Irish whiskey

For the novel of the same name, see Irish Whiskey (novel).
Irish whiskey
Type Whiskey
Country of origin Ireland
Alcohol by volume 40–94.8%

Irish whiskey (Irish: Fuisce or uisce beatha) is whiskey made on the island of Ireland.

The word "whiskey" is an Anglicisation of uisce beatha or uisge beatha, a phrase from the Goidelic branch of languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx) meaning "water of life" (see aqua vitae).

Most Irish pot still whiskey is distilled thrice, while most (but not all) Scotch whisky (note -ey/-y spelling) is distilled twice. Peat is rarely used in the malting process, so that Irish whiskey has a smoother finish as opposed to the smoky, earthy overtones common to some Scotches. There are notable exceptions to these rules in both countries; an example is Connemara peated Irish malt (double distilled) whiskey from the Cooley Distillery in Riverstown, Cooley, County Louth.

Irish whiskey was once the most popular spirit in the world, though a long period of decline from the late 19th century onwards greatly damaged the industry.[1] Although Scotland sustains approximately 105 distilleries, Ireland has only seven in current operation – only four of which have been operating long enough to have products sufficiently aged for current sale on the market as of 2013, and only one of which was operating before 1975. Irish whiskey has seen a great resurgence in popularity since the late twentieth century, and has been the fastest growing spirit in the world every year since 1990.[1] The current growth rate is at roughly 20% per annum, prompting the construction and expansion of a number of distilleries.

History

The word 'whiskey' (or whisky) comes from the Gaelic uisce beatha, meaning water of life. Irish whiskey was one of the earliest distilled drinks in Europe, arising around the 12th century (see Distilled beverage). It is believed that Irish monks brought the technique of distilling perfumes back to Ireland from their travels to the Mediterranean countries around 1000 A.D. The Irish then modified this technique to obtain a drinkable spirit. Whiskey was first recorded in Ireland in 1405. It was later recorded in Scotland in 1494.[2] The Old Bushmills Distillery claims to be the oldest surviving licensed distillery in the world (the distillery claims a heritage to a licence from James I in 1608, and the Bushmills distillery company was established in 1784). A statute introduced in the late 16th century introduced a viceregal licence for the manufacture of whiskey.[3]

In the early twentieth century Irish whiskey was the most popular whiskey in the United States,[4] however prohibition between 1920 and 1933 greatly upset the export market and forced many distilleries out of business. The Irish War of Independence and subsequent civil war also made exporting whiskey difficult and following independence a series of trade disputes with Britain cut off export to all Commonwealth countries, greatly hampering the industry. By the 1960s there was only a handful of remaining distilleries in Ireland, and in 1966 they amalgamated under the name of Irish Distillers to combine their resources. By the mid-1970s there were only two distilleries in Ireland, those of New Midleton and Bushmills, both owned by Irish Distillers. Production reached a nadir at about 400,000 - 500,000 cases per annum during the seventies, from a height of 12 million cases around 1900.[1] The takeover of Irish Distillers by Pernod Ricard in 1988 led to increased marketing of Irish whiskeys, especially Jameson. Since the early 1990s Irish whiskey has undergone a major resurgence and has for over 20 years been the fastest growing spirit in the world. Production rose from 4.4 million cases in 2008 to 6.5 million in 2013, with growth projected to rise to 12 million cases by 2018.[5] As of 2013, roughly 800 people were employed full-time in the whiskey industry in Ireland.[6]

Key regulations defining Irish whiskey and its production are established by the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980,[7] and are relatively simple (for example, in contrast with those for Scotch and Bourbon whiskey). They can be summarised as follows:

There are several types of whiskey common to Ireland, including those referred to as "single pot still", "single malt", "single grain", and "blended". But in contrast to the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009, the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980 does not actually contain a definition of the terms "single malt Irish whiskey" or "single grain Irish whiskey" or specific rules governing their production, so the exact definitions of these terms may not be clearly established.

Current distilleries in Ireland

West Cork Distillery
Glendalough Distillery
Blackwater Distillery
Alltech Distillery
Echlinville Distillery
Teeling Distillery
Tullamore Distillery
Distilleries operating in Ireland in 2015

Currently, there are twelve distilleries operating in Ireland, though many of these are recently established and have not yet aged its spirits for sale as whiskey:

Planned or under construction

A further distillery is planned for Royal Oak in Carlow, being built by Walsh Whiskey Distillery. The distillery is expected have a capacity of 500,000 cases a year and is being funded by Italian drinks company Illva Saronno.[16] Planning permission was granted in July 2014 and construction is expected to begin in September 2014.[17]

John Teeling, founder of the Cooley Distillery, has revealed plans to develop the Great Northern Brewery in Dundalk as a distillery in a €35 million investment.[1] The site was owned by Diageo and was mainly used to brew Harp Lager. The distillery will be the second largest in Ireland and will cater mainly for the third party market, a market Cooley catered for prior to the Beam takeover.[18] The expected annual output is 3.5 million cases. John Teeling's sons also set up a craft distillery in The Liberties, Dublin,[19] which began operation in 2014.[20]

Planning permission has been received for a distillery in Derry, to be built by Niche Drinks who are investing £15 million in the project.[21]

In 2013 Lord Henry Mount Charles received planning permission to build a €12 million distillery in the grounds of Slane Castle.

Construction of the Nephin Whiskey distillery is underway in the village of Lahardaun, County Mayo after planning permission was granted in 2015.[22]

A combined distillery and brewery in Drogheda was announced in September 2015. The €20 million Boann Distillery and Boyne Brewhouse project is planned to open in 2016, and is led by drinks industry businessman Pat Cooney.[23]

In addition to the four distilleries that have been operating long enough to currently offer products sufficiently aged for sale, there are a number of independently owned brands, such as Tullamore Dew (until maturation of new spirit from Tullamore) and Clontarf 1014, that purchase the spirits that they bottle from the operating distilleries.[24]

Types

Irish whiskeys
More Irish whiskeys

Irish whiskey comes in several forms. If the whiskey is continuously distilled from unmalted grains, it is referred to as grain whiskey. This lighter and more neutral spirit is rarely found on its own and the vast majority of grain whiskey is used to make blended whiskey, a product made by mixing column still product with richer and more intense pot still product. Irish whiskeys made in a pot still fall into two categories. Those made entirely from malted barley distilled in a pot still are referred to as single malt whiskeys, a style also very commonly associated with Scotch whisky. The second style of Irish pot still whiskey is single pot still whiskey, made from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley completely distilled in a pot still. This latter style has also been historically referred to as "pure pot still" whiskey and "Irish pot still whiskey", Older bottlings often bear these names. Regardless of whether the blended whiskey is made from combining grain whiskey with either single malt whiskey or with single pot still whiskey, it is labelled with the same terminology.

Examples

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Distillers in high spirits as the whiskey sector enters golden era". www.irishtimes.com. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  2. ↑ {http://www.masterofmalt.com/whisky-or-whiskey/}
  3. ↑ Robert Dudley Edwards (1977). Ireland in the age of the Tudors. Google Books. Harper & Row. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  4. ↑ Needs attribution
  5. ↑ "55 new jobs at Carlow whiskey distillery". www.rte.ie. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  6. ↑ "Irish whiskey industry launches fresh assault on Scotland's dominance". www.theguardian.com. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  7. ↑ Irish Whiskey Act of 1980, Irish Statute Book, 1980
  8. ↑ Distilling Begins in Carlow for Alltech's Irish Whiskey, Alltech, 12 November 2012.
  9. ↑ Dingle Distillery
  10. ↑ Irishliquid.com
  11. ↑ Newenham, Pamela (23 January 2014). "Irish Whiskey brand returns 80 years after Prohibition". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  12. ↑ Dromey, Trish (18 May 2015). "Toasting success of craft distillery". The Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  13. ↑ http://teelingwhiskey.com/teeling-distillery/
  14. ↑ Burke-Kennedy, Eoin (16 October 2013). "Whiskey Distillery to create 55 jobs for Carlow". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  15. ↑ Sod is turned on Tullamore Dew distillery, TheJournal.ie, 14 September 2013.
  16. ↑ Kenny, Ciara (16 October 2013). "Whiskey Distillery to create 55 jobs for Carlow". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  17. ↑ "Walsh Whiskey Distillery has now obtained full planning permission for its new state-of-the-art distillery in Royal Oak, Co. Carlow". 28 July 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  18. ↑ "Irish Whiskey Company acquires Diageo Dundalk brewery". 22 August 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  19. ↑ "The Teeling Whiskey Brand returns after 231 years". Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  20. ↑ Taylor, Charlie (29 January 2014). "Teelings to establish a new distillery in Dublin". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "Niche Cream Alcoholic Drinks: Whiskey Producers Ireland". Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  22. ↑ McNulty, Anton (20 January 2015). "Planning Permission granted for Lahardaun distillery". The Mayo News. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  23. ↑ Taylor, Charlie (2 September 2015). "Over 80 jobs for Drogheda with new distillery and brewery". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  24. ↑ "Irish Whiskey Distillery". Planet Whiskies. 26 March 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.

Bibliography

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