Irish Whiskey

Name: Irish Whiskey
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Author: Gary Quinn
ISBN: 9780008378219

Gary Quinn

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Copyright

HarperCollins Publishers

Westerhill Road

Bishopbriggs

Glasgow

G64 2QT

First Edition 2020

Text © Gary Quinn 2020

Collins® is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers Limited

www.collins.co.uk

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Print Edition ISBN 978-0-00-834066-7

eBook Edition © October 2019 ISBN 978-0-00-837821-9

Version: 2019-11-08

Contents

Cover

Title Page

What this book covers

Introduction

What is Irish Whiskey?

Wood, spirit, and maturation

Location maps

Northern Ireland

West Central Ireland

Southwestern Ireland

East Central Ireland

Southeastern Ireland

Irish Whiskey

Achill Island Distillery

Ballykeefe Distillery

Blackwater Distillery

Boann Distillery

The Whistler: The Blue Note

The Whistler: 10-year-old

Bushmills Distillery

Bushmills Original

Bushmills Red Bush

Bushmills Black Bush

Bushmills 10-year-old Single Malt

Bushmills 16-year-old Single Malt

Bushmills 21-year-old Single Malt

Clonakilty Distillery

Clonakilty Single Batch

Clonakilty Port Cask

Clonakilty Single Grain Bordeaux

Connacht Whiskey Distillery

Spade & Bushel 12

Ballyhoo Grain

Cooley Distillery

Dingle Distillery

Dingle Single Malt, Batch No. 4

Dingle Single Pot Still, Batch No. 3

The Dublin Liberties Distillery

The Dubliner range

Dublin Liberties Oak Devil

Dublin Liberties Copper Alley

Dublin Liberties Murder Lane

Dublin Liberties Keepers Coin

Dublin Liberties King of Hell

Great Northern Distillery

Irish Distillers

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Jameson Original

Jameson Crested

Jameson Caskmates

Jameson Black Barrel

Jameson Makers Series

Jameson 18-year-old Bow St. Edition

Powers

Powers Gold Label

Powers Three Swallows

Powers Signature Release

Powers John’s Lane

Redbreast

Redbreast 12

Redbreast Lustau

Redbreast 15

Redbreast 21

Method and Madness

Method and Madness Single Grain

Method and Madness Single Malt

Method and Madness Single Pot Still

Method and Madness 31-year-old Single Grain

Method and Madness Single Pot Still finished in Wild Cherry Wood

Method and Madness Single Pot Still finished in Acacia Wood

Midleton VR

Midleton Vintage Release 2018

Barry Crockett Legacy

Midleton VR Dair Ghaelach Grinsell’s Wood

The Spot range

Green Spot

Yellow Spot

Red Spot

Green Spot: the variations

Kilbeggan Distillery

Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye

Kilbeggan Single Grain

Connemara Original Peated Single Malt

Connemara 12-year-old Single Malt

Tyrconnell Single Malt

Tyrconnell Cask Series

Tyrconnell 16-year-old Single Malt

Killowen Distillery

Lough Measc Distillery

Pearse Lyons Distillery

Pearse Lyons – The Original

Pearse Lyons – Distiller’s Choice

Pearse Lyons – Cooper’s Select

Pearse Lyons – Founder’s Choice

Powerscourt Distillery

Fercullen Premium Blend

Fercullen 10-year-old Single Grain

Fercullen 14-year-old Single Malt

Rademon Distillery

Roe & Co Distillery

Roe & Co Blended Whiskey

Royal Oak Distillery

Slane Distillery

Slane Irish Whiskey

Teeling Distillery

Teeling Small Batch

Teeling Single Grain

Teeling Single Malt

Teeling Single Pot Still

Teeling Revival To Renaissance

The Echlinville Distillery

Dunville’s Three Crowns

Dunville’s Three Crowns Peated

Dunville’s PX ten-/twelve-year-old Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Dunville’s VR PM eighteen-year-old Rum Finish Irish Whiskey

The Shed Distillery

Tullamore Distillery

Tullamore D.E.W. Original

Tullamore D.E.W. 12-year-old Special Reserve

Tullamore D.E.W. 18-year-old Single Malt

Tullamore D.E.W. XO Rum Cask Finish

Waterford Distillery

West Cork Distillers

West Cork Irish Whiskey – Bourbon cask

West Cork Irish Whiskey – Cask Strength

West Cork Irish Whiskey – Black Cask

West Cork Irish Whiskey – IPA and Stout finish

West Cork Irish Whiskey – Glengarriff series

Independent brands

Celtic Cask Series

Dick Mack’s Pub

Glendalough Distillery

Grace O’Malley Irish Whiskey

JJ Corry

Knappogue Castle

Paddy whiskey

Silkie

Sonny Molloy’s

The Friend at Hand

The Long Hall

The Palace Bar

Tipperary Boutique Distillery

Walsh Whiskey

Index

Picture Credits

About the Author

About the Publisher

What this book covers

In this book I have tried to capture the personality of Ireland’s working distilleries and independent brands. In a time of rapid growth for the sector I want to champion Irish whiskey and allow as many people as possible to enjoy the journey it’s on.

The book is as much a travel guide to Ireland’s new distillery network as it is to the whiskeys they produce. In reading it, you should get a picture of the people, the places, and the products they have created. It should give you a comprehensive overview of Irish whiskey and the knowledge to choose a whiskey that matches your own personality and flavour preferences.

The first part of the book provides the story of each of the working distilleries and, where it exists, details their core range. Not all of the working distilleries are selling their own brand yet. Some of the younger distilleries have chosen not to use sourced whiskey from other distilleries, deciding instead to allow their own spirit to mature before putting their name to it.

The second part of the book is designed to celebrate the art of independent blending. Not all Irish whiskey brands have their own distillery, or ever intend to open one. This section introduces you to some of those independent brands who only source whiskey from distilleries to blend a new whiskey and outlines why their independence matters.

Irish whiskey is incredibly good fun and the people who drive it are passionate and full of life. I hope this book helps you meet them and get to enjoy what they make.

Introduction

If you’re looking for a dramatic pursuit, lose yourself in the story of Irish whiskey. It has all the elements of a great saga: poor beginnings, roaring success, sudden decline, a romantic back story, and back-from-the-brink re-invention – while bursting at the seams with plot twists.

While it’s gratifying to reflect on Irish whiskey’s past, with its sixth-century beginnings, eighteenth-century rapid growth, and nineteenth-century global dominance of the spirits sector, what’s happening now in the twenty-first century is incredibly exciting.

The Irish whiskey industry has suddenly exploded. The number of distilleries now in operation (twenty-six at the time of writing), as well as those planned to open, have taken the country by surprise, re-invigorating an industry that was for so long wrapped up in the fortunes of just a handful of distilleries. In 2010 there were only four whiskey distilleries in operation in Ireland: Midleton Distillery in County Cork, Old Bushmills in County Antrim, Kilbeggan in County Westmeath, and Cooley in County Louth.

These large-scale operations, each today owned by some of the biggest names in the global drinks industry, re-invented, fought for, and protected a category that was long in decline. In some cases, like with Irish Distillers’ re-invention of Jameson, they created global whiskey brands that introduced a whole new generation of drinkers to Irish whiskey. While the latest chapter in the Irish whiskey story is all about the rise of independent craft distilling and bonding, the decades of work still being undertaken by the big distilleries is truly inspiring.

In 2018 Ireland exported 10.7 million cases of whiskey. This is an increase of some four million cases since 2010 and the sector is now said to be the fastest-growing whiskey category in the world. While it is still a long way behind the dominance of Scotch on the international market, the rapid growth in demand from new and old Irish whiskey fans, coupled with the Irish industry’s ability to provide greater product innovation and choice, suggests that the sector’s ambition is not misplaced.

Old whiskey from new distilleries

But we’re not there yet. A lot of the whiskey brands in this book are from distilleries which are very young. They have all distilled their own spirit but many are yet to reach maturation. While you can sell Irish whiskey once it reaches three years old, it’s quite rare to do so. As each of the new distilleries wait for their own spirit to mature, many of them have released brands using sourced whiskey from the existing distilleries. This is not a bad thing. The whiskey that is being used is generally of excellent quality and it creates a challenge for Irish whiskey blenders to use their skills to conjure flavours and combinations that genuinely stand out from the crowd. Their choice of source whiskey in terms of age and type, the barrel it is then extra-matured in, and the additional maturation time, determines the future of a brand. Consequently, the role of the master blender is an incredibly important one.

The whiskey business is also incredibly expensive. It can be many years, even decades, before any profit can be reclaimed. So the opportunity to sell a high-quality brand under the distillery name in advance of their own spirit being ready is crucial. As you visit distilleries, you will find that many also produce their own gin and vodka, creating a surge of popularity in these products that has been very positive. As gin and vodka have a very short production cycle, they help bolster the much slower production cycle of the whiskey. A third category you’ll discover is poitín, a sometimes overlooked traditional distilled spirit that is slowly regaining an appreciation here.

Rise of the independents

A strong independent industry is key and it’s that which is the new character in the Irish whiskey story. When the first casks were filled at Dingle Distillery in the winter of 2012, that distillery was leading the way in creating a new generation of whiskey distilleries. In the few short years since then, more than twenty new distilleries have begun production all across Ireland, North and South. This has created not just an industry but an entire movement, stuffed with personality and passion.

In towns, cities, and villages across the island, people from all walks of life suddenly find themselves wrapped up in the complicated business of whiskey. The most exciting part is watching so many young people being trained as coopers, distillers, blenders, and ambassadors – career paths that were rarely heard of ten years ago, owing to the scarcity of demand. The ambition of the industry has created an entirely new set of career opportunities, and not just for Irish people. As you tour the country’s distilleries, expect to hear American, Australian, European, Asian, and, of course, Scottish accents ripple through warehouses and still rooms. People from all over the whiskey world have brought their expertise here and Irish whiskey is all the better for it as it prepares to play a bigger role than ever on the global whiskey stage.

What is Irish Whiskey?

A Beginner’s Guide

In general, Irish whiskey tends towards smooth, sweet flavours and is often referred to as being easy to drink. Unlike Scotch, it does not usually have a smoky, peated flavour, although it can use peat and still be considered Irish whiskey. There are a small number of popular peated Irish whiskeys on the market, such as Kilbeggan’s Connemara Peated Single Malt.

To be called Irish whiskey, the spirit must be distilled in Ireland, North or South, and the distilled spirit then matured for at least three years in wooden casks. People often add a day to that age reference for dramatic effect but three years is the legal minimum.

Irish whiskey can be double- or triple-distilled. Triple distillation is very common with Irish whiskey but double distillation is just as valid. The third distillation is said to add to the feeling of smoothness in the taste.

There are four types of Irish whiskey: malt whiskey, pot still whiskey, grain whiskey, and blended Irish whiskey.

Single Malt Irish Whiskey

In popular culture, the idea of a single malt is often widely understood to reference a sign of excellence but, in fact, it simply refers to the type of whiskey it is. The single in the name refers to the fact that it is made in a single distillery, while the malt refers to the fact that it contains 100 per cent malt barley, as well as water and yeast. It can be peated or unpeated and has a full and pleasant oily texture with a smooth, sweet, and malty finish. It is distilled in a pot still. Popular examples include Dingle Single Malt, Teeling Single Malt, and Bushmills Single Malt.

Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

Single pot still whiskey is native to Ireland. It emerged in the late 1700s as a way of avoiding a tax on the use of malt. Pot still whiskey uses a combination of malted and unmalted barley. The unmalted part creates a spicy flavour and a creamy texture that allows it to stand apart from the flavour of single malt whiskey. It is distilled in a pot still. Some of the most popular Irish whiskey brands are single pot still whiskey and include Redbreast, Green Spot, and Powers John’s Lane.

Single Grain Irish Whiskey

Irish grain whiskey must have a malt barley component in its recipe, but only up to a maximum of 30 per cent. The remainder can be a combination of unmalted grains such as maize, wheat, or barley. It is distilled in a column still and can be double- or triple-distilled. Popular examples of Irish grain whiskey include Kilbeggan Single Grain, Powerscourt Distillery’s Fercullen 10-year-old Single Grain, and Teeling’s Single Grain.

Blended Irish Whiskey

Blended Irish whiskey is a combination of two or more of the pot still, malt, and grain whiskeys. Generally, the lighter grain whiskey is combined with the heavier malt or pot still to create a new blend or flavour profile. It can also be a combination of all three styles, although this is rare. Tullamore D.E.W. is a great example of all three styles being combined to create an incredibly popular brand. Bushmills Original is a blend of their triple-distilled malt whiskey and a lighter grain whiskey.

Additives

The colour of Irish whiskey comes from the cask it is matured in. However, in order to allow consistency in the colour of a brand over time, the caramel colouring E150 is permitted. Although named after a flavour (caramel) this is a colouring only and has no flavour. It is the only additive which is permitted.

Wood, spirit, and maturation

Maturation warehouses are incredibly special places. Stacked to the ceiling with wooden casks slowly maturing new spirit into whiskey, they release a rich aroma that simply can’t be bottled. This is the fabled angel’s share; that part of the spirit that evaporates through the wood as it matures. The air in these warehouses is heavy with a sweet perfume that escapes through the wood of the cask or barrel as the wood “breathes”. It’s a wonderful alchemy that not only matures the spirit, allowing it to become whiskey, but also creates an incredible range of flavour profiles, depth of colour, and aromas.

Irish whiskey must be matured in wood and in the majority of cases that wood is oak, American Oak to be precise. Since, in the USA, there is a strict policy of using only new, unseasoned oak to make bourbon there is a ready supply of ex-bourbon casks for the Irish whiskey market.

The time spent maturing that bourbon will have stripped some of the minerals from the wood that create flavour, but the bourbon in turn will have passed its own flavour properties back into the wood, and they then get transferred into the new spirit, maturing into Irish whiskey.

Irish whiskey makers also use casks that have previously stored other drinks, such as sherry or port. Each of these will have left their own signature on the wood and this too will be transferred into the new spirit. Throughout this book you will find references to the type of cask the whiskey is matured or “finished” in. Irish whiskey has to mature for at least three years in cask but it is often much longer. Once mature, a whiskey can then be “finished” in another cask or barrel, to impart new flavour profiles. Different wood types can also be introduced at this stage.

The new make spirit that goes into a cask is a clear liquid. Its final identity, once it matures, is determined by the chemical reactions that occur between the wood of the cask and the spirit itself. Once bottled, ageing stops and the whiskey is complete but, until then, it’s a wonderfully slow and exciting part of the whiskey-making process.

Anyone who journeys down the whiskey path is likely to become fascinated by this process, not least because it is an act of trust between the distiller and nature itself. The distiller and blender understand the process, choose the type of wood, and have an expectation of the result, but they can rarely predict the outcome with 100 per cent certainty. They simply have to wait and let the wood do its work.