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Whiskey distilling in Ireland probably dates back longer than 800 years, and many believe that the art of distilling was spread through Europe by Irish missionary monks. The oldest surviving distillery is the Old Bushmills, which was granted its license in 1608 by King James I. Only four distilleries operate in Ireland today, but at the turn of the 19^th century, between 1200 and 2000 (legal and illegal) distilleries were in operation.

Triple Distillation

Most Irish whiskeys are distilled three times, as opposed to twice, like Scotches. The Irish whiskeys also use little or no peat, so you don’t get the harsh smokiness you find in a lot of scotches. Irish whiskey tends to be smoother, with a cleaner taste than Scotch. There are, of course, exceptions to these rules on both sides, but it’s a good rule of thumb.

Pure Pot Still

Pure pot still whiskey is a distillation style unique to Ireland. It is made from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley distilled in a pot still. It used to be widespread, but today the only examples are Redbreast and Green Spot. However, it is not a legally protected term, so some single malt whiskeys are labeled pot still, even though they do not use any unmalted barley.

The Distilleries

The New Midleton Distillery produces Jameson, Paddy, Powers, Midleton, Redbreast and Green Spot (the Green Spot is produced specifically for Mitchell & Son of Dublin and is not generally available outside that city). Old Bushmills Distillery produces all the Bushmills, Black Bush, and 1608. Cooley Distillery produces Connemara, some Knappogues, Michael Collins and Tyrconnell. In 2007, Kilbeggan Distillery was reopened by Cooley and began to produce “The Spirit of Kilbeggan.” Only these last two distilleries are Irish-owned; Pernod-Ricard owns New Midleton and Diageo owns Old Bushmills.