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
With this new single malt whiskey, our friends at Dublin’s Teeling celebrates something I would not have immediately expected: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its first consensus National Championship in 1924. Teeling notes that in that year, Notre Dame outscored their opponents 285-54 and went 10-0.…
One of these days the world of whiskey is going to stop giving us the embarrassment of riches we’ve become accustomed to, but for now, the train is still rolling along unabated, and it seems like every week we see a new whiskey that we’re falling in love with. As is always the case, we…
It may seem odd for a distillery to label something a “mistake.” Wild Turkey’s Forgiven, a supposedly accidental blend of bourbon and rye, may have started the trend over a decade ago, but since then other happy hiccups have brought us all kinds of different and delightful whiskeys. It made for good marketing back when…
Irish whiskey powerhouse Bushmills has offered a 10-year-old age-stated single malt for decades, but somehow, we’re just now getting around to reviewing it. A snazzy new package refresh in recent years helped bring this oversight to our attention, so without further ado. This is the youngest and simplest of the Bushmills core range, showcasing a…
Redbreast added a 21-year-old to its core, age-stated range in 2013 and followed that lofty offering with an even more luxe 27-year-old in 2020, leaving most cost-conscious fans of the brand (who like numbers on their bottles) with only the entry-level 12-year-old and increasingly expensive 15-year-old expressions to choose from. In September, Redbreast closed that yawning price…
Minnesota-based Keeper’s Heart built its early reputation by blending Irish and American whiskeys, or as the company says, “melding Irish and American whiskey traditions.” They followed up some early attention with several more straightforward releases, including a 10 year old Irish single malt we called “restrained but elegant.” Under the guidance of Brian Nation —…
The Spot Whiskeys introduced a new hue, Gold Spot, back in 2022 in celebration of the 135th anniversary of the Mitchell family’s entrée into the whiskey bonding trade. At the time, it wasn’t clear if that was a line extension for the Irish whiskey heavyweights or just a one-off, but now we know. The Spots…
Exciting things are happening at Clonakilty in County Cork, Ireland, and I recently had a chance to learn about them when I sat down again with Padraic Coll, co-founder of the Clonakilty Distillery, as well as Master Distiller Oisin Mulcahy. Meeting at the Hugh O’Neill’s Pub in Malden, Massachusetts, they informed me that Clonakilty has…
Waterford first established its reputation producing whiskeys made with barley drawn from individual farms in Ireland, creating a brand new whiskey category: “Single Farm Origin.” Then, in 2020, they produced their first blend, Organic Gaia 1.1, and in 2022 The Cuvée. Today we try their newest blend, which their website notes is “the apogee of…
Irish whiskey darling Redbreast now has two different special release ranges delivering periodic additions to the portfolio: the Iberian Series and the American Oak Series. The latter kicked things off in 2023 with Kentucky Oak Edition, a standout debut that saw Redbreast finished in virgin casks made from oak harvested from a single farm in…