Our Whiskey Ireland Range

To this day, the Irish and the Scots continue to debate who invented whiskey. According to the Irish, the patron saint St. Patrick brought the art and knowledge of distillation to the country.

Irish monks were already distilling whiskey, known as uisce beatha or "water of life," in the 6th century. They discovered that the water, originally intended for perfume and medicine, could also be consumed. Over many years, they refined the whiskey recipe until it acquired its present-day taste.

Ireland is home to over 30 active whiskey distilleries, with some of the most famous being IDG, Kilbeggan Distillery, and Tullamore Dew Distillery.

Irish whiskey is triple-distilled, and the malted barley is not dried over peat fires. This process gives it a mild flavor. It must be aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels.

Subtypes of Irish whiskey include Grain Whiskey, exclusively used for blending, Blended Whiskey, a composition of Grain and Single Malt Whiskey, and Malt Whiskey, which originates from a single distillery and must be made from malted barley. The Greenore Whiskey (a Grain Whiskey) is very rare as its production requires special skill.

Popular blended whiskeys include Crested Ten, Inishowen, and Jameson. Notable single malts include Bushmills Malt, Connemara, which is peated and distilled twice, and Locke's 8 Year Old.