I – like Irish Whiskey
What is Irish whiskey?
Irish whiskey is a spirit that is produced on the island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland. In accordance with the provisions of EU Regulation 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the Council, it is distilled from a mash of malted cereals, which may contain whole grains of other cereals. The following conditions must also be met:
The mash was
- saccharified by the diastase of the malt it contains, with or without other natural enzymes;
- fermented by the action of yeast;
- distilled with an alcohol content of less than 94.8% by volume in such a way that the distillate has an aroma and flavour derived from the ingredients used.
The final distillate must mature for at least three years in wooden casks, e.g. made of oak, with a maximum capacity of 700 litres. Only water and simple caramel colouring (caramel) may be added to matured whiskey.
Who ensures that these regulations are complied with?
On the island, the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) takes great care to ensure that only products produced and labelled in accordance with the Irish Whiskey Product Specification can be marketed and sold as Irish Whiskey. The IWA plays a similarly important role as the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) in Scotland, the local regulatory authority for Scotch whisky.
Which whisky styles are represented in Ireland?
There are different Irish styles such as Irish Malt Whiskey, Irish Grain Whiskey and Irish Blended Whiskey, which follow the corresponding definitions of the Scottish bottlings. Irish pot still whiskey is a unique style that can only be found in Ireland. The vast majority of Irish whiskies are triple-distilled, mild and not smoky. They are made with grain that has been dried with hot air and not dried over peat smoke.
What is Irish single malt whiskey?
This is a malt whiskey that is made exclusively from malted barley and comes from a single Irish distillery. As in Scotland, Irish malt whiskey is also distilled in batches in traditional pot stills, but usually three times. A typical representative of an unpeated, triple-distilled Irish single malt whiskey is Bushmills 16 year old. In contrast, Connemara single malt Irish whiskey is only distilled twice in pot stills and is made from malted barley that has previously been kilned over peat smoke.
What is Irish grain whiskey?
Irish grain whiskey is made from a variety of grains, including corn, wheat, barley, oats and rye. The choice of grain type is often determined by the current price, with the cheapest option being chosen for whiskey production. A small amount of around 5 to 10 per cent malted barley is added to the grain, as it contains the enzymes required to convert the starch contained in the grains into sugar during mashing, which can then be fermented. Irish grain whiskey is also triple distilled in large columns, known as column stills or Coffey stills.
A well-known representative of a single Irish grain whiskey is the one produced by the Kilbeggan distillery.
What is Irish pot still whiskey?
Irish pot still whiskey is a unique style that can only be found in Ireland. It is distilled from a mash consisting of a mixture of at least 30 per cent each of malted and unmalted barley and a maximum of 5 per cent of other unmalted grains such as oats and rye. Saccharification is carried out by the grain’s own enzymes either alone or together with added natural enzymes. The fermented mash is distilled in pot stills, whereby triple distillation is traditionally used, although double distillation is also possible. If this type of whiskey comes from just one distillery, it is known as Irish single pot still whiskey, such as Redbreast 15 year old.
What makes Irish pot still whiskey so special?
At the beginning of the 19th century, when taxes on malt were increased, Irish distilleries simply added the cheaper, unmalted barley to the mash of malted barley in order to save on taxes. That didn’t do the whiskey any harm. After the resulting distillate was matured in wooden casks, the result was a full-bodied, oily whiskey with an increased proportion of fatty acids. The addition of oats should give the whiskey an additional spicy flavour. In October 2021, the IWA proposed changes to the product specification for Irish whiskey. Among other things, it provides for an extension of the definition of pot still Irish whiskey by allowing the use of up to 30 per cent of other grains, in particular oats, wheat or rye. This would more accurately reflect the traditional grain recipes (mash bills) of Irish pot still whiskey.
What is Irish Blended Whiskey?
As in Scotland, this Irish whiskey category is made from a blend of various matured malt and grain distillates. Jameson is a very popular Irish blended whiskey. This mild, triple-distilled whiskey is the best-selling Irish whiskey in the world.
How many Irish distilleries are there?
Towards the middle of the 19th century there were 88 licensed distilleries on the island of Ireland. However, the separation from Great Britain and Prohibition in America at the beginning of the 20th century led to a drastic decline in demand for Irish whiskey and a distillery decline from which the industry did not recover for a long time. Until the mid-1980s, there were only two Irish whiskey distilleries. This number rose to eight by 2014. But then the tide began to turn. In recent years, the whisky industry in Ireland has experienced remarkable growth. In 2016, 17 distilleries were already active, and today there are more than 40. Irish whiskey is currently considered the fastest growing spirits category in the world.
Does St. Kilian also have an Irish whiskey in its range?
No, of course we can’t produce authentic Irish whiskey in Rüdenau. Nevertheless, we like to refer to our whiskies that come from a distillate in which the reflux condenser, i.e. the additional cooling coil in the lyne arm of our spirit still, has been switched on to full power, as “Irish style”. This maximum reflux means that our spirit is “multiple distilled”, so to speak, and ensures a smooth new make. Examples of this are the signature edition ELEVEN and the single cask bottling “Irish Style”, which were released in autumn 2022 and spring 2024 respectively.
