Irish Whiskey
Whiskey traces its very origins to Ireland in the 1600s, and for centuries, Irish whiskey was the most popular spirit in the world. Only in the 20th century did Scotch finally surpass it, at which point Irish fell into decline. Irish whiskey differs from its Scottish cousin in several ways. To begin, the Irish spell “whiskey” with an “e.” More importantly, Irish whiskey is rarely made entirely from malted barley. Dating back to their efforts to dodge the British Malt tax of 1785, the Irish coupled raw, unmalted barley with malted barley to make their mash. This resulted in the development vanilla notes that remain more pronounced in most Irish whiskeys. Today, there are several notable single malt Irish whiskeys, but they remain the exceptions. As well, Irish whiskey is typically triple distilled whereas most Scotch is distilled only twice. To be labeled Irish whiskey, the distillate must be aged in wood casks for at least three years. Varieties of Irish whiskey include “single pot still” (which provides the most distinctively “Irish” spirit), “single malt,” “single grain,” and “blended.” Single pot still whiskeys, such as Redbreast and Green Spot, are made at a single distillery using a copper pot still and a blended mashbill that includes malted and unmalted barley as noted above. After years of decline, the popularity of Irish whiskey has exploded in recent years, and whereas there were only three distilleries in operation 20 years ago (Bushmills, Cooley, and Midleton), there are at least 18 today, all creating distinctive whiskeys that build upon and also challenge Ireland’s long whiskey-making tradition.
Top Irish Whiskey Posts:
On Toasts and Irish Whiskey for St. Patrick’s Day
A Visit to Dublin’s Teeling Whiskey
Tasting Report: Jameson Rare and Reserve Irish Whiskeys
While it was released in the UK and EU in 2024, Bushmills waited almost a year before dropping its 26 year old Crystal Malt in the United States. Common in beermaking, crystal malts are a type of caramel malt in which wet barley is allowed to sprout and is then heated at various levels in…
You may have missed the recent news that venerable Irish whiskey brand Tullamore D.E.W. reduced production earlier this year, one of the first indications that the Irish whiskey category is also not immune from the same challenges currently facing every other whiskey-making country. In reading that news, we discovered that it has been well over…
At the end of 2023, Bushmills released four limited edition whiskeys that set off a new series called Private Reserve. (We didn’t review them.) Each started with classic Bushmills single malt whiskey aged in bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, but featuring a different, unusual finish — Plum Brandy, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Tequila Casks. Now Private…
The pros at The Whisky Exchange recently began sending regular releases of some of their most recent stock, all exclusives that are available only in its stores and on the TWE website. We’ve got a huge collection of new releases that have dropped over the last few months, including lots of single malt Scotch, some…
Irish whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve has been busy of late. At the end of 2024, owner Proximo Spirits dropped founding celebrity Conor McGregor, the UFC champion whose past misdeeds are apparently too toxic for a whiskey affiliation but not toxic enough to keep him from the Oval Office. The times we’re living in, folks.…
In recent years, Writers’ Tears has launched a series of limited edition releases, all single cask offerings with exotic finishes, which is something of a strength of the distillery. Today we’re looking at two of these — release #8, finished in Inniskillin Ice Wine casks, and release #6, finished in Japanese mizunara oak. Both seem…
We thought that we had diligently kept up with Midleton’s “Spot” whiskeys over the years, but we completely missed the youngster in the lineup. This 7-year-old release got quite a bit of buzz when it relaunched in 2020. And rightly so. It had been over five decades (!) since the last Blue Spot release, and…
Dingle has been an up-and-coming Irish whiskey for years, and now it’s finally come into its own with the launch of Dingle Samhain, the inaugural release in its Wheel of the Year series. Truth be told this whiskey dates back to 2022, only we’re just now getting access to it at Drinkhacker. It starts off…
Ireland’s The Shed Distillery has continued to churn out annual limited editions of its well-known Drumshanbo Gin, but less attention has been given to growing its single pot still whiskey portfolio. Until now. In quick succession, Drumshanbo recently delivered two new pot still expressions fully matured in fortified wine casks: Marsala Cask at the end…
Let’s just admit it: The name is funny. And fun. And lends itself to off-color jokes that only get crasser as you work your way through a second glass. But there is an entirely appropriate explanation for the company’s name: the Muff Liquor Company was founded in the village of Muff in County Donegal, Ireland.…