Irish whisky

History

Irish monks were already distilling in the Middle Ages, and Bushmills boasts of a 1608 licence for the area. In the 19th century Ireland was one of the world’s largest whisky producers, and the big Dublin distilleries exported all over the British Empire. But they rejected the continuous still, patented by an Irishman, Aeneas Coffey, and lost ground to Scotch blends. Independence, the trade war with the United Kingdom and American Prohibition did the rest: by the 1970s only two distilleries were left, Midleton and Bushmills. From the end of the 1980s, first Cooley and then many others brought variety back to the country.

What the law says

Irish whiskey must be distilled and matured on the island of Ireland, in wooden casks, for at least three years, and bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV. The law recognises four categories: malt, grain, blended and pot still. The last is unique to Ireland: it combines malted and unmalted barley and is distilled in traditional copper pot stills. As in Scotland, the stated age is that of the youngest whiskey.

Style and flavour

The Irish style tends to be smooth, fruity and rounded. Many distilleries distil three times, which gives a light spirit, and almost never use peat, with exceptions such as Connemara. Single pot still, made with unmalted barley, brings a creamy texture and spice, as in Redbreast or Green Spot. Blends such as Jameson or Tullamore D.E.W. are the best sellers and combine that fruit with the smoothness of grain.

Where to start

Jameson is the best-known way in: smooth, with vanilla and fruit. If you want to go a step further, Redbreast 12 Year Old is the pot still benchmark, creamy and spicy, and Green Spot offers a similar, fresher style. For a single malt, Bushmills 10 Year Old is light, clean and fruity.

• JamesonBlend · 40% ABV
• Redbreast 12 Year OldSingle pot still · 40% ABV
• Bushmills 10 Year Old Single MaltSingle malt · 40% ABV