is it true?

[wong name]

someone told me, you cant bring irish whiskey out of ireland, and back the usa. yet, you are aloud to bring cheese back?

[MeTurk]

That can't be true surely, making money off tourists is a big chunk of Ireland's economy. Anyway, Irish customs is very half arsed at the best of times so they're not going to stop you.

[SGRHewitt]

I would have to go along with MeTurk here... Usually bottled goods are importable. I would believe that Cheese wouldn't be allowed unless it was canned...

Absinthe isn't allowed to be imported into the United States, but I know alot of us have done it... You just have to run the risk of it being confiscated. I don't think they'll do more than that.

[mbo108]

Yeah, that's definitely not true. They sell it in the Duty Free stores in the airports in Ireland and sometimes you have to show that you're taking an international flight - which would show your destination as the US.

Also, now thujone-free Absinthe is legal in the US. Its up for others to decide if its still really the green fairy without this ingredient...

[dudeman]

I brought absinthe back, and now knowing how customs was here at DFW, it will be hard not to try and bring other goodies back. They just looked at my card and waved me away.

[The Monsignor]

Irish whiskey poses far less of a threat than cheese would, honestly (though not much risk there either, but produce and farm products actually are screened tighter than liquor)

Absinthe is outlawed because of the oil of wormwood in it which causes insanity over time. Having worked for ICE on the Canadian border for a while, I can tell you they generally only do random searches, and it's really dependent on your responses to their questions whether or not they will single you out for a search - it's not the answers to the questions that count, it's how you react to the questioning that they're watching.

Even when we'd find contraband, unless it was a significant quantity, we'd just make them dump it out and get rid of it rather than bust someone and have to go through all the paperwork for it.

It's easy enough to claim ignorance when bringing back absinthe or ouzo, since they are both available in 'american friendly' forms on the shelves in the U.S.

[MeTurk]

Originally Posted by The Monsignor

Irish whiskey poses far less of a threat than cheese would,

That all depends on whether it's being transported in a bottle or in the belly of an angry man. It's less harmful in the belly of a happy man but it's still going to be very loud and annoying.

[SGRHewitt]

Speaking of Absinthe... Whats the availability like in cities just as Windsor or Toronto? Is it illegal there as well?