Guide to Irish whiskey

Irish whiskey is distinctive from its Scottish cousin and has been made in Ireland for hundreds of years. There are several types of whiskey common to Ireland: Single Malt, Single Grain, Pure Pot Still and Blended Whiskey. The word whiskey is an Anglicisation of the ancient Gaelic term "uisce beatha" which translates as "water of life". It isn't just the spelling that gives Irish Whiskey its distinction - it has a very different flavour and the brewing process does differ.

Although it is similar to Scotch whisky in that it was distilled primarily from barley, traditional Irish whiskey is distilled from a mash of mixed malted and unmalted grains (referred to as "pure pot-still" whiskey) whereas Scotch is either distilled exclusively from malted grain or from unmalted grain. That brewed from unmalted grain is generally then mixed with malt whisky to create blended whisky. Most Irish whiskey is blended from a mixture of pot still whiskey and cheaper grain whiskey.

The most common myth is that most Irish whiskey is distilled three times, unlike Scotch Whisky and that this is the main distinction between the two varieties. Irish whiskey also differs in that peat is almost never used in the malting process, so the smoky, earthy overtones common to Scotches are not present. There are notable exceptions to these rules in both countries; Connemara Peated Irish Malt (double distilled) whiskey from the independent Cooley Distillery in Co. Louth is one of those exceptions.

Whereas there are nearly one hundred Scotch Whisky distilleries all over Scotland and the Scottish Isles, there are actually only a handful of Irish distilleries producing a range of Irish Whiskey. Irish Whiskey comes in several varieties including single malt whiskey, which is made from 100% malted barley distilled in a pot still, and grain whiskey made from grains distilled in a column still. Grain whiskey is much lighter (both in colour and flavour) than single malt and is rarely bottled as a single grain. It is more commonly used to blend with single malt to produce a lighter blended whiskey.

‘Pure pot still' whiskey is unique to Irish whiskey. While single malt from both Scotland and Ireland is distilled only in a pot still, the designation ‘pure pot still' refers to Irish Whiskey that is made from 100% barley (mixed malted and unmalted) and distilled in a pot still. The ‘green' unmalted barley gives the traditional pure pot still whiskey a spicy, uniquely Irish flavour. Similar to single malt, pure pot still is sold as a specific classification of whiskey. It can also be blended with grain whiskey. Usually no real distinction is made between whether a blended whiskey was made from single malt or pure pot still. Only Redbreast, Green Spot and some premium Jameson brands are regarded as pure pot still whiskies.

The more common Irish Whiskeys such as Jamesons, Paddys, Bushmills Original and Millars Special Reserve are readily available from most good spirit retailers, but some of the rarer varieties can be difficult to locate outside their native Ireland. However the Internet has given Irish Whiskey lovers access to some of the more exotic blends and pure pot still whiskeys, including limited editions such as Kilbeggan 15 Year Old, which was launched to mark the restart of distilling at the Kilbeggan distillery and was recently voted Best Blended Irish Whiskey at the World Whisky Awards.

Irish Whiskey makes a wonderful gift for a special occasion or as an exclusive business gift and continues to grow in popularity amongst whisky drinkers all over the world.