The whiskey market in Ireland is increasing at the highest rate in the world. Following the rebirth of Jameson by Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers, its popularity started to rise again after a lengthy period of stagnation. People all over the globe have been reintroduced to shop Irish whiskey as a result of the enormous success of this one whiskey brand. As a result, the artisan distilling industry has seen a resurgence, with more than 30 distilleries and several independent bottlers currently actively making whiskey.
As in whiskey, Irish whiskey is often spelled with the letter E. Scotch whiskey is referred to as whisky without an E, whereas single malt is referred to as single malt scotch.
However, there is a small but significant number of Irish distillers that are deciding to delete the E from their labels. Blackwater Distillery and Waterford Distillery are two of the distilleries.
History of Irish Whiskey
The oldest whiskey type in the world is Irish whiskey. Uisce Beatha, the Irish Gaelic for the water of life, is the origin of the name whiskey. At the Annals of Clonmacnoise, an old manuscript unearthed in the Monastery of Clonmacnoise in County Offaly, whiskey is mentioned for the first time in 1405. While it is possible that whiskey was created before to this written record, this is the oldest formal mention of it. Nearly 90 years later, in 1494, a written record of the event is reported to have been found in Scotland.
Whiskey from Ireland was the world’s most popular category in the nineteenth century, with a focus on American consumers. Its smooth and nuanced flavor was due in large part to the use of pot stills, triple distillation, and other high manufacturing standards. Prohibition in the United States and Irish independence at home, among other factors, made it difficult for Irish distilleries to continue operations. There were just a few distilleries remaining by the middle of the twentieth century.
Irish whiskey was in danger of extinction by the late 1960s. An economic alliance was formed by a small number of surviving distilleries in order to counteract this There were three distilleries that eventually joined to form Irish Distillers, and their production was moved to the Old Middleton Distillery in Cork in which a brand-new distillery was constructed alongside the original buildings. These three distilleries were John Jameson and Sons; John Powers and Sons; and The Cork Distilleries Company. As a result of the location’s capacity and space, the category slowly started to resurge. An Antrim distillery that became part of the Irish Distillers group in 1972, Bushmills was sold to Diageo in 2005. In 1988, Pernod Ricard purchased Irish Distillers and has held on to the company ever since.
The Irish whiskey industry has undergone tremendous expansion and investment during the last two decades. More than 35 whiskey distilleries are currently spread around the island of Ireland. Craft distilleries like Lough Measc and Killowen as well as large producers like Teeling may be found here.
Types of Irish whiskey
The category of Irish whiskey is protected by law at both the national and European levels. Regardless of where it is produced, Irish Whiskey shop must be made on Irish soil. It had to be aged in oak for a minimum of three years before it was ready for consumption.
Despite the fact that triple distillation is a trademark of Irish whiskey, it is not a legal necessity. Depending on the distiller, it may be distilled twice or three times.
Single Malt Irish whiskey
It’s a kind of whiskey that’s made in only one distillery in Ireland and comprises just malted barley and water, as well as yeast. Whether peated or not, it has a sweet and malty taste. A copper pot still is used to distill it.
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
In Ireland, this kind of whiskey originates. In the early 1700s, it was devised as a way to escape a tax on malt. Malted and unmalted barley is used in the production of pot still whiskey. The presence of the unmalted component gives a peppery flavor and creamy mouthfeel that is not often present in single malt whisky. Copper pot stills are used to distill it.
Single Grain Irish Whiskey
A whiskey classified as Single Grain has a malted barley content of no more than 30%. Grains such as corn, wheat or unmalted barley may make up the rest. A column still is used to distill it.
