The potted history of Irish whiskey, and the best examples to drink now

Over the past decade, Irish whiskey has gone through an incredible transformation, from the life and soul of the party to a seriously sophisticated – and super premium – player, rivalling the likes of high-end Scotch and Japanese whisky. Our resident spirits writer Neil Ridley picks out his luxurious favourites to try ahead of St Patrick's Day on 17 March.

A potted history of Irish whiskey

If ever there was a tale to be told in the world of spirits – one of success, tragedy and then a most-justified redemptive renaissance, it would almost certainly have Irish whiskey as its leading character. In fact, the fortunes of this legendary spirit run deep into the heart and culture across the whole of Ireland.

From a brief historical perspective, it could be argued that whiskey-making as we know it was derived from Ireland before Scotland, thanks to the worldly travels of 12th-century Irish monks – whose distilling skills were transferred to the Scottish west coast some years later.

Arguably the oldest recognised distillery site in Ireland, where the famous Old Bushmills distillery now operates from, can trace its roots back to 1608, when King James I granted a licence to distil whiskey – and Bushmills is today recognised as the oldest continuously running whisk(e)y distillery in the world.

Fast forward a few centuries to the 1800s and Ireland was a thriving powerhouse of whiskey production, distilling one gallon in every seven made across what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, eventually becoming its largest spirits producer. Indeed, Irish whiskey’s popularity gave rise to frantic fund-raising from new distillers, especially in Dublin, which was home to no fewer than five of the biggest licensed distilleries in Ireland and a host of smaller, independent ones dotted across the Liberties area of Dublin and widely across the whole country.

With such a rosy outlook, what could possibly go wrong? Jump forward again to the mid-1960s and only four whiskey distilleries remained open across the whole of Ireland, where 30 once stood: Bushmills in County Antrim, Jameson and Powers in Dublin and the Cork Distillers Company in the south. Previous cold economic winds had finally taken their toll, with the Great Depression, both World Wars and Prohibition in the USA resulting in a huge oversupply, and sadly, a lack of future business.

Ireland’s enduring liquid legacy

However, you can’t keep a good thing down when a nation’s passion and pride come together. The Irish whiskey industry began to rebuild. In 2015 Teeling became the first distillery to be built in Dublin for 40 years, followed at incredible speed by a raft of smaller, craft operations across Ireland. Today, that number is close to 50 in operation, demonstrating the popularity of the spirit once again.

The rise in new distilleries offering a more youthful spirit has meant there is now a huge premium on the older, rarer stocks of whiskey distilled decades before and the market for ultra-premium Irish whiskey has expanded dramatically, with some distilleries offering age statements that command eye-watering price tags, to rival those offered by both Japanese and Scotch

Irish whiskey’s unique flavour

One of the biggest contrasts between Scotch and the majority of Irish whiskey, is the production style, which results in a distinct difference in flavour between the two. Ireland has become synonymous with what’s called Single Pot Still-style whiskey: a spirit triple distilled in large copper pot stills, made from predominantly unmalted barley, rather than the 100 per cent malted barley used in Scotch single malt.

This unmalted, triple-distilled style gives an incredibly fresh, floral and almost tropical fruit note to the whiskey and once it has had a chance to really get some age behind it in oak casks, it becomes a thing of absolute beauty: complex, rich, structured and bursting with character, making Irish whiskey without doubt, one of the most highly-prized – and now sought-after – spirits in the world.

Neil’s alternative selection of Irish whiskey gems for St Patrick’s Day

Whilst the pubs across Dublin’s Temple Bar will be no doubt overflowing with pints of Guinness and many a toast raised with large glasses of Jameson Original (arguably the benchmark that Irish whiskey has long been measured against), there are plenty of other gems to explore this St Patrick’s Day, which exemplify Ireland’s deep rooted love affair with great whiskey-making.

Bushmills 15-Year-Old Cognac Cask Finish

Bushmills has been the consistent beacon of Northern Ireland’s whiskey-making traditions and is made using 100 per cent malted barley, rather than the single pot still traditions Ireland is famed for. Take a trip over for a visit and you’ll see the fusion of traditions from the old distillery and a remarkable, state-of-the-art new facility, alongside one of the most impressive cask warehouses in Europe. The Giant’s Causeway is only a stone’s throw away too, which makes for an inspiring backdrop for your whiskey journey. There’s an impressive portfolio of core releases including a vibrant and fruity 16-year-old, a rich and rewarding 21-year-old, part matured in madeira casks, all the way through to a bold and complex 30-year-old, finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry. However, my pick is this incredibly easy drinking Cognac cask matured release, which has swathes of dried fruit, honey and hidden tropical fruit notes.

The Heart Cut – JJ Corry #11

This very limited-edition bottling is a partnership between London-based independent bottlers The Heart Cut and Louise McGuane from JJ Corry, a renowned whiskey broker and curator of unusual whiskey casks from across Ireland. The blend explores Irish Pot Still, grain whiskey (a lighter style used in blending,) and single malt whiskey, all of which have been matured in a range of casks, including oloroso sherry and the highly unusual Pajarete (a Spanish sweet wine, which was one used abundantly to season casks, before being filled with new make spirit.) Well-balanced, light and fruity, there’s some serious blending skills at work here.

Midleton Very Rare 2024 Edition

Arguably one of the key players to spark the rise in super and ultra-premium Irish whiskeys, Midleton is a major distillery based down in the beautiful and verdant area of Cork in the south of Ireland. Celebrating its 200th Anniversary in April 2025, the distillery has some of Ireland’s oldest whiskey in its warehouses (some dating back 50 years,) which it periodically releases as extremely limited-edition and expensive bottlings. The Midleton Very Rare series (we previously explored 2024’s Ruby Edition) has become arguably its most collectible and is a blend of Single Pot Still and grain whiskeys, leaning into the blending skills of Master Distiller, Kevin O’Gorman. This vintage is full of floral, aromatic notes, lighter dried fruits (apricot) and an abundance of vanilla and darker toffee apple notes.

Green Spot 2013 10-Year-Old Bourbon Cask

Green Spot is one of Ireland’s most lauded Single Pot Still whiskeys, with a heritage dating back to the Dublin heyday, when Irish whiskey was originally flourishing. One of five from the ‘Spot’ range (you’ll also find a superb Yellow Spot finished in Malaga wine casks, a Red Spot rich in sherry cask notes, a Gold Spot finished in Italian Valpolicella Riciotto wine casks, and a youthful Blue Spot 7-year-old in ex-bourbon casks…), this single cask edition, exclusive to spirits retailer The Whisky Exchange, is also finished in a bourbon barrel and is wonderfully fresh and fruity, with vibrant citrus notes and softer orchard fruit.

Dingle Single Malt Triple Distilled Whiskey

Dingle has emerged as one of the key standouts from Ireland’s craft distilling renaissance, since it first arrived on the scene back in 2012. It consistently delivers a very impressive and complex whiskey and this latest release, matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and Pedro Ximenez casks shows just how rosy the future is for the new breed of Ireland’s distilleries.

Method & Madness Japanese Chestnut Cask Finish

If innovative flavours are your thing, then Method & Madness will be just the ticket. The concept is simple: a meeting of minds between some of the most experienced distillers down at Midleton in Cork, (the ‘Method’ element) and some of the younger distilling minds in the business (the ‘Madness’…) The modus operandi is one of exploring the boundaries of Irish whiskey, without breaking the regulations, so you’ll find unusual cask types (like this Japanese chestnut) different grain mixtures and other technical trickery to produce whiskeys full of character.

Waterford Cuvee Koffi

Waterford is something of a bittersweet pick - as late last year, the distillery sadly went into receivership and - at the time of writing, its future still looks to be on shaky ground. However, it would churlish not to include one of its existing bottlings in the list, given how much of an impact it has had to understanding the terroir of the barley used in Irish whiskey production. This release is a marriage of no fewer than 24 barley distillates from different local farms, which are then matured for six years in a combination of French and American oak. Herbaceous, floral and spicy, it’s certainly a gamechanger.

Jameson Triple Triple Chestnut Edition

An altogether different take on the Jameson we know and love, this version has been triple distilled as usual but matured in a trio of cask types (bourbon, oloroso sherry and sweet chestnut casks,) and there’s a distinct darker flavour profile, with toffee, toasted nuts, and chocolate.

Redbreast 18-Year-Old Single Pot Still

Another legendary name in Irish whiskey, Redbreast has a broader, slightly darker and spicier flavour profile and house style to its contemporaries and has been one of the industry’s favourite choices to introduce a richer side of the category to new Irish whiskey drinkers. The 18-year-old has notes of stewed fruit, woody spices, sultanas and fresh cherries, with a darker, drier finish. A whiskey to finish the night with, that’s for sure.