spirit o the mo th Irish whiskey

The past few years have seen a renaissance in Irish whiskey, with distilleries expanding from just four to more than 30 and counting in the space of 10 years, producing some of the world’s best spirits.

The lowdown

All Irish whiskey must be aged for a minimum of three years in wooden casks (such as oak) on the island of Ireland. There are currently four categories in Irish whiskey:

Single malt: made by one distillery, distilling 100% malted barley in a pot still. Typically giving notes of toasted oak, biscuits and malt chocolate.

Single grain: made by one distillery, distilling no more than 30% malted barley with the majority unmalted cereals (usually corn, wheat or barley) and distilled in a column still. This style gives light floral notes of sweet grain and honey.

Single pot still: made by one distillery, distilled from a minimum of 30% malted barley and a minimum of 30% unmalted barley with up to 5% cereals added. This is classed as the most traditional style of Irish whiskey. It’s classically a heavier style with flavours that can range from baking spices and vanilla to rich Christmas cake.

Blended: a combination of two or more styles of Irish whiskey blended together. A very exciting classification of whiskey which allows brands space to create stunning blends.

Another point to remember is that, while a lot of brands triple distil their whiskey, it is not a legal requirement, and is instead a style that adds to the adventurous nature of the category. Not sure where to start? Try Teeling Single Grain Whiskey (£41.75 (70cl), The Whiskey Exchange). A corn-heavy tripledistilled Irish whiskey aged in French oak ex-cabernet sauvignon casks from California, expect sweet marmalade flavours and a dry red wine finish. For more on Irish whiskey, visit

Omagazine.com.