The History of Irish Whiskey

A Journey Through Ireland’s Legendary Spirit

So what makes a whiskey an Irish whiskey, and why haven’t I ever made a drop well? For starters, the first rule of Irish whiskey is that it has to be made in Ireland, and although I would love to go, I have never been to Ireland. However, I do have a huge appreciation for Ireland’s rich history and distilling, and we're going to take advantage of the month of March and Saint Patrick's Day to share a little bit about it with you.

So we've said for starters the whiskey has to be made in Ireland right well also has to be not just distilled but matured in Ireland/ it must also be distilled to under 94.8% ABV/ comprise of a mash of cereal grains predominantly barley and malted barley sometimes a single malt or 100% malted barley but not always and is commonly tripled distilled but not required. (last requirement)

So now we know how to make Irish whiskey, but did you know that there are also four different kinds of Irish whiskey or types, so there is a single pot still whiskey, which can be made of both malted and unmalted barley. We also have a single malt which must be made out of 100% molt produced in a single pot still type of distillery. There is grain whiskey produced in a column or Coffey still, and lastly, we have a blend or blended whiskey, which can be any combination of these things.

Irish whiskey traces its origins back over a thousand years. Monks first distilled spirits in Ireland as early as the 12th century, using techniques adapted from Mediterranean cultures. The Irish word "uisce beatha," meaning "water of life," eventually evolved into "whiskey," and the drink grew in popularity throughout the centuries.

Irish whiskey is mentioned nearly a century before Scotch whiskey don't shoot the message it's just what I've read in a book somewhere around 1405 there is mention of a clan leader in Ireland who actually died from drinking too much aquavite on Christmas the Irish Usk had been around for centuries one of the first distilled spirits by Irish monks in the 12th century they played with perfumes and medicine before creating what is a modern day recreationally consumed whiskey. Somewhere around the 16th century the king wanted a cut so alcohol became regulated in Ireland making Sir Thomas Phillip the first Irishman to receive a license to the still he was a land owner in the town of Bushmills at this point there became two types of whiskey the parliament or legally distilled whiskey and poutine or illegal moonshine version poutine actually means small pot and Gaelic because outlaws were viz tend to be using smaller pots poutine is a clear unaged whiskey made of grains or potatoes it is Irish moonshine. The whiskey industry in Ireland continued to flourish and in the 1700s the demand for Irish whiskey became so great that some hostilities began, tempering or cutting down their alcohol to stretch the product farther. At this point, Ireland began regulating their alcohol more closely.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, Irish whiskey was renowned worldwide. Distilleries flourished in cities like Dublin and Cork, producing whiskey that was exported across the globe. At its peak, Ireland boasted hundreds of distilleries, making it the whiskey capital of the world.

However, the 20th century brought challenges. Prohibition in the United States, trade wars, and competition from Scotch whisky led to a decline in the industry. Many distilleries closed, and Irish whiskey nearly vanished from the global stage. Can you believe that by 1980 only two distilleries were left operating in all of Ireland these were the old Bushmills distillery in Northern Ireland and the Middleton distillery in the Republic of Ireland a combination of world wars American prohibition trade embargoes of Britain and the stubborn Irish resistance to changing their very proud pot still distillation to adapt to the coffee column still nearly destroyed the Irish whiskey industry.

Whiskey in general fell out of popularity somewhere in this time after the Vietnam War because whiskey was thought to be a thing that our elders or our father's drink so similar to fashion alcohol falls in and out of what is cool or popular to drink and sometime in the 1980's the American whiskey history as well as the Irish whiskey industry took a major hit distilleries started using columns to strip flavor and make smoother more neutral flavored whiskies and we start to see the term light whiskey come into play light whiskey was an attempt by the whiskey industry to create a more neutral spirit because people of the time began drinking gins and vodkas and Ireland proud of their heritage and pots of stilled whiskey really refused to budge.

You may not need to know all the science of the difference between pot distillation and column distillation but to break it down really quickly pot distillation makes a very heavy deep decadent spirit with lots of layers and lots of flavor it's very robust and there's really a lot going on whereas a column distillation can make a cleaner smoother more neutral spirit if used in that way columns also allowed us to produce a lot more alcohol continuously. To sum it up Irish whiskey is is still in a pot still would taste very different than the Irish whiskey distilled in a column still and our Irish pot distillers stood their ground.

In fact, by 2010 there were still only four operational whiskey distilleries in the Island of Ireland. It's crazy to think and until I really started diving into the history of Irish whiskey, I had no idea that it had struggled so much today you think of whiskey Irish whiskey is one of the staples we know Scotch we know Irish whiskey but the thing that Irish whiskey nearly disappeared is just unbelievable.

So flashback to 2010 only 4 operational distilleries in the island of Ireland marking the lowest point before major industrial revival the four distilleries in 2010 let's just give them props, we're old Bushmills distillery still going strong the Cooley distillery new Middleton distillery and Kilbeggan distillery.

Fortunately, the late 20th and early 21st centuries saw a revival. New distilleries opened, and Irish whiskey regained its reputation for smoothness and character. Today, it stands as one of the fastest-growing spirits in the world, celebrated for its triple distillation process and light, approachable flavor.

Whether you’re enjoying a glass on St. Patrick’s Day or exploring Ireland’s distilleries, Irish whiskey is more than just a drink—it’s a symbol of resilience, tradition, and Irish pride.

By: Amanda Bryant