By: Mercy Chikowore and Nyasha Chikowore

Who knew our day would be full of “bitter-beer face”, taunts & jabs about who was babysitting their shot & wondering how we would make it through 8 sites to taste the wondrous spirit that is whiskey?  I guess that’s what happens when you endure a day-long ‘Whiskey Walk’ through the mean streets of DC!

1st Stop: James Hoban’s

Powers Gold Label

Our first shot of Powers was like a 5am alarm that you never set: startling and painful all at once. Apparently it’s the most popular whiskey sold in Ireland and we’re quite sure it’s called Powers for a reason. I never want to taste anything like this again and wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemies.

2nd Stop: Madhatter
Paddy Devil’s Apple
After a failed attempt at some fried chicken at a particular chicken & donuts establishment, hi GBD, we took whiskey shot #2 of the day and were pleasantly surprised. Paddy Devil’s Apple Cinnamon whiskey lives up to its name.  It tasted like cinnamon, so many of the whiskey walkers said it reminded them of Fireball, another cinnamon flavored whiskey. It definitely restored our faith in our whiskey drinking skills.  We took it back like champs and lucky for us, it went down smoothly. The devil showed mercy when he created this apple shot that we and everyone else actually enjoyed.  More than one shot would’ve been just fine, but we had 6 more whiskey stops to make.

3rd Stop: Irish Whiskey

Redbreast 12 years

After a light walk and our faith being restored by our cinnamon-flavored savior, we made it to stop #3. We were given Redbreast, which is a single pot still whiskey that put some hair on our chests. It was probably also responsible for the rowdy nature of some of our fellow walkers who may have enjoyed more than one shot. The bartenders were pretty festive and handled the large crowds pretty well. Although I asked the bartender for the world, he did give me a free coffee, which I’m pretty sure helped me get through the rest of the stops. I’d definitely go back again for drinks, no Redbreast included.

4th Stop: Science Club

Powers 12

Just when we thought we were safe, our old friend Powers returned. This time we tried the premium version, which is a blend of pot still and grain whiskey. It definitely went down smoother than our introductory shot and warmed us up for our remaining walk.  By the way, if you haven’t been to Science Club, be prepared to marvel at some of the accessories–including awesome beakers as candle holders. Love is in the details and they definitely put some thought into it.

5th Stop: Maddy’s
Jameson Black Barrel
Stop #5 and we were still chugging along. Finally, a name we recognized…Jameson. The black barrel version is a limited edition and has been described as an upgrade from the standard by whiskey enthusiasts.

6th Stop: Boardroom

Paddy BeeSting

Paddy came through for us again with a honey flavored spirit this time, which became apparent when our fingers were sticking to the glass. Both the apple and honey flavor would make for awesome summer cocktails.  Yum.

7th Stop: Stoney’s
Jameson 12 year
Another Jameson for the books and we shot it with no issues. Granted, we still did shiver a little from the strong taste of whiskey but the realization that we only had one stop left kept us in high spirits.

8th Stop: Black Whiskey

Paddy Irish Whiskey

I want to remember this last shot but not sure if I even tasted it. I was just glad that we were done. It tasted like whiskey.

Photo Credit: Mercy Chikowore, irishwhiskeyblog.com, prosportstickets.com, esquire.com, secretartist.com