barman, won some whiskey bar awards, met an Irish girl, moved to Ireland, sold whiskey to pubs for the Celtic Whiskey Shop, and moved a lot of whiskey everywhere he worked because he actually knew what he was talking about?

He ends up owning his own place, with a simple vision all its own.

“We’re doing something very clever and very different,” says Michael. “Bars in Ireland are funny. You go to the bar to drink, then you go a restaurant to eat, then you come back to the bar to drink. We’re unusual because we provide the whole experience in one place.” (Okay, maybe not different if you’re not in Ireland.)

He has also become the name you hear over and over and over again, as you wander about Dublin in search of THE GUY to talk to about Irish whiskey. And, in his current partnership, he’s the guy who does the whiskey, providing a selection of 100+ bottles. Including, more than a few Irish. So he’s the perfect guy to ask, why drink Irish whiskeys?

“Irish whiskeys are unique,” says Michael. “Nobody else in the world uses a single pot still and a combination of malted barley and un-malted barley.” Of course, while that might make some sort of sense to a distiller, it’s not so helpful to us. So we pressed him further.

“Sweeter.”
“It’s more accessible — I don’t like to use the word, smoother. It’s more rounded.”
“Creamy, caramel, toffee.”
“Clings to your palate, a bit oily on the palate.”
“No smokiness. Easier to taste.”
“Used to have a cult following, but now it’s in a revival.”

Michael says single pot still whiskeys are the perfect trade-up for a 21-year-old drinking Jameson today. “In ten years, they’re going to be drinking Red Breast 12 Year. It’s a step up. So if you still can’t afford to drink it yourself, buy it for your father, and he’ll let you drink it anyway.”

Here are three other Irish whiskeys, as recommended by THE MAN:

Jameson Crested Ten — A high proportion of pure pot still, matured in sherry barrels. “A high quality whiskey that won’t break the bank.”

Kilbeggan — Making 100,000 cases now. Beam bought the brand and plans to sell a million cases in the U.S. alone. “Get in and join the cult, before it becomes fashionable.”

The Tyrconnell — Whether you try the single-malt version, the sherry finish or the Madeira finish, it’ll be “Just brilliant, the ultimate after-dinner experience.”

Find Michael’s pubs in Dublin:

W.J. Kavanagh
4 Lower Dorset Street
Phone: 01 873 0990
www.wjkavanaghs.com
» Map

L. Mulligan Grocer
18 Stoneybatter Dublin 7
Phone: 01 670 9889
www.lmulligangrocer.com
» Map

Irish whiskey is the fastest growing spirit category in the United States, perhaps in part because of a friendship between pickle maker Bob McClure and the owner of Brooklyn’s Bushwick Country Club John Roberts — and a little lady who walked into his bar in 2006. She wanted a shot of the pickle brine that she saw in the bar, which had been gifted to Roberts by McClure for storing pickles in his basement. The bartender, Reggie Cunningham, was disgusted (maybe more so because he was hungover that day) by her request to drink straight pickle juice, so he made her a deal: They’d both take a shot of Old Crow Bourbon, and she could have the pickle brine thereafter.

Reggie was on to something. Believe it or not, whiskey chased with pickle brine is surprisingly refreshing.

Jameson Irish Whiskey in particular has a woody sweetness that, when combined with salty pickle flavor, leaves savory, long-lasting flavor. In the Pickle Back’s inaugural days, George and Justin Ruotolo, Bushwick regulars and owners of New York’s Whiskey Town, requested Jameson with their Pickle Backs. By the time these shots were popular enough to make headlines, Jameson had become the standard Pickle Back order. In general, though, the salt and savory vinegar flavors of the brine are the perfect follow up for any Irish whiskey, which tends to be sweeter than most other whiskeys.

“Something about the brininess of the pickles compliments Irish whiskey particularly,” says Sean Kenyon, the co-owner and bartender at Williams & Graham in Denver. “I don’t think it works with much else in the whiskey category, but Irish whiskeys tend to be a little bit on the sweeter and lighter side, and Pickle Back compliments rather than erases [that sweetness].”

When I ask for my first-ever Pickle Back shot, Kenyon pulls out a vat of house-made pickle brine and asks if I like pickles. Definitely. “That’s good,” he says, “It’s really vinegar-y. You have to have that taste.”

I take my shot of Powers Irish Whiskey (Williams & Graham prefers Powers to Jameson) and sling back the brine. I’m expecting the mouthful of brackish residue that I experienced after several failed attempts of surfing lessons, but what I’m actually left with is a pleasant, sweet/savory flavor on my tongue. Reggie really was on to something. I’m converted right then and there.

Kenyon goes on to tell me that not all Pickle Back experiences are this satisfying. He says crucial to the success of a Pickle Back is “dill-y, zesty, kosher, vinegar pickling.”

“I went to a place where they were using bread-and-butter pickle brine,” he says, his expression quickly transforming from enthusiasm to repulsion. “The bread-and-butter pickle almost made me hurl on somebody. And I can handle my booze.”

If you’re trying a Pickle Back for the first time (or for the hundredth time, for that matter) make sure you order an Irish whiskey and a salty, vinegar brine. Even if you don’t love the taste of dill pickles or of sweet whiskey, the combination of the two is some kind of wonderful. Rumor has it, too, that it might reduce your post St. Patty’s hangover.

“I’m not a doctor,” admits Kenyon, “But I know that when people are dehydrated, [doctors] give them pickle juice. Because alcohol dehydrates you, and pickle juice hydrates, maybe you’re finding a good balance.”

Hangover or not, the combination of Irish whiskey and pickle brine strikes a nice balance of flavors. Even if you hate it, you can at least say that you’ve tried it. And you might even become a convert like me.

“America is why Irish whiskey is so popular,” says cocktail hound and drinks expert Philip Duff, who has spent more than two decades teaching bartenders and those they serve about liquor and lifestyle. The Irish whiskey industry might well have disappeared during Prohibition in the United States if it weren’t for the invention of the Irish Coffee at San Francisco’s Buena Vista Café. This drink, Duff explains, “helped reopen the essential American market from decades of dormancy.”

The few dozen Irish whiskeys available today are made at only four distilleries: Old Bushmills, Cooley, New Midleton and Kilbeggan. This is a far cry from the peak of industry in late 1700s, when over 1,200 distilleries produced nearly 400 brands.

“As the industry started to work its way back,” he says, “two differing styles emerged: a relatively easy-drinking, sweeter bottling meant for the American market, and a bolder one for Ireland.”

Irish whiskey is still a small segment of the worldwide whiskey market, but it continues to grow. To be called Irish whiskey, a spirit must be made on the island of Ireland, distilled from a mix of cereals to less than 189.6 proof, and aged in wood for at least three years.

To get an idea of what is on the market now, Duff has put together a flight of Irish whiskey. His choices cover all four distilleries, the whole island of Ireland, and all distilling methods.

With all the possibilities out there for brown liquor, Irish whiskey really is but a narrow slice, but it’s one worth looking into, especially if you’ve got a little time and some friends to explore with you.

Flight of Irish Whiskey

1. Jameson Irish Whiskey

“Jameson must be first,” says Duff. “It’s the world’s number one selling Irish whiskey and its sweet, clean palate with hints of barley is perfectly suited for a wide appeal. But,” he says, Jameson “wasn’t even bottled until 1968, spending its first 200 years in blends from independent traders.” It’s a blended whiskey made from pot still and grain whiskeys, and is aged in bourbon and sherry casks.

2. Powers Gold Label

Duff’s choice for second is Powers Gold Label, the most popular whiskey in Ireland until Jameson took over that spot in 2011. Still extremely popular in its home country, Powers is a much bolder offering, a “powerhouse,” as Duff says, with a “blend of pot still and grain whiskeys blended to a smooth finish with loads of honey, spice and vanilla.”

3. Bushmills Original

Third for Duff is Bushmills Original, the one bottling from Northern Ireland on the list. “This whiskey is part a collaborative effort,” Duff says, “as they get some of their neutral alcohol from Midletons in the south, who in turn takes some of their malt.” Duff relates that, “the nose on Bushmills makes it clear it’s a blended whiskey, with more grain prevalent and a dusty note that rounds out on the palate with flavors of fruitcake, dark chocolate and sherry.”

4. Michael Collins Single Malt

Michael Collins Single Malt is Duff’s next choice and is the only single malt in this flight. It is a combination of peated and unpeated malts that, he says, “shows that peated whiskeys are not exclusive to Scotland.” Unlike most Irish whiskeys, which are triple-distilled, Michael Collins only goes through twice, which Duff says, “gives it a richer nose and palate that starts with citrus marmalade, ends with dried apples, almonds and pralines, and uses the peat as a spice rather than a dominating component.”

5. Redbreast 12 Year Old

“Redbreast 12 Year Old is part of a category that is uniquely Irish,” says Duff. It is a pure pot still whiskey, “harkening back to the invention of the spirit on the island.” This fine bottle is the essence of that, with malted and unmalted barely distilled together, “one of only five whiskeys in the world to go through this process,” says Duff. “It’s loaded with flavor,” he says, “with malt, pepper and honey mingling together on the nose and palate and making for a full round glass.”