Irish Whiskey

When most people hear the words "Irish Whiskey," they think of Jameson's or Bushmills. That's a start, what they should be thinking about is a pot still. Pot still whiskey, the traditional way of making Irish whiskey, is made from a mix of malted and unmalted barley (the mix details is a distillery trade secret) that's distilled in a pot still. It's a uniquely Irish method of distilling. Irish pure pot still whiskey is a single, unblended small-batch whiskey. The "Pure" indicates that it was produced by using only barley, no other grain, and using a mixture of malted and unmalted barley, and distilled in a pot still. The use of the unmalted or "green" barley gives the pure pot still Irish whiskey a characteristic "peppery" quality that some have compared to the peppery quality of pure American rye. Redbreast, Green Spot (which is exceedingly limited in quantity and distribution), and some premium Jameson brands are pure pot still whiskies, and only Midleton produces pure pot still Irish.

The traditional Irish equivalent of moonshine, Poitín or Poteen, sometimes written Potcheen by Yanks, is named for the small pot that's used in distilling. Poitín is so closely identified with Ireland and Irish culture that in 2008, Irish Poitín was accorded Geographical Indicative Status by the European Union. This is no small thing; it has a lot to do with the fact that two small Irish distilleries, Knockeen Hills, and Bunratty, are officially licensed to produce Poitín (though I note, neither approach the ABV of "the good stuff, the cratur," immortalized by the band Silly Wizard in "The Humours of Whiskey."

Commercial Irish "Single Malt," unblended Irish whiskey is distinguished from Scottish Single Malts in several respects, most notably, that it is distilled three times in a pot still, whereas most Scottish Whisky is distilled once. In addition, peat is not usually used in the malting process in Ireland. These two factors do make a difference to the taste, and general texture of Irish whiskeys. Currently, Ireland has only four distilleries, each of which produce a variety of whiskeys. Two of them, Cooley Distillery and Kilbeggan Distillery, both owned by Cooley are still Irish-owned; the others are owned by international conglomerates. Middlton Distillery, which produces Jameson, Powers, Paddy, Midleton, Redbreast, and a few smaller lines like Green Spot, is owned by the Pernod-Ricard group. Old Bushmills Distillery, which produces Bushmills, Black Bush and lines associated with them was purchased as part of the Irish Distillers group by international conglomerate Diageo.

Irish blended whiskey is much easier to find; Black Bush, Bushmills Original, Clontarf, Inishowen, Jameson, Kilbeggan, Locke's Blend, Midleton Very Rare, Millars, Paddy, Powers, and Tullamore Dew are all blended Irish. Black Bush, Bushmills Original, Jameson, Midleton, and Tullamore Dew are the easiest to find in the U. S., though it's worth keeping your eyes out just in case. It's important to note that if there's a year after the name, like Bushmills 12, it's an aged single Malt, and not a blend.