If you’ve been itching to jump into the world of Irish whiskey, St. Patrick’s Day is the time, and we’re here to help you on the journey. To start, let’s define what makes Irish whiskey unique from similar liqours, such as Scotch: Irish whiskey must be made in either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland, be matured in wooden barrels (mostly oak) for at least three years, and be bottled at no less than 40% alcohol by volume. It’s also often triple distilled, which helps produce its famously smooth drinking experience.
From there, we can break down Irish whiskey into several categories based on the type of grains used, the distilling methods, and whether the final product is blended or not. Pot still whiskey, unique to Ireland, uses both malted and unmalted barley and is distilled in smaller copper pot stills rather than large column stills. If it’s produced at a single distillery, it’s called single pot still Irish whiskey. Single malt Irish whiskey is produced at a single distillery using only malted barley and is mostly distilled using pot stills. Irish grain whiskey includes malted barley and other grains, such as corn or rye. Finally, there’s the best-selling category of blended Irish whiskey, which includes a mixture of the aforementioned styles. Now let’s explore some must-know whiskey brands such as Bushmills and Jameson, and others you might not be as familiar with.
Bushmills is the oldest whiskey distillery in the world
Bushmills is a great place to start on your Irish whiskey journey since it offers a wide range of price points, flavor profiles, and some striking limited releases. The Bushmills distillery is located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It’s considered the oldest whiskey distillery in the world with roots stretching back to the 17th century. With that kind of pedigree it’s not surprising the distillery produces exceptional whiskey.
While the Bushmills Original is a blend of grain whiskey mixed with a high percentage of single malt, the 10-year-old single malt is the place to start exploring the distillery’s sipping whiskeys (although it still makes a spectacular cocktail base). Aged in bourbon barrels and finished in oloroso sherry casks, this whiskey is very approachable with tasting notes of apple, mango, vanilla, and warming spices. It also has an exceedingly smooth finish and comes in around $50. From there, Bushmills offers single malts that have been aged as long as 30 years and unique limited releases, including a 12-year-old single malt finished in tequila casks.
Jameson is the best-selling Irish whiskey globally
Jameson is among the most popular Irish whiskeys — and the best-selling Irish whiskey around the world. Founded in Dublin in 1780, it’s now produced in Midleton, County Cork. The original version is a blend of pot still and grain whiskey aged in bourbon barrels and Spanish fortified wine casks at its distillery. The resulting whiskey is a smooth pour with tasting notes of caramel, vanilla, and hints of sherry. It makes for a fantastic mixed drink known as a Jamo and ginger when combined with ginger ale (or ginger beer) and finished with a squeeze of lime.
Jamison offers a plethora of other products suited for sipping, including its Caskmates line finished in beer barrels such as stout and IPA. There’s also the Triple Triple, which gets a third maturing in Malaga casks after first aging in bourbon barrels and sherry casks. Jameson also offers high-end expressions of its whiskey, including 18-year-old and 21-year-old bottles.
Redbreast focuses on a uniquely Irish-style whiskey
Redbreast has a complex and interesting history with deep ties to Jameson that starts in the 19th century, although it didn’t get its iconic name until the early 1900s. The whiskey was originally sourced from the same distillery in Dublin that produced Jameson. Today, it’s owned by Pernod Ricard, which also owns Jameson, and both are produced in Midleton Distillery. But that’s where the similarities end.
Redbreast only produces single pot still whiskey. As mentioned, this is considered a purely Irish style. The brand calls itself “a living legacy” and it’s not mere hyperbole. Redbreast was one of only a few distilleries that continued to make single pot still whiskey rather than the more popular blended whiskeys. Redbreast 12-year-old, the youngest expression the brand produces, comes in at around $60. That said, it’s worth the money: It’s full-bodied, complex, and includes tasting notes of citrus, nuts, and sherry. From there, Redbreast’s offerings only get more complex and tasty with 15-, 21-, and 27-year-old whiskeys, among other offerings.
Walsh Whiskey is young but racking up awards
Having launched in 1999, Walsh Whiskey is a relative newcomer in a field full of history-laden distilleries. Perhaps its youth helps explain the brand’s ability to straddle time-honored tradition with innovative ideas, causing it to rack up a lot of awards in a short period of time. Its two brands are Writers’ Tears and The Irishman, which they produce at the Midleton Distillery in Cork.
Writers’ Tears Copper Pot is a great place to start and it comes in at around $40. It’s a unique blend of single malt and pot still whiskeys that’s aged in American bourbon barrels. The resulting whiskey is smooth and balanced and includes tasting notes of orchard fruit and malt. The other iterations of Writers’ Tears include a single pot still, a double-oaked whiskey, and such uncommon limited releases as a whiskey finished in ice wine casks.
As for The Irishman, its single malt is a great sipper that’s won a slew of awards. It starts with malted Irish barley before it’s triple distilled and aged in bourbon barrels and sherry casks. It comes in around $50 and is more than worth the price. From there, The Irishman has 12-year-old and 18-year-old expressions, and one finished in rum casks.
Mitchell & Son sticks to higher-end whiskey
Mitchell & Son, Ireland’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, began producing its whiskey using Jameson as its base — like Redbreast — back in the 1880s. As the whiskey matured in wine, port, and sherry barrels, the Mitchell family would daub a specific color of paint on each to distinguish how long each cask would be aged. The unusual procedure gave birth to the product’s name: Spot Whiskey. Today, Mitchell & Son produces a range of single pot still whiskeys in tandem with Pernod Ricard at the Midleton Distillery in County Cork.
Green Spot is the best known of the Spot Whiskey line. It’s produced from a blend of whiskeys distilled in pot stills and aged in bourbon barrels and sherry casks for seven to 10 years. The whiskey has hints of citrus, cloves, green apples, and oak. Green Spot is the entry-level of the Spot Whiskeys and runs you around $60. Beyond this, there’s a nice range that includes the seven-year-old Blue Spot, the 12-year-old Yellow Spot, and the 15-year-old Red Spot.
Tullamore D.E.W. makes lighter, reasonably priced whiskeys
With a history stretching back to 1829, Tullamore D.E.W. (the initials stand for distiller Daniel Edmund Williams) continues to produce exceptionally smooth and light-bodied whiskey. Based in Tullamore, County Offaly, Tullamore D.E.W. is owned by William Grant & Sons and is the second-best-selling Irish whiskey in the world behind Jameson.
Tullamore D.E.W. is a blended whiskey made from pot still, malt, and grain whiskey that’s triple distilled and triple casked. While the original makes for a great cocktail, the roughly $60 12-year-old is a wonderful sipping whiskey with a light, crisp mouthfeel and notes of vanilla and spice. The 18-year-old version at around $100 is a single malt and is a great value when compared to other Irish whiskeys of the same age. We’ve only touched on the many staggeringly great Irish whiskeys out there, but there are some real clunkers as well. For instance, Proper Twelve made our list of the worst whiskeys. Still, the Irish tend to have it dialed in for crafting smooth, complex, and often surprising whiskeys. Sláinte!
