Whiskey Trio: Rye, Irish, "Oregon Spirit"

Back to tasting after a short hiatus. I was traveling and discovered that finding whiskies I haven’t tried before is not as easy as it once was.
 
I am back in Brooklyn, though, where whiskey is not so hard to come by. With the closing of my beloved Char No.4 whiskey bar, I have rediscovered Jake Walk on Smith Street. It’s a cozy, speakeasy style bar known for cocktails, but they have an interesting and varied whiskey list that I have been making my way through. It’s heavy on the Scotch, which is just fine with me, but I’ve also managed to find a few new-to-me American and other whiskies.
 
This weekend, I went for Copper Fox rye whiskey, Uisce Beatha Irish whiskey, and Whipper Snapper American whiskey.

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Uisce Beatha
What I knew: Blended whiskey, Irish, 80 proof.
What I discovered: The taste actually slips past the tongue when you drink it. It’s very light, does not announce a presence, and then it kind of disappears while you think, “I took a sip, right? I actually did drink that?” You have to stay with it a while to parse out flavors and if you pay a lot of attention to it, it will tell you something–a little grassy, a little citrus, a little bit of licorice. A hint of whiskey. I wouldn’t suggest adding water or this one might get lost altogether.

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Copper Fox Rye Whiskey, on the other hand, has a variety of flavors that come through clearly, although they don’t necessarily linger.
What I knew: 90 proof, aged 13 months, 2/3 rye, 1/2 malted barley, a series of applewood and oak chips are added, aged in bourbon barrels
What I discovered:  The apple certainly comes through in the smell and taste. There is also a little smoke in there. Which all makes me think of bacon – I used to work at a place that made wonderful BLT’s with applewood smoked bacon. This would go well with bacon. It’s nice to drink on its own, too.
 
Whipper Snapper
What I knew: 82 proof, 79 percent corn, 21 percent barley
What I discovered: Whipper Snapper is described on its front as “Oregon Spirit Whiskey” and “hi falutin.” It’s definitely robust with some talk back. It’s thick, nutty, and malty. It gave me a sense of grass, dandelions, and freshly mowed grass. 

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