Popular brands: Old Bushmills, Jameson, Tullamore D.E.W.
Popular brands: Old Bushmills, Jameson, Tullamore D.E.W.
Most experts agree that Irish whiskey was developed before Scotch whisky, likely in the 1400s. Irish whiskey is made from a fermented mash of malted and unmalted barley, corn, rye, and lesser amounts of other cereal grains.
Scotch whisky malt is dried over an open peat fire and often tastes smoky. Irish whiskey malt is dried in closed kilns, so it does not have that smoky character.
All Irish whiskey is distilled three times in copper pot stills. Most brands are aged between three and nine years in oak barrels previously used for sherry, brandy, bourbon, or rum.
Irish whiskey remains a small but growing category in the United States—historically less than 1% of distilled spirit sales.
In 1608, King James I granted Sir Thomas Phillips the world’s first licensed distillery. It is still operational as Old Bushmills.
Irish Coffee
A popular serve:
- coffee
- brown sugar
- 1.5 ounces of Irish whiskey
- whipped cream on top
Irish Cream Liqueurs
Irish cream liqueurs are a popular related subcategory. Bailey’s Irish Cream was first in this group, developed in 1979.