World Whiskies: Irish Whiskey

Irish whiskey is also known as ‘uisce betha’, which in Gaelic means ‘water of life’. Once you’ve tried Irish whiskey, you’ll know why it is called that. As a drink certainly worth celebrating, we’re taking a closer look at the history of Irish whiskey and all you need to know to appreciate this fine sip.

What is Irish Whiskey?

As the name gives away – Irish whiskey is whiskey that has been made in Ireland. To be legally classed as Irish whiskey, as well as being made in Ireland, the whiskey has to be distilled to no higher than 94.8% ABV and wood-aged for a minimum of three years.

Typically, Irish whiskey is blended, although some distilleries produce single malts. Traditionally, Irish whiskey was distilled using a pot-distilling method, although now whiskey can be pot-distilled or made using a mixture of column and pot-distilling.

Irish whiskey is matured in a wooden barrel, but there is no set type that must be used for it. Commonly used vessels include Sherry casks, rum barrels, Bourbon barrels and Madeira casks.

The History of Irish Whiskey

The history of whiskey is still a hotly debated topic – particularly the claim of who made whiskey first – the Irish or the Scottish!

However, it is widely believed that it was actually in Ireland that whiskey was first invented. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, whiskey is first mentioned in Ireland in the 17th-century Annals of Clonmacnoise, in which the death of a chieftain in 1405 is attributed to ‘taking a surfeit of aqua vitae’. In Scotland, written evidence of whisky production does not appear until 1494!

Secondly, Ireland is home to the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world. The Old Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland was opened in 1608, and continues to produce whiskey in Ireland to this day!

Growing Popularity of Irish Whiskey

By the 19th-century, Irish whiskey was the most popular alcohol in the world. At its peak, there were 93 distilleries producing whiskey in Ireland. In Dublin alone, ten million gallons of whiskey were produced each year, at this time.

The boom in popularity was in part down to an unfortunate happening in France. During the 19th-century a severe grape blight destroyed many of the vineyards in France, devastating the wine industry. With wine off the menu, the French turned to Irish whiskey, and the drink grew in popularity worldwide.

Decline of the Irish Whiskey Industry

Unfortunately, this boom in business did not last forever. By 1900, there were 23 distilleries operating in Ireland, and by 2000, there were only three. This decrease was largely due to the Irish revolution, as by breaking away from Britain, they lost a lot of their whiskey market. The English largely stopped drinking Irish whiskey, turning instead to Scotch. 

In recent years, we have seen whiskey growing in popularity once again. The industry in Ireland has definitely seen an upturn; as of 2019, there are currently 32 distilleries in operation across Ireland.

Irish Whiskey Vs Scotch

Being fairly close geographically, Irish whiskey and Scotch are often compared to one another. There are several key differences between these two types of whiskey. For one – the spelling of the word! For whiskies made in Ireland, it’s ‘whiskey’ with an ‘e’, whereas Scotch is ‘whisky’, without the ‘e’.

As for the alcohol itself, Irish whiskey is triple-distilled, in comparison to only two distillations for Scotch. Unlike Scotch, Irish whiskey is usually unpeated. Because of these factors, Irish whiskey generally offers a smoother and lighter mouthfeel than its Scottish counterpart.

Another difference is that producers of Irish whiskies are allowed to use added enzymes to help prepare starches for fermentation, but this is not allowed in the production of Scotch.

Popular Irish Whiskey Brands

If you want to try some Irish whiskey for yourself, then you may want to look out for some of these famous Irish whiskey brands!

Bushmills

Established in 1608, Bushmills is the oldest licensed distillery in the world. Distilled at the Old Bushmills Distillery, the whiskey produced here is malty, with hints of apple, dried fruit and mango present in each sip.

Jameson

One of the most famous Irish whiskey brands – if you haven’t tried Jameson before, you’ll have likely seen it on the shelves in your local supermarket.

Jameson was established in 1780 and has since become one of the most popular whiskies around the world. Over 31 million bottles of Jameson whiskey is sold each year, and accounts for 70% of all Irish whiskey sold in America!

Teeling Whiskey

Teeling Whiskey is pretty new to the whiskey world – having only opened in 2015 – making it the first new distillery in Dublin for over 125 years! Despite this, they’ve certainly made an impression, having racked up a number of awards, including the ‘World’s Best Single Malt’ award at the 2019 World Whiskies Awards.

Tullamore D.E.W.

Tullamore D.E.W. is the second-most popular whiskey from Ireland, selling around 11.5 million bottles a year. The Tullamore distillery first opened back in 1829. The brand gained the initials D.E.W. from Daniel E. Williams, the former manager and owner of the original Tullamore Distillery.

Whiskies from this brand are described as having hints of biscuit, apple, honeysuckle and mango present in each sip.

If you would like to try Irish whiskey, then here at Havana House we have a wonderful selection of bottles from top distilleries in Ireland, including the Teeling Whiskey Single Malt. Browse our range of whiskies and find one to add to your collection!