Irish whiskey is made from malted barley, distilled two or three times depending on the brand, and aged three or more years in used wooden barrels. It can only be made in Ireland and is the only whiskey the country makes. Ireland has four operating distilleries:
- New Midleton Distillery in County Cork produces Jameson, Powers, Paddy, Midleton, Redbreast, and Tullamore Dew.
- Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim produces Bushmills Original, Black Bush, Bushmills 10-, 16-, and 21-year, and Bushmills 1608.
- Cooley Distillery in County Louth produces Kilbeggan, Greenore, Connemara, Tyrconnel, and Michael Collins.
- Killbeggan Distillery in County Westmeath reopened in 2007; products will be available in 2012.
Crotty’s Pub, Market Square, Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland
The taste of Irish whiskey ranges from mild and mellow to strong and very bold. Paddy, Powers, Bushmills Original, and Tullamore Dew are soft, smooth, spicy, and sweet with a definite grainy taste. Bushmills Original is the oldest whiskey in Irish history. Tullamore Dew is the second highest selling Irish whiskey in the world. With the exception of Paddy, which is difficult to find, these brands are in a modest $20-$40 price range and are a good starting point for experiencing Irish whiskey.
Redbreast, Black Bush, and Bushmills 10-year are stronger, full-flavored whiskeys with definite hints of fruits, nuts, and spices for those with finely tuned palates. Redbreast is a pot still whiskey, Black Bush is a blend, and Bushmills 10-year is a single malt. All are in the $30-$60 range. Those who like hefty bourbons like Wild Turkey 101 and Makers Mark will appreciate in these.
Michael Collins (single malt) and Connemara are Irish whiskeys made with barley dried over a peat fire to give them a smoky flavor. Scotch drinkers fond of such a taste will find Michael Collins pleasing, though adding a single ice cube will dampen the smoke and reveal more of the whiskey taste. It sells at about $50. Smoke is so overpowering in Connemara that it would take a glacier to calm it down. At $75 a bottle, proceed with caution.
Bushmills 16-year is a single malt whiskey aged in used bourbon, then sherry, then port containers. The resulting whiskey has gratifying depth, balance, and complexity and can be savored with unrestrained joy. Bushmills 1608 was produced only in 2008 to mark the 400th anniversary of granting of Bushmills’ license to distill in 1608. This blended whiskey is uncommonly smooth and has the most rapturous, ascended-into-heaven flavor of all Bushmills products. Bushmills 16-year is priced at about $90; Bushmills 1608 grows harder to find each year and now sells at $100 or more.
Jameson, Midleton, and Bushmills 21-year have robust, powerful flavors that seem harsh to some, bold and satisfying to others. Jameson is modestly priced at around $25 and, at more than 20 million bottles a year, is the highest selling Irish whiskey in the world. It has a distinct burn when taken straight but is excellent in mixed drinks, especially Irish Coffee. Midleton, aged 25-27 years, and Bushmills 21-year sell in the $135 range. Both have flavors so forceful and complicated it would take most of an evening, and the bottle, to identify them. They should be taken only straight; diluting them with anything is unforgivable.
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“Give an Irishman lager for a month and he’s a dead man. An Irishman is lined with copper and the beer corrodes it. But whiskey polishes the copper and is the saving of him.” — Mark Twain
“The light music of whiskey falling into a glass — an agreeable interlude.” — James Joyce
“What whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for.” — Irish proverb
“Scotch is Irish whiskey filtered through dirt.” — Guy Leonard, certified as an Irish whiskey taster after correctly identifying 22 different brands in a blind tasting in Dublin.
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Photo by Guy Leonard, May 2012