In the early twentieth century Irish whiskey was the most popular whiskey style in the United States. Unfortunately, Prohibition upset the export market and forced many distilleries out of business. Irish whiskey started to bounce back in the early 1990s, and for over twenty years it has been the fastest growing spirit in the world.
A key reason for this turnaround is Irish whiskey’s signature smoothness and sweetness, which makes it incredibly easy to drink.
Irish whiskey is distilled three times, and the barley is usually kiln dried rather than being dried over burning peat for a smoother finish. (Most Scotch is distilled twice and the malt is often peated, giving it a smoky flavor with earthy overtones.) Traditionally, Irish whiskey is made from cereal grains and aged there in wooden casks at least three years.
For your March 17 celebration, try one of these festive Irish whiskey options:
Green Spot
A favorite of whiskey critics, Green Spot has an aroma and taste of orchard apples and toasted wood with a sprinkling of clove. It is full bodied, while balancing the fruity sweetness and toasted oak spiciness into a nicely malted finish with accents of vanilla.
Redbreast 12
Redbreast is a very special single pot still whiskey that is matured for a minimum of twelve years in sherry casks and bourbon barrels. It is robust, assertive, and highly praised among whiskey connoisseurs. Its nose is nutty and rich with notes of dried peels and spice. Its palate exhibits essences of spice and freshly cut citrus fruit with hints of marzipan and sherry. Redbreast has a delightfully long finish full of creamy custard and spice.
The Irishman Founders Reserve
The Founder’s Reserve is the only Irish blended whiskey to contain 100% whiskey distillates from the copper pot still and 0% grain or column still whiskey. This, along with its aging in bourbon casks, results in a deeply flavorful whiskey full of cinnamon, peach, and creamy caramel flavors with a long, lingering finish of oak and butterscotch.
Kilbeggan Traditional Irish Whiskey
Kilbeggan is named after St Bécán, one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland who founded a monastery in that area in the sixth century. Its nose is smooth with a gentle touch of nut oils, hazelnut, and cereal sweetness with a little peat. It has a firm body with soft, light malt sugar flavors and a bit of vanilla. Kilbeggan finishes dry with some genuine wood oak tones. It is excellent with ginger beer or as the base for a whiskey sour.
Bushmills Red Bush
Just in time for St. Patty’s Day, Bushmills introduces their new bourbon barrel aged Irish Whiskey blend–Red Bush. Matured in American White Oak, this blend of malt and fine grain whiskeys is triple distilled for smoothness, and aged for a minimum of four years. Its taste offers sweet, nutty vanilla notes, with just a touch of bourbon.
Jameson Caskmates
Emerging from a conversation between their head distiller and the head brewer of Cork’s Franciscan Well Brewery, Jameson Caskmates is finished in stout-seasoned whiskey casks. While their triple-distilled smoothness is very much intact, notes of cocoa, coffee and butterscotch confirm the stout influence to the classic Irish whiskey.
You can find these, as well as many other types of whiskey, at Wyatt’s, where we offer you superior choice and selection for all your drinking desires.
We are currently in the midst of a giant Irish whiskey and beer sale, and that’s no blarney.
