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
It hasn’t even been a year since the first release in Bushmills new “The Rare Casks” series, and here we have a second, even older installment. Wonders never cease. For round two, the Irish whiskey powerhouse is releasing a 29-year-old expression distilled in 1992 and matured in hand-selected bourbon barrels for over a decade before…
The orange whiskey invasion has finally crossed the pond and made it to Ireland, with Jameson Orange now a thing. Unlike Jim Beam Orange, which turned out to be an orange liqueur, Jameson Orange is a flavored whiskey — specifically Jameson with “zesty orange flavor” added. The results are both wholly expected and fairly tepid.…
Ireland’s Waterford Distillery splashed on the whisky scene in 2020 with its terroir-focused Single Farm Origin releases, a slew of which have hit the shelves since we first looked in on them. Their Organic Gaia release shortly after was the distillery’s first blend of distilled barleys from various farms, although it was limited to only…
Among North American audiences, Irish whiskey is poised for a moment in the sun. The fast-growing category’s U.S. sales were up over 16% in 2021, and by some estimates, the spirit could overtake Scotch’s stateside footprint within the next decade. As with most boozy trends, event organizers have taken note, their progress only temporarily slowed…
Blackpitts is a section of Dublin just behind Teeling‘s new distillery in the Liberties, and it’s the namesake for a unique and evocative whiskey that will challenge many expectations of what Irish whiskey should taste like. The triple-distilled single malt is made with peated barley — reportedly the only peated whiskey being made in the…
Two new whiskeys from Ireland’s Egan’s, each with quite the different approach. Conviction is a 10 year old blend that joins the Egan’s permanent collection, while Legacy Reserve IV a limited edition single malt, the final release in this four-year-long series. We tried them both. Here goes. Both are 92 proof. Egan’s Conviction Irish Whiskey…
Bushmills — the Irish operation which proudly boasts being the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world — has added a new whiskey to its permanent lineup. Bushmills Single Malt Whiskey 12 Years Old takes two single malts that are fully matured separately for at least 11 years in Oloroso sherry and bourbon barrels, then…
Limavady is a new whiskey brand from Northern Ireland — 60 miles north of Belfast — where it makes a single product: A single barrel, single malt whiskey that is triple distilled from Irish barley, then finished in ex-bourbon and PX sherry casks — that lattermost bit a particularly unusual move for Ireland. Bottles are…
Glendalough is a fascinating Irish distillery that offers a range of products developed with creativity and artistic abandon. Some are fantastic and some miss the mark, but we are always eager to see what they produce next. Today we are trying a new whiskey and gin from the distillery. Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey Review…
Irish whiskey continues its rise with the relaunch of Dubliner — or The Dubliner, if you like — which slaps a new logo and bottle design on its two permanent expressions plus an ongoing “beer cask series” of special editions. We didn’t get any of those to check out, but we did receive the mainline…