Not all great whiskey comes from Scotland. It was the Irish, in fact, who taught the Scots how to distill in the first place, and I'll put Midleton Very Rare up against almost any bottle of Scotch. And now there's a new Irish entry that may rank as the finest from the Emerald Isle (and certainly the most expensive): Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve ($250). Jameson has four "masters" in their operation: maturation, distillation, whiskey science and blending. This special bottle is the first project where they have all come together to assemble it. Most of the whiskeys used in the blend are 20 years or older. and only 1000 bottles are available in the entire US. It's a delicious whiskey, with notes of melon, banana and plum, plus a bit of sweetness that leads into a very long finish. And the bottle is classic Jameson, with a very elegant and distinguished label that speaks of centuries of tradition.
