Today’s Irish Whiskies, While Fewer in Number,
Are Making Names for Themselves
By Charles Cowdery
Fact: Irish whiskey is the most underrated and overlooked whiskey. Generally, it is more palatable and smoother than its counterparts from Scotland, Canada and the United States, yet it rarely sits in the spotlight on a bar shelf.
Ireland dominated the whiskey market a century ago. Ireland, thought by some to be the birthplace of whiskey, now sells a very small fraction of the whiskies in the world.
It is a sad statistic that at one time there were dozens of distilleries in Ireland producing whiskey, because today there are only three active distilleries in Ireland producing whiskey for the public: Bushmills, Midleton and Cooley. The Bushmills and the Midleton distilleries both are producers for Pernod Ricard, and together they form the Irish Distillers group.
Serving Irish Whiskey
For your bar, try Irish whiskey flights. Vodka flights are everywhere, so jump on the bandwagon. What better way is there for patrons to experience a spirit than to enjoy three to five 1- to 2-ounce tastes of whiskey? And, offer a bottle of mineral water or a stout with each flight.
Cooley
Cooley is very young and independent distillery; it was purchased privately in the 1980s and has struggled to stay in business while maintaining its independence.
It was great to see them pull 11 medals at last year’s International Wine and Spirit Competition in London.
Cooley’s distillation techniques very much resemble those of Scotch whiskey. The company distills its spirit twice, and as with scotch, Cooley’s uses peat-smoked malt in some of its product. Cooley’s Tyrconnell Single Malt and Lockes 8 Year Old both won Gold metals, and the Connemara peated single malt managed to win two gold metals.
Bushmills Bushmills Distillery is the oldest licensed whiskey producer in the world. Bushmills states 1608 on the license as well as on all the bottles.
The portfolio ranges from the smooth “white bush” original to the rare Millennium malt 1975, which is difficult to find. Somewhere in between those two, you will find the distinctive Black Bush and the 21 Year Old Rare, which is available every year in limited number.
Midelton
Of the three distilleries, Midleton is the largest. It produces most of the brands we usually see in the States: Jameson, Tullamore Dew, Powers, Paddy’s and Murphy’s.
The company also produces some fine Whiskies you probably have not heard of, such as Readbreast 12 Year Old. This is a rare traditionally made pot still whiskey that is prized by whiskey enthusiasts. These name brands once were produced at their own distilleries, but all consolidated when faced with the changing times. Jameson is the most popular Irish whiskey in the U.S. market, and their basic product is aged a minimum of seven years. Only recently available in the states, Jameson Gold is a complex and smooth blend of whiskeys. John Power & Son is the most popular Irish whiskey in Ireland.
Irish Whiskey in the News
The legend and lore of Irish whiskey is established, and so is its on-premise presence. However, for being a time-tested spirit, the category still is garnering some considerable buzz among consumers today. Recently, Great Spirits participated in the 17th Annual American Century Golf Tournament, held in Lake Tahoe, Nev. More than 80 sports superstars and celebrities participated, and Great Spirits President and CEO Mark Andrews IV and Knappogue Castle Whiskey spent three days meeting and greeting these stars in the Celebrity Product Showcase Room. Andrews spoke individually about Knappogue to each and every celebrity and gave them a bottle of Knappogue Castle 1994 along with a Knappogue Castle golf towel. As a special bonus, Andrews also offered the celebrity a taste of Knappogue Castle 1951.
Among the some of the celebrities participating were the following: Donald Trump, Cheech Marin, Charles Barkley, John Elway, Mike Shanahan, Stone Phillips and Ahmad Rashad.
The recent publicity has helped to spotlight the Irish whiskey category, and this recent buzz also is something bar and club owners can share with guests and potential patrons to potentially boost category sales.
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Charles K. Cowdery is the author of “Bourbon, Straight: The Uncut and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey,” as well as an expert in the field of whisky and whiskey. For more information, visit his site at http://home.netcom.com/~cowdery/ or e-mail him at
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Bushmills Distillery is the oldest licensed whiskey producer in the world. Bushmills states 1608 on the license as well as on all the bottles. 
