7 Bottles of Irish Whiskey You Need in Your Glass

The journey Irish Whiskey has been on is quite incredible. From the 19th century golden age where it was deemed the finest and most popular spirit on the planet, to producing just 1% of the world’s supply only a hundred years or so later.

Fortunately, it’s sprung out of the doldrums in style, and decades of investment and innovation has seen distilleries bloom all over. Irish Whiskey is back where it belongs, delivering the quintessential fruity lightness it’s known for, as well as delightful wine-finishes and wafts of smoke.

So, if you’re celebrating St. Patrick's Day on March 17th or just want to expand your emerald isle collections with some gems, these are seven bottles you need in your glass.

Jatt Life Blended Irish Whiskey

From the same folks at Jatt Life Vodka comes this blended Irish whiskey. Aged in virgin oak and sherry casks, this is very characterful with luscious, rich dried fruits intertwining with woody spice. It’s a classic Irish whiskey expression with soft fruitiness, but wonderfully smooth and with impressive longevity too.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £27.27

Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition Whiskey

From the best-selling Irish whiskey producer in the world, Jameson’s stout edition has a seductive bourbon nose with a little creamy chocolate dressing the fresher notes. These continue in the mouth with a touch of coffee, as the succulent viscosity becomes noticeable. Warm spices feature too, most prominently cinnamon. The old whiskey barrels had previously been used to age stout from Cork’s Franciscan Well brewery, and the results are quite spectacular – especially for the price.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £28.95

Proclamation Blended Irish Whiskey

A glass of this is a true celebration of Ireland’s independence, from the label to the 40.7% ABV, a nod to the 7 signatures signing the famous 1916 document. But what about the liquid itself? Full-bodied and silky smooth, it’s matured in ex-Bourbon casks before a subtle sherry finish. The results combine majestically with fruity caramel, full-bodied brioche notes and bitter toasted coffee for balance. Delicious.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40.7%
Find here: £28.88

Tyrconnell Irish Whiskey

Top notch single malt now with the legendary Tyrconnell. The labels had a stylish rebrand, and the alcohol has been bumped up from 40% too. It’s softly integrated however with no harshness whatsoever. It’s fruity and light, but unlike most Irish whiskeys brings citrus over sweetness. The rich vanilla fudge lingers forever it seems, beyond even the oaky spice.  A benchmark.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: £33.99 (usually more!)

Sliabh Liag The Legendary Dark Silkie Irish Whiskey

As captivating as the legendary silkies of Ireland themselves, we love this Donegal distillery. Their lighter expression is beautiful, but this smoky number deserves some serious love too. Peat was somewhat lost from Irish whiskey for a long time, but this harks back to the golden age with triple-distilled peated malt aged in sherry casks, before joining bourbon-matured and virgin oak-matured whiskies. The result is so harmonious, with those rich fruits still coming through, as well as salted chocolate and mellow wafts of smoke balancing out perfectly.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 46%
Find here: £35.37 (usually more!)

Kinahan’s The Kasc Project Whiskey

Something different here. The bottle may say Irish Whiskey, but The Kasc Project is actually something of a globe trotter. Delving into the world of hybrid casks, Portuguese, American, French, Hungarian oak, and chestnut, yes that’s five different woods, are used for ageing. All combined in one barrel, it’s no surprise that the alluring honey colouring reveals so much flavour. Expect oaky treacle on the nose, stewed apples and sultanas, nutty vanilla and peppery warmth on the palate, and a dry finish with liquorice. It's really interesting and throws up Bourbon and Cognac comparisons.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: £38.75

Bushmills 16 Year Old Whiskey

More expensive than our other whiskies, Bushmills’ 16 year old expression more than lives up to its price tag. It begins life in Bourbon casks, continues along to sherry before a final stint in Port, expanding its breadth of delicious flavour with each step. Think honey and stone fruits on the nose, spilling over into a summery palate of lofty tropical flavours, silky honey, and rich dried fruits. The oily viscosity coats your mouth wonderfully as the rising mocha notes and nutty spice lingers on and on. So much to explore.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £89.81

If you want to learn more about the fascinating world of Irish whiskey, then let us remind you of The Three Drinkers in Ireland, when we explored the beauty of the Emerald Isle.

TalkTV: Ireland vs Wales

This week on TalkTV with Mike Graham, Helena redeems herself for a poor show of Welsh drinks for St David’s Day while showcasing some of Ireland’s finest for St Patrick’s Day. It’s an Irish-Welsh mash up!

Killowen Pangur Irish Poitin

Poitin is the classic, Irish spirit that has a reputation for being utterly lethal. There certainly was truth in this as it wasn’t until 1997 that Poitin production became legal and regulated. Before that, it was essentially home made moonshine. This premium spirit from Killowen Distillery in the Mournes, County Down, was inspired by the famous white cat in the 9th century poem 'Pangur Bán' and is a 50-50 marriage of two Poitin’s, one from tiny Killowen and one, a much bigger distillery across the way. Try it neat or in cocktails.

Find it for £41.77 at KWM Wine and at the Killowen Distillery

Killowen Gloria Coffee Liqueur

Micro distillery Killowen have aced it with this gorgeous coffee liqueur, made with cask aged Poitín vatted together with rich, natural ground coffee before being left to rest for six months in an ex-bourbon cask. The result is a smooth, complex drinking liqueur. Lovely on its own with ice or as part of a cream liqueur-based cocktail.

Find it for £35.50 from Irish Malts

Killowen Distillery features in Episode one of The Three Drinkers in Ireland, streaming live on Amazon Prime! If you have not watched it yet, let us know what you think! Watch Now!

Ancre Hills Blanc de Noirs

Fine wine from Wales, claxon! This serious sparkler hails from 12 hectares of organic and biodynamic vineyards close to the border town of Monmouth and the Wye Valley in Monmouthshire. 100% Pinot Noir, barrel fermented and aged on the lees for 2-3 years, this classy sparkler is creamy and brioche-scented with tonnes of red fruit notes.

Find it for £39.99 from Grape Britannia

Merlyn Welsh Cream Liqueur

I never thought I’d say this, but Merlyn gives Baileys a proper run for its money. Wow. So rich and creamy, not confected, a bit of chocolate and spice… it has it ALL! I could bath in this. Wonderful Welsh cream. Buy it.

Find it for £17.35 from The Whiskey Exchange

Spot on! New Blue Spot Irish Whiskey

Words by Colin Hampden-White

Those that love Irish whisky will have a particular fondness for the Spot family of whiskies. In the early 1900’s wine and spirits merchants, Mitchell & Son started to mature spirit from the Jameson distillery on Bow Street with the intention of bottling whiskey. The casks used for maturing the whiskey had a system of coloured spots on them to indicate how long the whiskey had been maturing in each cask. A blue spot indicated 7 years, a green spot 10, a yellow spot 12 and a red spot 15 years and it was with this system of spots they named their whiskies in correspondence with the age of the whisky in each bottle.

The Spot family of whiskies is now managed by Pernod Ricard in conjunction with the Mitchell family. The Green Spot has been on the market for some time, with the Yellow Spot returning in 2012, the Red Spot making a new appearance in 2018 has been off the market since the 1960s, and now having not been seen since 1964, the Blue Spot has finally completed the family.

The men and women recreating Blue Spot have never tasted an old bottle such is its rarity. They have notes and records and with them, they have created a re-imagined Blue Spot. It has been designed with how it would have tasted in the past very much in mind. Using a base of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks they also used whiskey aged in ex-Madeira casks. This was inspired by the historical stock held by Mitchell & Son and the flavours were very typical of the Spot whiskey style.

These Madeira casks have been maturing and conditioning over 20 years. Coopered in northern Portugal they were then shipped to Madeira for seasoning and once seasoned, they were transported to Midleton, filled with pot still spirit, and left to mature. These casks gave lovely flavours of stewed orchard fruits, nuts and sweet spices.

“It is with absolute pleasure that we reintroduce Blue Spot and bring a piece of Dublin’s rich whiskey history back to life,” said Kevin O’Gorman, Master Distiller at Irish Distillers. “Over the years I have had the honour of collaborating with the Mitchell family, who for generations have celebrated the influence of fine wines on Irish whiskey, as we have reintroduced expressions to the beloved Spot range.”

“I am incredibly proud to celebrate with Jonathan and Robert Mitchell on this historic day as Blue Spot takes its place alongside Green, Yellow and Red Spot, reuniting the whole family once again.”

“It’s been a privilege to shed light on the history of whiskey bonding in Ireland and the role our family had to play in it as we relaunch Blue Spot,” added Jonathan Mitchell, Managing Director at Mitchell & Son. “The inclusion of whiskey aged in Madeira casks adds flavours that would have been originally introduced into Irish whiskey by the Mitchell family. As the full Spot range comes back to life, we find ourselves bursting with pride for the role our family played in the creation of this treasured range of whiskeys.”

Blue Spot will be a batched product, non-chill filtered and cask strength which will vary annually with each release.

You can get your hands on a bottle here for those based in the UK and for those in the USA Blue Spot will be available from February 2021.

Did you enjoy this? Why not have a look at Whisky Just Hatched from the Other Side of the World!

Wine Finished Whiskies: Where to Start

Words by Colin Hampden-White

We all know we love whisky, and today 90% of whisky is simply matured in an ex bourbon cask, and they are very nice. But there is a way to excite our palates even more. A small proportion of ex bourbon cask matured whisky is placed in a different type of cask, and these are mostly ex wine, port or sherry casks. This adds extra colour, complexity and flavour to the whisky. The amount of extra flavour depends on the quality of the cask and how long the whisky is left in the cask. The use of these casks at the end of a whiskies maturation, known as finishing, means there are a world of new flavours to experience and variations on our much loved favourites. These are a few of the best examples catering for all pockets, to start your wine finished whisky adventure.

Glen Moray port finish

One of the best value finished whiskies on the market, this Port cask finished whisky was introduced in 2014 and had been a firm favourite of ours. Initially matured in ex-bourbon casks, this whisky is then placed in tawny Port casks for the last eight months of its maturation to give huge amounts of extra flavour and complexity. With flavours of butterscotch, redcurrants, vanilla, raisins and a touch of cinnamon, this is a dram for those who want a big bang for their buck. Trust us, once you have tried this one, you will be going back for more.

 ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £26.95

Glenfiddich Grand Cru

The folks at Glenfiddich clearly enjoy exploring new cask types for their whisky. Whether it's peaty whisky in rum casks, or making good use of icewine casks, the distillery certainly has some experimental flair. And if experimental flair is what you're after, Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 Year Old is the perfect thing. This single malt initially ages in American and European oak casks, before being moved over to rare French cuvée oak casks. The influence these casks have had on the whisky is fantastic, lifting the palate with notes of baked goods and fresh fruit.

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £220

Glenmorangie lasanta

Glenmorangie are known for their expertise in finished expressions of their whisky. This is the 12 year old, sherry cask finished expression from Glenmorangie, called The Lasanta. It first matures in bourbon casks before being moved over to Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for a finishing period. It’s rich and creamy with dark chocolate, dried fruit and fresh honey. The effect of using Pedro Ximénez as well as Oloroso gives a sweetness to balance the spice. For those who like both, this whisky will be right up your street.

 ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £41.75

Glen Scotia 14 Year Old Tawny Port Finish - Campbeltown Malts Festival 2020

This is a limited run of high strength Glen Scotia. I tasted this at the on-line Summerton Whisky Festival and is a belter! The extra ABV is held in check by the rich berry fruit flavours imparted by the tawny port cask, and there is still plenty of the fruity and salty flavours typical of Glen Scotia. There is still enough sweetness given by the fist maturation in first fill ex-bourbon casks. For those who like their whisky big and strong, give this a go.

ABV: 52.8
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £74.95 

Spey Tenné port finish

The Spey Tenné is a single malt from the Speyside Distillery. Owned by Harvey's of Edinburgh, this distillery only started in 1990 and it is producing some incredible whisky. This one is initially aged in bourbon casks before enjoying a 6 month finishing period in Tawny Port casks, giving a subtle ruby hue and a vibrant, fruit-filled flavour profile. Being 46% and bottled in very smart packaging, this is a great whisky for a gift. Although if you taste this one, you won’t want to give it away.

ABV: 46%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £39.95 

Glenfiddich Winter Storm – Ice Wine Finish

A second whisky from Glenfiddch in the guide, the eagerly-awaited second batch of Glenfiddich's Winter Storm once again sees well-aged whisky from the legendary distillery. It is finished in casks that previously held Canadian icewine (made using grapes harvested while frozen, resulting in a powerfully sweet elixir). Released as part of the Glenfiddich Experimental Series, malt master Brian Kinsman believes that only older whiskies can stand up to the intense influence of icewine, which is why Winter Storm is built around 21 year old single malt. This is one, like the Glenfiddich Grand Cru, is for those who like older whiskies that also have a lovely fresh fruity core.

ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £199 

Hinch 10 sherry cask finish

A 10 year old whiskey from Hinch, which takes its name from the nearby town of Ballynahinch. The distillery is based just south of Belfast in the grounds of the Killaney Estate. The blend was initially matured in American oak before being treated to a six month finish in Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez. It's then bottled at 43% ABV, released as part of the Time Collection. Like most Irish whisky this is very smooth, but has a spicy edge to it because of the sherry cask influence, making this whiskey smooth yet characterful.   

ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £43.95

Balvenie 21 Port wood

One of my all-time favourite whiskies. This has all the fruity flavours one expects in Balvenie, and then a big rich dark fruit dollop given by the port casks. It is indulgent and hedonistic. An additional period of maturation in 30 year-old port pipes has given this aged Balvenie an extra level of depth and concentration of flavour, adding potent fruit and smoke notes to the silky-smooth full-bodied palate. Rich, indulgent, after-dinner Speyside at its best. For the epicureans out there, get stuck into a bit of this. 

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £149.95 

The most UNDERRATED Irish drinks

We all know the big brands from Ireland, for beer there is Guinness, the quintessential Irish stout, for whiskey there is no brand bigger than Jameson, and for a reason, Jameson is a fabulous whiskey, in the world of liqueurs there is Bailey’s Irish Cream, known the world over, and in the world of Cider, we know Bulmers, which is Magners to those of us outside of Ireland. But what of the brands we don’t know so well? Here I compile a short list of the smaller producers of drinks in Ireland that should be on your list to try.

Ballykeefe Irish Gin

There are lots of gin brands popping up all over the place, at the last count in the UK alone there were over 400 different brands, in Ireland there are two brands to really look out for. The fist on this list is from the Republic of Ireland and is Ballykeefe. This gin is not trying to be different; it is simply trying to be good, and it succeeds.  It is made in a classic style, but rather than using wheat it is made from potatoes which gives it a slightly earthy flavour. Great for a gin and tonic and excellent in a traditional martini, this is a great crisp yet flavoursome gin for all occations.

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £39.95

The Legendary Silkie Irish Whiskey

Named after the legendary Silkie water spirits of legend which shapeshifted into irresistible beings, this whiskey is made in Donegal is on the North West coast if Ireland, it is about as far away from the capital Dublin as you can go. Here lies the Sliabbliag distillery, which is relatively new, and is tiny by comparison to most other whiskey distilleries, but the liquid it produces is wonderful. It is typically Irish being very fruity and very well balanced. Easy to drink and smooth enough to have by itself yet has enough character to go well with mixers. If you’d like to try something fairly unknown but tastes great, I’d give this a go.

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £29.95

Waterford

Waterford distillery are producing its first bottle of whiskey this year, and it is going to be amazing whiskey, I have been to the distillery and tasted many of the samples. The distillery takes it’s grain for over 80 farms around Ireland and distils these grains separately. At Waterford they believe the flavour from different types of Barley and Barley from different farms tastes different. They distil all the grain in the same way and mature them in separate casks, and then take all these different whiskies to make a blend of giving a super smooth and flavoursome whiskey. In the future they are going to be creating single farm whiskies showing how different they can be and showing how the land effects the grain which in turn effects the flavour of their whiskies. Intriguing stuff!

For news of the release sign up here

Kilbeggan

This little distillery is owned by one of the largest whiskey companies in the world, Beam Suntory, and they know a thing or two about making good whiskey. However, the distillery has had a licence to distil since 1757, so Beam Suntory are continuing in a long tradition of whiskey being made in County Westmeath, the distillery closed between 1957 and 2007 because of the downturn in Irish whiskey. Kilbeggan is typically Irish by having a fruity, tropical Flavour profile. Double-distilled, the whiskey is produced from a mash of malt, barley, and about 30% rye, said to reflect the traditional practice of using rye, which was common at 19th century Irish distilleries, but has since virtually died out. So for a fruity whiskey with a peppery edge, give Kilbeggan a try.

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £26.99

Coole Swan Irish Liqueur

Coole Swan is the only Irish Cream Liqueur that combines single malt Irish whiskey, Belgian white chocolate and fresh Irish cream to deliver a distinctive, balanced, subtly sweet taste and a smooth mouthfeel throughout.Gluten free,100% natural and a low ABV - Coole Swan explores a new side of Irish cream liqueurs. Serve Coole Swan neat or over ice, but always chilled. You can also add Coole Swan to you baking, your coffee and, notably, your cocktails - the possibilities are endless with Coole Swan. The bottle, based on the design of old Victorian milk bottles, is slimline and fits easily in the fridge. Unopened Coole Swan lasts 2 years on the shelf. However, once opened place in the fridge where Coole Swan lasts for 6 months. For a very tasty, but lower alcohol Irish liqueur, Coole Swan is my strong recommendation.

ABV: 16%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £24

Jawbox

Jawbox Gin comes to us from the Ards Peninsula, on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland. This small batch gin is made with a combination of 11 botanicals, including juniper, lemon, cubeb, angelica, coriander, cassia, orris root, grains of paradise, cardamom, liquorice root and Black Mountain heather. The distillers recommend trying this with ginger ale and a squeeze of lime. If you like gin with a peppery kick up front and soft spices on the palate, this also makes a good martini.

ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £27.99

Glendalough

Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey is a single grain Irish whiskey, initially matured in American bourbon barrels before enjoying a finishing period of six months in Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks. This comes bottled at 42% ABV, brought down to this strength by Wicklow mountain water. A rather tasty release presented by Glendalough, rich in vanilla, caramel, Christmas spices and dried fruit notes. Founded in 2011, Glendalough produces whiskey and gin from a distillery in Newtownmountkennedy. It is the third-biggest premium gin brand in the country and recently signed a deal with Coca-Cola HBC Ireland to distribute its products, so we’ll be seeing more of this gin in the years to come.

ABV: 42%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £33.45

Micil Poitín

This wouldn’t be a good list of the best of Irish drinks if we didn’t include a Poitín, and this is a brilliant example. The botanicals used in Micil Irish Gin are pot distilled rather than added after distillation, and include bog myrtle, hawberry, heather, and the very same locally-picked Connemara bogbean used in Micil Irish Poitín. If you like white spirits which are complex and herbal in nature, then this is going to be right up your street.

ABV: 44%
SIZE: 700ML
Buy it now for £29.95 

If you would like to learn a little more about Irish whisey, then this article on Waterford may give you a fascinating insight into modern Irish distilling.