What's Next in Irish Whiskey

Over the last couple of weeks, we're looked at the current state of Irish whiskey. We've seen a huge range of choices in both brands and styles. To re-visit our posts, just scroll down and hit "Older Posts" until you find what you're looking for.

As we've described, Irish whiskey is usually triple-distilled before aging in barrels. These barrels contribute significantly to the different tastes, as ex-Bourbon or rum barrels, sherry butts and port pipes (to name just some of the choices) bring different elements to the whiskey.

Irish whiskey has a very long history. Bushmills traces their lineage back to 1608, when King James issued a distilling license to Sir Thomas Phillips. Their distillery, however, started operations in 1784. Kilbeggan uses a pot still that's about 180 years old.

180 Year old Working Still at Kilbeggan

In our earlier posts, we also highlighted a couple of old/new combinations. We just introduced a Canal's Family Selection version of the Knappogue Castle Single Malt Irish Whiskey. And we also discussed Teeling Whiskey. Their whiskey-making dates to 1782, but they recently opened the first new distillery in Dublin in 125 years, bringing in handcrafted copper pot stills. What's that saying about everything old being new again?

But what's next for Irish whiskey? According to the trade publication The Tasting Panel, one answer is maturation in virgin Irish oak. Local coopers have taken 130 year old oak and made casks for Midleton. Look for that as a single pot still expression in the future.

In addition, Mark Reynier, formerly of Bruichladdich, bought the old Guinness plant in Waterford, and plans on distilling a new Irish whiskey there. With Bruichladdich's tradition-defying distilling in Scotland, this could be an interesting development for this category.

And if you travel to Ireland, don't miss the Irish Whiskey Museum, located near Trinity College in Dublin. This independent museum has the endorsement of Bushmills, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Teeling, and Tullamore D.E.W.

 Clearly, this is an exciting time for the Irish whisky category, and not just because of St. Patrick's Day!