The top 5 Irish whiskies

If your relatives are the fussy types, they'll know their JD from their Lagavulin, and only the finest will do if whiskey is their tipple of choice under the tree on the 25th. That's when you have to turn to the Irish. After all, they pretty much invented drinking itself, never mind just whiskey. Here's the five best from the Emerald Isle for your consumption - in moderation of course.

1. Jameson Irish Whiskey
It doesn't get muc more Irish than having "Irish" on the label, really. The distilery's history stretches all the way back until 1780, so the brewers at Jameson know their stuff. It's triple distilled out of Irish barley, making for a rather sensational taste.

2. Bushmills
Sorry we didn't mean to make 1780 sound old - these guys have been doing it since 1608. That's around when John McCain was born you know. Tastes a lot better though, and that's probably down to the fact that the single malt is matured in American bourbon barrels for at least a decade.

3. Michael Collins Blend
It's got a much better ring to it than Ho Chi Minh cream crackers doesn't it? In all seriousness though, it's a fantastic combination of double-malt and grain whiskey with oak and citrusey (is that a word?) flavours that are off the chart.

4. Redbreast
Another one under the Jameson brand, but one that stands out in its own right. One sniff of the 12 year old version is enough to have you dreaming of home and those rolling Irish dales, even if you're not actually from Ireland. It's that powerful.

5. Connemara Whiskey
You'll have to be prepared to splash a bit of cash for this'un, but this ultra-strong sixty percenter has a taste to match the high asking price. Connemara has gone back to ancient basics, drying the barley over peat fires. It's reaping the results, including national awards, so see (or taste) for yourself what all the fuss is about.