St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most fun holidays of the year, and this year, it serendipitously falls on a Friday, which means most partiers won’t need to worry about waking up early for work the next morning. If you’re planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, you’d better have the Irish whiskey on deck. Regardless of whether you’re looking to drink something solid without spending much or want to go all out and enjoy a delicious, complex dram, we’ve got you covered with the best Irish whiskeys to drink this St. Patrick’s Day regardless of your price range.

For each price range, we’ll give you two runners-up and then our pick for the best Irish whiskey to buy.

Best Irish Whiskeys for $30 and Under

Honorable Mention: Bushmills Red Bush ($25)

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Red Bush from Bushmills isn’t a bottling that will blow you away with its complexity, but for the price, it’s very solid, good for sipping over ice or in a cocktail. It’s a light, enjoyable, fruity and sweet whiskey that will beat out the classic Jamesons of the world for around the same price.

Honorable Mention: Busker Single Grain ($30)

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Bottled at 44.3%, The Busker’s Single Grain is aged in a combination of bourbon barrels and Marsala wine casks. This is one of the entry core expressions from the Irish brand. This whiskey is a significant step up from your standard Irish whiskeys around its price range, offering tasting notes of baked apple, cinnamon, honey and vanilla bean. This is a sweet, tasty whiskey with plenty going on.

The 44.3% ABV mark is appreciated as a sizable bump over the Irish standard of 40%.

Honorable Mention 2: Roe & Co ($26)

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Sitting at 90 proof, this is a blend of malt and grain whiskey aged in bourbon barrels. For the price, this sweet whiskey is a home run. Sweet and honey-forward on the nose, Roe & Co. delivers a fairly complex palate with notes of apples, cinnamon, toffee and fresh-baked pastries.

In this price range, Roe & Co. is going to be tough to beat. Like Busker, 10-point proof bump over the Irish whiskey standard 80 is greatly appreciated, and there are a number of flavors here that are nicely balanced.

Best Irish Whiskeys for $31-$60

Honorable Mention: Bushmills Prohibition Recipe Irish Whiskey Peaky Blinders Limited Edition ($31)

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This release from Bushmills was a collaboration with the hit TV show “Peaky Blinders.” If you’re a fan of the show, this is a no-brainer purchase. If you’re not, it’s still a solid choice, sweet, creamy and nutty on the nose with a moderate mouthfeel. This whiskey is sweet, creamy, and fruit-forward with a dash of pepperiness. Bottling at 92 proof was a great choice, so props to Bushmills for that.

Honorable Mention: McConnell’s ($33)

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With its green label and gold cap and embossment, McConnell’s jumps out at you as a St. Patrick’s Day-themed bottle, which may be reason enough to buy it. The juice isn’t half-bad, either. Bottled at 42% ABV after aging for five years in ex-bourbon barrels, this is a light, dessert and inoffensive whiskey, easy to sip. The palate delivers a buttery texture and tons of sweet dessert character.

McConnell’s isn’t the most complex Irish whiskey you’ll find, but it’s a solid pick, and its five-year age statement lifts it over many competitors around the same price.

Best Irish Whiskey for $31-$60: Teeling Small Batch ($37)

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Distilled by Teeling and finished in rum casks, Teeling Small Batch is our pick for best value buy in the entire Irish whiskey category. This bottling will consistently outperform Irish whiskeys double its price, and getting it for under $40 feels like thievery. Depending where you are, you can even find this whiskey for as low as $27, which is downright ridiculous.

Teeling Small Batch is sweet and mseriously complex for a whiskey of this price. Expect notes of sweet brown butter, caramel, cream, a touch of rum, brown sugar, light pepper and faint oak.

As Whiskey Raiders spirits critic Jay West wrote in his review of Teeling Small Batch, “This punches so far above its price point – this should be the new gold standard for a defacto introduction to Irish whiskey, and it’s not even close.”

Best Irish Whiskeys for $61-$100

Honorable Mention: Clonakilty Single Batch Irish Whiskey Double Oak Finish ($65)

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A blend of cask finishes, Clonakilty Double Oak Finish pairs whiskey aged in ex-bourbon casks with a whiskeys aged in virgin America oak and re-charred and toasted wine casks.

Bottled at 43.6% ABV, this whiskey has a moderate mouthfeel and notes of honey, almonds, light oak, toffee, buttercotch and caramel candies.

This is a dynamite release from Clonakilty. It has layers of complexity to it that you don’t usually find in Irish whiskeys of this age.

Honorable Mention: Egan’s Conviction ($100)

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Now we’re getting into the higher age-stated whiskeys of the list. This whiskey was aged for 10 years and finished in XO sherry casks. Bottled at 92 proof, Egan’s Conviction has a gentle nose and a silky palate. It has notes of buttercream, lavendar, toffee, peaches and oranges, with an oaky finish.

While this whiskey has a suggested retail price of $100, in many markets you’ll be able to find it closer to $70.

Best Irish Whiskey for $61-$100: Redbreast 12 Year ($66)

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Redbreast 12 is a pot-stilled Irish whiskey aged in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks.

Despite a low proof of 80, Redbreast 12 doesn’t come across as watery whatsoever, delivering immense flavor. This whiskey is a killer option for any bar due to its universal approval rating. Whiskey heads love this dram, but it’s also extremely approachable for whiskey novices due to its sweet profile and low alcohol content.

Redbreast 12 delivers notes of toffee, honey, currant, raisins, fresh-baked bread and caramel.

Best Irish Whiskeys for More Than $100

Honorable Mention: Waterford Ballybannon ($109)

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Distilled by Waterford Distillery in Ireland, this release is one of the few peated releases from the Irish whiskey brand.

Pungent and ashy, this whiskey is reminiscent of an Islay scotch on the nose, which makes total sense, as Islay is known for its heavy peat usage. On the palate, this whiskey has notes of cream, honey, straw, peach, mango and crème brûlée.

This is a roaring success from Waterford, as the distillery’s sweet and fruity distillate interacts splendidly with the smoky peat.

Honorable Mention: Redbreast 21 Year ($250)

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An upgrade over Redbreast 12 in age (21 vs. 12) and proof (92 over 80), this bottling is pricy but for good reason. A delicious whiskey with notes of brown butter, toffee, rising dough, apples, brown sugar, maple, cinnamon and caramel, Redbreast 21 is a delightful, rich and dessert-forward release.

Best Irish Whiskey for More Than $100: Gold Spot ($284)

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This whiskey isn’t the easiest to track down (and its price is quite variable; it can be found for as low as $125), but if you get your hands on it, you won’t regret the purchase.

Bottled at 51.4% ABV and aged for nine years, this premium expression comes from Mitchell & Son’s line of Spot Irish whiskeys. This is a well-proofed, incredibly rich and syrupy whiskey with excellent complexity. Expect a sweet nose full of custard, buttercream, confectioner’s sugar, crème brûlée, coconut and orange peel; a silly palate with honey, berries, cherry, orange peel, vanilla cream and a rich, tannic spice; and a long, rich finish that balances spiciness and sweetness.

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