Competition

And the good news is that due to a technical malfunction last month's competition is still open!

If you replied last month, you might think of replying again, because some of the replies got snarled up in the system. If you didn't, well now you've got another chance!

Jameson Gold is as fine a drink as you can buy and enjoy. We habitually reserve our most exalted prose for fine wines, but nothing less than superlatives will do for a drink which is amongst the very best things blender Barry Walsh and distiller Barry Crockett of Irish Distillers produce. Jameson Gold was originally designed for the Far Eastern duty free market, and bottlings have always been very small in volume. What sets JG apart is the use of virgin American oak barrels, i.e. barrels which have been charred in the US style, but which have never seen bourbon. Blended with these are whiskeys (all between 10 and 13 years old) which have aged in oloroso sherry casks. The result is a sensation, a drink so fine, so sensual, so magical that words ­ appropriately ­ fail you when you first taste it. This is the true water of life. And, the good news, is that we have 5 bottles of Jameson Gold to give away, a magical drop, courtesy of Irish Distillers.

All you have to do is answer this simple question to get your name into the hat: What was the old Irish term for the "water of life", a phrase later Anglicised to whiskey?

In this week's competition we have a special prize of Dinner for Two in the inimitable 101 Talbot.

101 Talbot is one of the new 100 Best Restaurants in Ireland in our soon-to-be-published 2002 guides. This is a sneak preview of their entry: Few restaurants offer such superb value for money as the legendary 101 Talbot, but good value is only part of the story of the success of this inner-city veteran.
Pascal Bradley and Margaret Duffy run one of the most democratic, sane, sensible and dignified city restaurants. There is no hype to 101, no brashness, no slickness. Instead, there is a team of people dedicated to their work, happy to produce fine food at fine prices for an audience who respect and admire the restaurant and its food. In many ways, 101 is the sort of quiet (well, noisily quiet) place you might find in an Italian city, a restaurant that specialises in cucina casalingua ­ domestic cooking ­ for a devoted audience.
Even though the menu style is international ­ from spanakopita to Thai-style fish ­ everything has the gentle 101 signature to it.
101 Talbot Street, Dublin 1, Tel: (01) 874 5011, Fax: (01) 875 5011

And the question couldn't be simpler: What production is running this week, the week of April 15th, at the Abbey Theatre? (just around the corner from 101 Talbot). Get those answers in fast! .

Click here to submit your answer for either competition

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