Summer is finally here in the Napa Valley and with that, I thought I'd share my thoughts on 5 Irish Whsikeys that I think are great for Summertime Sippin'.

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series, I got to chat with Ciaran Mason, Manager at the world-famous Johnnie Fox's Pub in Glencullen, Co. Dublin.

We chatted about Ciaran, Johnnie Fox's and its history, their Hoooley Night, and of course his favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey, which is Redbreast!

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series, I got to chat with Sean Quinn. Sean Michael to family and Quinners to his friends, Sean and I both arrived here in Northern California Wine Country in 2008 and it’s been fantastic to watch his winemaking journey in the 14 or so years since then.

Sean and I talked about wine, travel, sailing, his Irish ancestry, and lots more and of course, we talked about and tasted, his Favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey, which is Powers Johns Lane.

2022 has been another standout year for Irish Whiskey here in the US and while we await the sales figures for the calendar year 2022 (expected sometime in late February/early March) the sales figures from Irish Distillers Ltd. for their financial year show us that there has been substantial sales growth in the last year.

Over the past year, I've been lucky enough to taste and drink many, many (probably over a hundred) Irish Whiskeys, and as 2022 closed I decided to take a look back and pick out my 5 favorite / favourite Irish Whiskeys of the year. This is not a "The Best" or "The Top" compilation, it's simply me sharing 5 Irish Whiskeys that I really enjoyed in 2022.

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series, I got to chat with Walt Averill. Walt is married to the Belfast Born Maire Murphy who I’ve known for a number of years and together, yes they work together, they founded their company Capabunga over a decade ago.

Walt is a keen Irish Whiskey drinker and tells the story of bringing some Redbreast from Belfast to California over 20 years ago. We talked about their business, the pandemic, travel, golf, and lots more and of course, we talked about and tasted, his Favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey, which is Powers Johns Lane.

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series, I got to chat with Sean McKane about his favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey. Sean, a fellow Dub, is the proud owner of the Sixpence Public House in The Hague or Den Haag in the Netherlands and we talked about Sean’s journey to owning the Sixpence Public House, the fine selection of Irish whiskeys that they offer there, how and where they source that fine selection from and of course we talked about and tasted, his Favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey, which is Green Spot.

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series, I got to chat with Chef Bob Hurley. Bob’s retired now but is still active in culinary circles here in Napa Valley supporting our community. Bob was always an avid supporter of Irish whiskey at his restaurant, Hurley’s, in Yountville and we talked about Bob, retirement, his previous and forthcoming trips to Ireland, and how we came to be such a fan of Irish whiskey, and of course, we talked about and tasted, his Favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey, which is Powers Johns Lane.

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series, I got to chat with Pat Burke, Oakland born and raised of Irish descent who traces his lineage back to Cork and Limerick. We talked about Pat, his reputation as a world-class barbecuer, his visits to Ireland over the years, and of course, his Favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey, which is a very, very special bottle of Paddy Irish Whiskey that Pat bought on a trip to Ireland back in 1984, yes 1984!

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series, I got to chat with Erevan O'Neill, a (West) Corkman, neighbour, structural engineer, Irish Whiskey lover, and all-around great guy! We talked about Erevan, his name, which is one of the most unusual Irish names that I've come across, his journey to Napa, and of course, his current Favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey, which is Clonakilty Single Grain Bordeaux Cask Finish, from Co. Cork!

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series I got to chat with Toby Nolan, an Irish-born commercial photographer who lives in Central Oregon and we talked about Toby, his travels, and my goodness has he traveled, and of course, his Favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey.

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series I got to chat with my dear friend Kevin Dowling, aka Kildare Kev, about his favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey.

As part of the "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." series I got to chat with David Seth aka David the Neighbor, about his favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey.

As part of the My Favo(u)rite Irish series I got to chat with Angela Chisum, Owner of Trailhead Liquor in Bend Oregon about her favo(u)rite Irish Whiskey