It's Time We Stop Ignoring Irish Whiskey
Just 50 years ago, the Irish whiskey industry was in crisis. A slew of missteps, political turmoil and trade limitations had led Irish distilleries, once the producers of the world's choice spirit, to all but disappear.
In America in particular, Irish whiskey's problems stemmed from Prohibition, which effectively eliminated one of Ireland's primary export markets overnight. During this period, scheming Americans peddled locally distilled swill as "Irish Whiskey" in order to fetch a higher price than their products were worth. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the damage had already been done, as many of Ireland's distilleries had shuttered, and the few that remained, had to combat Americans' new perception of Irish labels as "fire water."
The hardship was not limited to the American market either. In the rest of the world, the category continued to suffer, as a refusal to innovate led many to turn to the more distinctive and readily available Scotch whisky.
But now in 2018, the hard times are behind us, and it's time American drinkers take notice. Numerous exciting new and revived names have popped onto the Irish scene in the past five years, and several of the tried and true brands have opted to innovate, providing more than enough reasons to add an Irish bottle to your bar cart. Below are just three of our recommended brands to watch for the next time you're browsing the shelves of your local liquor store.
Perhaps the most well-known name in Irish whiskey, Jameson has been subtlety innovating in recent years, with initiatives like its Caskmates program. In order to create these craft beer-inspired offerings, Jameson first donates oak barrels to a local brewery to be filled with beer. After use, the barrels are then sent back to Jameson and refilled with fully matured Jameson Original. The result is a whiskey that takes on certain aromas and flavors of the beer that once filled the cask. The most recent addition to the program, Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition (SRP: $29.99) is a pleasantly bright Irish whiskey with a floral nose and crisp, hoppy finish, reminiscent of its namesake IPA. In addition to its Caskmates whiskeys, Jameson also offers a cask strength expression called Black Barrel, as well as a butterscotch forward new blend that it calls The Blender's Dog, from Head Blender Billy Leighton.
A relative newcomer to the Irish Whiskey world, Teeling is rapidly gaining traction in some of America's finest cocktail bars. Having opened in 2015, Teeling became the first new distillery to open in Dublin in over 125 years. Once home to over 35 distilleries, Ireland's capital city eventually lost them all, including the long standing Jameson when it moved its operations to The Old Midleton Distillery in Cork in the 70s. Teeling prides itself on constant innovation, and currently offers several fine whiskeys, but the entry level Teeling Small Batch (SRP: $39.99) is a perfectly good starting point. An approachable blend aged in ex-rum barrels, it offers a sweeter palate with a hint of pleasant woody funkiness on the finish.
After having sampled the most recognizable name in the game as well as one of the most exciting newcomers, consider graduating to something from the Midleton Very Rare portfolio. Created at the New Midleton Distillery, which also produces Jameson, Redbreast, Tullamore Dew, and a handful of other big names in Irish whiskey, the master distillers select only the distillery's finest barrels to blend and bare the Midleton Very Rare name. If you have a little extra money to spend, look for a bottle of Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest Edition (SRP: $299.99), a cask strength blend of distillates aged between 12 and 23 years. he luxury whiskey is matured primarily in American Oak Bourbon casks and finished in barrels made from Irish Oak grown in the Bluebell Forest of Castle Blunden Estate in County Kilkenny.