Because the majority of Irish whiskies are triple distilled and made from a variety of grains, they tend to be lighter in taste when compared to the average Scotch or bourbon. Furthermore, Irish distilleries almost never incorporate peat during production, which means the spirit is usually absent of any smoky elements. Generally speaking, Irish whiskeys are smooth, grainy, a little nutty, and a little sweet. How Man of Many Chose the Best Irish Whiskeys Wondrich, David (January 2014). "Why you're drinking Irish whiskey all of a sudden". Esquire . Retrieved 27 May 2014. New Midleton Distillery, County Cork (est. 1975) – produces Jameson, Powers, Paddy, Midleton, Redbreast, and others, including the independently sold Green Spot. Owned by Pernod Ricard since 1988 The primary difference between Scotch and Irish whiskey is geography: Scotch can only be made in Scotland, and Irish whiskey can only be made in Ireland (encompassing both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). Of course, there’s also the spelling of the word. Irish whiskey is spelled with an “e,” while the Scots leave the “e” out and call it whisky. Aside from those two identifiers, there’s little official difference between the two categories, though you’ll certainly see stylistic distinctions. Scotch is often (but not always) peated, leaving it with a smoky flavor and aroma. Irish whiskey, on the other hand, is typically very bright and crisp, but as always, there are exceptions.

New €10m distillery founded by local farming family opens in west Cork". Irish Independent. 4 March 2019. subject to the maturation of the final distillate for at least three years in wooden casks, such as oak, not exceeding 700 litres (185 USgal; 154 impgal) capacity There's whiskey in the Mournes.... Killowen distillery". BusinessFirstOnline.co.uk. 6 February 2019 . Retrieved 26 May 2019. Our Spirits". connachtwhiskey.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017 . Retrieved 12 January 2017.

The signature, entry-level release from independent bottler Knappogue Castle is triple distilled in copper pot stills for a bright, clean start, then aged in bourbon casks for 12 years. The result is a platonic ideal of an Irish whiskey: incredibly sippable yet nuanced with layered flavors of apples and cinnamon toast. If you’re a whisky lover, you’ll no doubt be interested in adding a selection of fine Irish whiskies to your collection. While Scotland is now the world’s largest whisky producer, Ireland held this title up until the mid-20 th century. While the Irish whisky industry plummeted around this time, it’s recently been enjoying a resurgence and is now home to over 30 distilleries. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, around 1,000 registered distilleries opened and closed across Ireland– with multiples of this number operating illegally. [19] Most of these have disappeared without a trace, only to be remembered by local street names e.g. Bond Street in Dublin. For instance, the excise return for 1800 lists 40 distilleries operating in Dublin city alone, while Drogheda is estimated to have had 15 distilleries in the 1780s, with as many as ten operating in Cork city in the 19th century. [19] Of these numerous ventures, only one, Bushmills, has remained in continuous operation until the present day. However, the Kilbeggan Distillery (est. 1757) which closed in 1954, reopened in recent years, while a new distillery was constructed in Tullamore to replace an existing distillery which also closed in 1954. Some of the notable distilleries previously in operation across Ireland are listed below. [19] Expect a good body with notes of sherried peels, honey, grains and vanilla cream with a caramel and a toffee finish. Baoilleach Distillery, County Donegal (est. 2019) – produces gin and poitín, will start production of whiskey in early 2022.

Greeley, Brendan (16 May 2014). "Teeling Irish Whiskey's Pots O' Gold". Bloomberg . Retrieved 12 January 2017– via Bloomberg.com. Boatyard Distillery, County Fermanagh (est. 2016) – currently produces gin and vodka, whiskey is maturing.Lees, Frederic Richard (1864). The Condensed Argument for the Legislative Prohibition of the Liquor Traffic. United Kingdom: J. Caudwell. p.54. While we have divested from our own distillery, it is a significant milestone in our whiskey journey. Although known to have occurred for hundreds of years, records of whiskey production in Ireland can be difficult to come by, particularly in the earlier years when production was unregulated. Even in later years, as production was frequently illicit, official records bear little resemblance to reality. [7] In addition, as many Irish records were traditionally oral rather than written, details on early production are likely lost. [7] Deegan, Gordon (9 May 2015). "Contentious plans for Burren distillery get go-ahead". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 17 August 2018. In addition, work began on a further distillery, the Quiet Man Craft Distillery, in Derry in 2017. However, the project was subsequently cancelled in late November 2018. [79] [80] Historical distilleries [ edit ] Kilbeggan Distillery, pictured here c. 1905 was just one of many Irish distilleries which closed in the 20th century.

a b c d e f g O'Connor, Fionnán (2015). A Glass Apart: Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey. Images Publishing. ISBN 978-1864705492. The issue came to a head in 1908, when a royal commission was appointed to investigate the issue. By this point, 60% of all whiskey produced in Britain and Ireland was made in Coffey stills. [26] In 1909, the royal commission settled the argument, declaring that whiskey could refer to the output of either Coffey or pot stills. [26] By comparison, a similar debate occurred in France, such that under French law, Cognac must be double-distilled in pot stills, [27] [28] whereas Coffey stills are permissible in the production of armagnac. Mayo distiller set to launch first whiskey of the west". Sunday business Post. 30 May 2021. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021 . Retrieved 3 June 2021. Unlike traditional pot stills, which were operated in a batch manner, Coffey stills could be operated continuously. This made them cheaper to operate, as they required less fuel, and more efficient to run, producing a continuous, rapid output of spirit. In addition, because technically, continuous distillation entails the conduct of a series of distillation runs in sequence internally within a self-contained unit rather than the conduct of a single distillation within a pot still, Coffey stills were capable of producing a far higher strength output than pot stills. However, this advantage also came with a downside. As a consequence of increasing the alcohol concentration in the product, Coffey stills removed some of the other volatile components responsible for flavour. [18] As a result, their use proved extremely controversial when first introduced.

Irish Whiskey

According to the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980, Irish whiskey must be made from a mash of malted barley along with other optional cereal grains. It is then fermented and distilled to 94.8 percent ABV at most and aged in wooden casks for a minimum of three years. Irish whiskey can be distilled in a pot still or a column still. It can be blended or sold as a single malt—coming from only one distillery. a b "The Royal Commission on Whisky and Other Potable Spirits". The British Medical Journal. 2 (2537): 399–404. 1909. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.2537.399. PMC 2320549. PMID 20764620.