The Jameson Juggernaut rolls on
The volume of Jameson sold in the second half of 2007 was up 16% compared with the same period in 2006 (Pernod-Ricard press release).
Irish Distillers sues Cooley
One of the high-growth markets for Jameson is Russia. Irish Distillers, the makers of Jameson, are seeking to protect that market by bringing Cooley Distillery to court. They wish to prevent Cooley bottling a whiskey for a Russian distributor that they claim is too similar in appearance to Jameson.
Judge for yourself whether St Patrick's Whiskey is likely to be confused with Jameson.
I'm sure Cooley are wondering why they have been targeted rather than the Russian company that designed the bottle. Perhaps IDL doesn't fancy its chances in a Russian court.
An endorsement for Tullamore Dew
Kevin Erskine, of The Scotch Blog, describes a non-Scotch whiskey tasting he hosted recently. "The Tullamore Dew was also a surprising hit - selected because of its exemplary Irish Blend softness, many of the attendees enjoyed the light taste."
Tasting Bushmills 1608
Sticking with The Scotch Blog, here's a tasting of Bushmill's latest release, the 1608, that I mentioned a while ago.