Food + Drink
As the name might suggest, Irish whiskey must be made on the island of Ireland. But you can’t just throw a bunch of ingredients together, age it for a few days, and call it Irish whiskey just because you happen to live in Dublin.
To be called Irish whiskey, a spirit must: – Be distilled in the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland from a mash of cereals. – Contain at least some portion of malted grain. – Be fermented by yeast. – Be distilled at an alcoholic strength of less than 94.8% ABV in wooden casks not larger than 700 liters for at least three years in the State or Northern Ireland. – Maintain the flavor of whiskey. – Be bottled at no less than 40% ABV. – Be free of additives other than water and caramel coloring.
Single malt Irish whiskey is made from 100% malted barley, comes from a single distillery, and is distilled in a pot still. It’s smooth and mellow.
Pot still Irish whiskey — also known as single pot still — contains a minimum of 30% malted barley and 30% unmalted barley and must be distilled in copper pot stills.