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
The Busker isn’t just a guy that plays guitar on the street. It’s now a new brand of Irish whiskey, actually part of the Disaronno company. The Busker has at least one unusual element in ...
Boann Distillery’s Whistler Irish Whiskey brand is back with three new expressions, all built around particular wood finishes — some expected, some unusual. “The Imperial Stout and Calvados Cask Finishes are annual releases that will ...
Irish whiskey matured in an IPA barrel has been done before, a couple of years ago in Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition. Now West Cork is picking up the idea with its own whiskey finished in ...
Drumshanbo is increasingly well-known for its delightful Gunpowder Irish Gin, and now the brand is moving into a spirit more associated with Ireland: Single pot still whiskey. This spirit is very traditionally made with unmalted ...
We recently reviewed a handful of Waterford’s Single Farm Origin releases, which showcased the distillery’s obsession with terroir. With all of the fuss about soil and farms, it’s probably not surprising that Waterford is working ...
Ireland’s Waterford Distillery is the next act for former Scotch whisky pioneer Mark Reynier, who famously resurrected Bruichladdich in the early 2000s (and sold it in 2012). The distillery is located on the site of ...
Grace O’Malley, formally Grainne Ní Mháille, was born in 1530 and became known as the “pirate queen of Ireland,” though that seems to be more in the sense of leading maritime vessels against the English ...
At this point it feels safe to say that the 2020 holiday season will be unlike any other in our lifetimes. And while in-person gatherings may not be possible, it doesn’t mean that you’re going ...
Ready for something fun and unexpected? Bushmills Irish Whiskey has just launched Bushmills 28 Year Old Single Malt Cognac Cask Whiskey, the debut release in Bushmills’ new annual series, “The Rare Casks.” Matured in bourbon ...
While Midleton flexes its experimental muscle with limited editions like Dair Ghaelach, their most well-known and widely available limited release is the bluntly named Very Rare. Midleton has been releasing Very Rare annually since 1984, ...