Whisky · Region · Reference page
Ireland
Irish whiskey is a geographical indication for the whole island of Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom). Pot still whiskey, made from malted and unmalted barley, is its distinctive style.
Character
Pot still, malt, grain and blended whiskeys; triple distillation is traditional; casks that held sherry, port, Madeira or bourbon are widely used.
Irish whiskey in law
The technical file for Irish whiskey requires all production stages up to and including maturation to take place on the island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland. It defines four varieties: pot still, malt, grain and blended. Bottling may take place elsewhere, but the whiskey may not leave the island in wooden casks.
History
The Annals of Connacht mention "water of life" under 1405. After the Excise Act of 1823 the number of Irish distilleries rose from 40 to 79 by 1830, and Irish distillers were early users of Coffey's still, although the Dublin houses kept to pot stills. Numbers then fell, to 30 by 1900; the technical file links the twentieth-century collapse to the First World War, US Prohibition, the Irish wars and the 1932 trade war, and records six distilleries left by 1953.
How it connects
Style
- related Irish whiskey
- related Irish pot still whiskey
Story
- story A history of whisky
Recipe
- origin Irish white soda bread
History
- event-in Excise Act 1823
- related US Prohibition
Continue exploring
- CountryIreland8 entries in the atlas so far
- RecipeIrish white soda breadIreland
- StoryA history of whiskyScotland, United Kingdom
- StyleIrish whiskeyProtected name
- StoryFrom juniper water to London ginSchiedam, the Dutch genever town, Netherlands
- HistoryExcise Act 18231823
- HistoryUS Prohibition1920-1933
- StyleIrish pot still whiskeyLegal category
IngredientBarleyHordeum vulgare- MethodMaltingMalting