All About Irish Whiskey

One of the oldest spirits in Europe, Irish whiskey has been made since the 6th century.

Among the first written references to whiskey occurs in the 1405 Irish Annals of Clonmacnoise, which states that a chieftain died after “taking a surfeit of aqua vitae.” Aqua vitae, meaning “water of life,” is the Latin translation of the Irish uisce beatha, which was eventually anglicised to become the word “whiskey.”

Irish whiskey is known for being highly drinkable, and typically more accessible than Scotch both in terms of price and flavour. Sweet and smooth, Irish whiskey is one of the most popular spirits on the market today.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF IRISH WHISKEY

The deepest roots of distilling in Ireland have largely been lost to history. It is known that the first licence to distil whiskey was granted to Bushmills by the British Crown in 1608. Jameson, currently the world’s biggest producer of Irish whiskey, dates back to 1780. Long before that, rural farmers turned excess grain into alcohol, a drink known as poitín (pronounced potch-een), which translates to ‘small pot’ in English. Despite British attempts to control and tax production, poitín production continued for centuries. A clear distinction was drawn between parliament whiskey (legal and taxable) and poitín (illegal and clandestine).

Over the centuries, Irish whiskey continued to grow in popularity, and by the turn of the 20th century was the most popular spirit in Great Britain, as well as a top choice in America. Industrialization and steam power brought about bigger stills and greater production, and by 1840 there were 86 distilleries in business.

Irish whiskey would tumble off its pedestal beginning in 1916. Seeking independence from England, the Irish initiated the Easter Rising, followed by the Irish War of Independence, which took place from 1919-1921. The British crown retaliated by implementing a blockade on Irish imports domestically and in their colonies, collapsing key markets for Irish whiskey overnight. Ireland’s second major market, America, would implement Prohibition in 1920, doubly cratering demand for whiskey. Because Scotland remained at peace with England, Scotch exports were not curtailed and grew to fill the gap in the whiskey market. By the time Prohibition was overturned in 1933, the Irish whiskey industry was in tatters.

Only recently has the Irish whiskey sector begun to reclaim a global market share. In the 1960s, the three biggest names in the business – Powers, Jameson and Cork Distilleries Company – came together to form a coalition to boost their products. Closed distilleries have begun to reopen, and smaller start-ups have entered the market, eager to experiment with new ideas and techniques. Today, over 40 distilleries are in operation.

WHAT MAKES IT IRISH WHISKEY?

Broadly speaking, the rules governing the production of Irish whiskey are looser than those for Scotch or Bourbon. The non-negotiables are that the spirit:

• Must have been distilled in Ireland or Northern Ireland
• Was barrel-aged in a new or reused wooden cask such as oak for a minimum of three years
• Has been double or triple distilled.
• Cannot exceed 94.8% ABV (alcohol by volume)
• Must be made only from water and cereal grains (e.g. barley, wheat, rye and/or corn)

TO E OR NOT TO E

Irish whiskey is most commonly compared to its more famous sibling, Scotch whisky. If you read that sentence again, you might notice that “whisk(e)y” is spelled differently for each. It is thought that the extra “e” was added in the 19th century to differentiate Irish whiskey from Scotch during a great surge of popularity for the former. At the time, Ireland was responsible for 60% of the world’s supply of whiskey production, and was seen as being at the forefront of quality.

HOW IS IRISH WHISKEY MADE?

Malting: First, barley is soaked in water and allowed to germinate, unlocking enzymes which will convert the grain’s starches into fermentable sugar. After germination, the grain is then dried to stop this process from continuing. At this point, the grain is considered to be “malted” and is ground into a coarse flour. A key difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch is that Irish distillers customarily mix unmalted barley in with their malted barley when making spirits. This practice was the result of a 1795 tax on malted barley, which inspired distillers to experiment with new formulations in a bid to save money.

Mashing and Fermentation: The malted barley is mixed with hot water to extract fermentable sugars. This creates a sugary liquid known as “wort.” Yeast is added to the wort, and fermentation begins. Over a period of 2-4 days, the yeast feeds on the sugar and converts it into alcohol, producing a “wash” with a low alcohol content (around 6-10%).

Distillation: The wash is distilled two to three times. Each distillation increases the alcohol content while also lightening and refining the flavour. Fans of Irish whiskey typically point to the triple distillation as being what sets it apart from other whiskies and gives it its signature smooth character, but the truth is that not all Irish whiskies are triple distilled, and there are other whiskies around the world that use triple distillation.

Ireland uses two main types of distillation, batch distillation in pot stills (resulting in malt and pot still whiskey) and column still distillation (resulting in grain whiskey, the majority of which ends up in blends). Pot stills create a more robust and flavourful spirit, while column stills produce a more delicate brew.

Ageing: After distillation, the raw whiskey is placed in wooden barrels for ageing. Up to 70% of a whiskey’s flavour comes from the barrels it ages in. It must be aged for at least three years, though many Irish whiskeys are aged for much longer. Ireland places no restrictions on what sort of barrels are used, but the majority used today are ex-American whiskey casks.

Blending (Optional): Most Irish whiskies are blended, meaning they are made from a combination of pot still whiskey, grain whiskey, and occasionally malt whiskey to achieve a balanced flavour profile. Master blenders are able to craft specific flavour profiles designed to appeal to specific palates, while also maintaining consistency between batches.

Bottling: After ageing, the whiskey is filtered, diluted with water to reach the desired alcohol by volume (a minimum of 40%), and then bottled. Ireland allows the addition of caramel colour.

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