Irish Whiskey is whiskey made in either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. It was once the most popular whiskey in the world, but a long period of decline opened the doors for other whiskies to grow in popularity. Since the 1990s, Irish whiskey has seen a resurgence in popularity and has been the fastest growing whiskey in the world every year since 1990.
To qualify as an Irish whiskey, the following requirements must be met:
- Be distilled and matured in either Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland from a mash of malted cereals with or without whole grains of other cereals.
- Retain the color, aroma and taste derived from the production process referred to above
- Have a minimum ABV (Alcoholic by volume) content of 40%
- Distilled at an alcoholic strength of less than 94.8% ABV in such a way that the distillate has an aroma and taste derived from the materials used and only plain water and caramel color is added to it
There are also individual technical specifications for the three varieties of Irish whiskey:
- Single Pot Still
- Single malt and
- Single grain
The word “Single” in the terms above refers to the fact that the whisky was distilled at a single distillery.
Single pot still whiskey
This is a whiskey that is made from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley completely distilled in a pot still within a single distillery. Single pot still differs from single malt whiskey through the use of unmalted barley used in the mash bill. Single pot whiskeys were the most common style of Irish whiskey until the emergence of blends in the 20th century.
Single Malt Irish whiskey
Whiskeys made entirely from malted barley distilled in a pot still within a single distillery are referred to as single malt whiskeys, a style also very commonly associated with Scotch whisky. These may be double or triple distilled.
Grain Whiskey
Grain whiskey is whiskey that is continuously distilled from a Coffey still rather than a pot still. This may be produced from a variety of grains. These whiskies are lighter and more neutral in taste, however the vast majority of grain whiskey is used to make blended whiskey, a product made by mixing column still product with richer and more intense pot still product.
Blended Whiskey
Blended whiskies are whiskies that are mixtures of 2 or more of any of the above styles. Regardless of whether the blended whiskey is made from combining grain whiskey with either single malt whiskey or with single pot still whiskey or both, it is labeled with the same terminology. Blended whiskeys are now the most common style of both Irish and Scotch whiskeys.
For beginners
Irish whiskey has a smoother finish as opposed to the smoky, earthy overtones common to Scotch whisky. The taste of Scotch whisky comes from the drying of the malted barley using peat smoke. That’s why they say a Scotch tastes peaty.
If you are new to whiskey, chances are you will enjoy an Irish whiskey more than a Scotch whisky. In layman’s terms, the smoother finish of the Irish whiskey doesn’t “burn” your tongue like a Scotch. So it feels softer in your mouth compared to a Scotch. That’s why I always recommend people new to whiskey to start with Irish whiskies. It is generally easier to enjoy neat or on the rocks compared to Scotch whiskies or Bourbons. Once you get used to that, you can explore other types of whiskies and appreciate it a bit more as well.
That’s how I started and recommend others to do as well. Even “cheaper” Irish whiskey like Jameson is smooth enough for a beginner to drink neat or on the rocks.
- Jameson Caskmates: Triple-distilled, blended Irish whiskey that has been finished in Irish craft IPA-seasoned barrels.
- Jameson Select Reserve: Triple distilled blend of rich pot still and grain whiskey that is matured in a mixture of sherry casks and bourbon barrels. However, unlike the rest of the Jameson range, the bourbon barrels undergo an additional charring.
- Bushmills 10 year old: this 10 year old single malt is triple distilled in copper pot stills from 100% malted barley. Matured for a minimum of 10 years in bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks.
- Teeling Single Grain: Made using 95% corn and 5% malted barley that has been triple distilled in column stills and matured exclusively in French oak ex-Cabernet Sauvignon red wine casks from California. Non-chillfiltered.
- Green Spot: This no-age-statement (NAS) whiskey was once only available in Dublin. The name comes from a practice of marking different ages of maturing barrels of whiskey with a dab of paint. Approximately a quarter of the whisky was matured in ex-sherry casks. Bottled at 46%.
Conclusion
In my personal opinion, Irish whiskey is the best place to start for most people new to whiskey. That's where I started and it still is one of my favorite whiskey categories. Even the cheaper Irish whiskies are smooth and easy to drink.
One of my favorite bottles to carry with me in my Leather Whiskey Carrier is a bottle of Jameson Caskmates. The Leather Whiskey Carrier makes it convenient to take your favorite bottle of whiskey and 4 glasses wherever you go.
