When in Dublin, one drinks whiskey. (Fun fact: this spirit gains an ‘e’ in Ireland and the US, while in Scotland, Canada, and Japan it remains e-less.) Sure we’re up for that, grand! We have drunk a bit of scotch in our time, and you may remember our foray into aquavit in Norway. So we’re not entirely new to this game. And we know about the important Jameson’s/Bush Mills divide (the former, from Dublin, typically for Catholics, the latter in the North, for Protestants). But still (get it?), we decided we needed more information. A distillery tour (or two), combined with a tasting, seemed like just the thing. Also any number of visits to pubs. Thanks to those, and our usual painstaking research, here’s what we’ve learned about Irish whiskey.
What is Irish Whiskey?
In order to be Irish whiskey (‘water of life’), the spirit must be made in Ireland and must contain malted barley. Single malt whiskey has only malted barley and is made in copper pot stills. Because malt can get expensive, Irish whiskey sometimes includes unmalted barley, corn, and/or wheat. These varieties tend to be less expensive. Single grain is the most expensive sort. And then there is poteen, made in small (family) stills and historically unlicensed.
The process, which is in many ways similar to that of brewing beer, is expensive and time-consuming. The toasted grain is soaked and then fermented, distilled, and matured in wood barrels. The longer it stays there, the more is lost (the so-called ‘angels’ share’); some whiskeys are matured in more than one barrel to give a more complicated taste. We’ve seen whiskey aged in barrels that used to hold rum, bourbon, and cabernet sauvignon, but presumably there are others!
Where Can You Find Whiskey?
The area in which we live, the Liberties, was once home to a number of whiskey distilleries and produced the vast majority of all whiskey drunk in the world. Nearly all of those distilleries closed, thanks to war and prohibition and bad things like that. But new ones have re-opened – indeed, whiskey’s popularity grows every year, especially among the women 21-35 demographic. Alas, few companies actually make whiskey here in Dublin any more. Jameson offers a tour in its old warehouse, but the distillery is in County Cork. And Teeling, a newcomer, does make its whiskey here but it’s only been around a few years, so the product made there isn’t old enough to sell yet. (Luckily, they have previous stocks to sell.)
But the answer to our question is, literally everywhere. Typically, when you order it in a bar they will bring it to you neat (i.e., just a small glass of whiskey). Some people believe it is a sin to serve it with ice, or to add water; some swear by one or the other or both. Our suggestion is to try it all three ways: first take a sip as is, then add just a few drops of water and wait for it to open up and try that way. And toward the end of your glass, toss in an ice cube.
And – like scotch – there are whiskies to suit nearly every taste. There are peaty varieties and smoother ones. And some have added herbs and honey if you’re not a purist. We tend to prefer the bourbon-like ones, but we certainly don’t have enough information to make up our minds yet – we’re still relatively new at this! And so, we don’t have a favourite, though we are partial to Teeling’s small batch at the moment. We will need to do a lot more experimentation before coming to a final conclusion…
