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There is an animated piece on YouTube titled “Guinness is Bad for You” that’s full of political rhetoric and a diatribe about Alec Guinness and his family’s lack of respect for the Irish people. In the video’s climax the main character, a bartender, states, “An Irishman drinking Guinness on St. Patty’s day is the equivalent of a Jewish person drinking a Beck’s on Yom Kippur.”

The piece goes on to explain that although Guinness proudly professes to be the drink of the Irish, Guinness is actually brewed by a faceless English corporation called Diageo, with its head office in London. The majority of its shareholders live in the U.K. and that’s where most of its profits end up. If you think drinking any Irish whiskey is a more authentic choice, think again — Bushmills and Jameson are both owned by Diageo.

The Cooley Distillery offers some options to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day that are much more Irish friendly. Cooley is the only independent distillery in Ireland, and its profits remain in the country. Also, the distillery’s whiskeys have won more global awards than you can shake a leprechaun at. Several Cooley products are available locally.

• Tyrconnell — This whiskey is the revival of a 19th century brand named for a legendary Irish racehorse that defied the odds. The horse won a race against odds of 100 to one, and his owner cashed in big time. His likeness, on the label, is inspired by artwork that can still be found in old Irish country pubs. This whiskey has a fruity aroma with a citrus-like nose and long malty finish.

• Kilbeggan— This is the bargain of the bunch and the only non-single malt on the list. It is made of a combination of two grains, maize (corn) and malt. This dram has a dry quality and big oak notes with a sweet honey and malt finish.

• Connemara — A unique offering as it is the only peated Irish whiskey. Whereas most Irish whiskey has dominant flavours of caramel and toffee, Connemara is a touch of “Islay meets Ireland.” It has a smoky, peaty finish that keeps the best elements of both Scotland and Ireland in one dram to create a singular whiskey experience. Connemara has won a gold medal in every international competition it has ever entered. There are three varieties, and all of them are great, but make the effort to find the cask-strength version. The non-chill filtered version has the biggest and most robust flavour. Even when the bottle is long gone, you will be thinking that perhaps that’s not gold but a pot of whiskey at the end of the rainbow. Happy St. Patty’s day!