Whiskey is a drink best suited to relaxation. Beer is perfect for watching football. Wine is great with dinner. But whiskey is happiest when wed to book of poetry. Although any free time is a good time for fine uisgebeatha.
Here is a selection of poetry that came to mind while tasting various whiskeys. In some cases they are commentary, it others nostalgia. Length of the poems vary, I do not necessarily suggest that you drink more with the longer ones. The spirit did not move me to suggest readings for Scotch whiskies. Print a poem, pour a drink, sit back, and enjoy.
| Whiskey | Poem or Song | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Midleton | 'Hy-Brasail'--The Isle of the Blest | Griffin |
| Tyrconnell | Kubla Khan | Coleridge |
| Jameson | To a Young Beauty | Yeats |
| Bushmills | The Foray of Con O'Donnell | MacCarthy |
| Kilbeggan | Finnegan's Wake | traditional |
| John Powers | Whiskey in the Jar | traditional |
| Paddy | Aileen the Huntress | Walsh |
| Tullamore Dew | A Drinking Song | Yeats |
| Whiskey | Poem or Song | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Old Overholt | Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard | Gray |
| Jim Beam Rye | The Raven | Poe |
| Wild Turkey Rye | Pied Beauty | Hopkins |
| Old Rip Van Winkle Old Time Rye | A Psalm of Life | Longfellow |
| Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye | New Friends and Old Friends | Parry |
| Pikesville Supreme | Sweet Man Joe | anonymous |
| Rittenhouse | The Spell of the Yukon | Service |
| Old Potrero | Sonnet V | Shakespeare |
| Whiskey | Poem or Song | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Maker's Mark | Psalm 22/23 | David |
| Booker's | Laughing Corn | Sandburg |
| A. H. Hirsch | The Banished Spirit's Song | MacCarthy |
| Knob Creek | Young and Old | Kingsley |
| Woodford Reserve | October's Bright Blue Weather | Jackson |
| Heaven Hill | The Clod and the Pebble | Blake |
| Evan Williams | Rock Me to Sleep | Allen |
| Jim Beam | Ozymandias | Shelley |
| Rebel Yell | To an Athlete Dying Young | Housman |
| Wild Turkey | The Streams | Downing |
| Old Charter | Truth | Millevoye |
| Early Times | Blue-tail Fly | traditional |
| George Dickel, Nº12 | When the Frost is on the Punkin | Riley |
| Jack Daniel's | The Lamb | Blake |