Tasting Irish whiskey
Irish whiskey is often sold on one word: smooth. That undersells it. The category holds four distinct styles, including one found almost nowhere else. Here is how to taste them and what to look for.
What makes a whiskey Irish
Irish whiskey must be distilled and matured on the island of Ireland, which includes Northern Ireland. It must spend at least three years in wooden casks and be bottled at 40% ABV or more. Our guide to the rules that define Irish whiskey covers the detail.
Within those rules sit four styles:
- Single malt. Malted barley only, pot stills, one distillery.
- Single grain. Mostly cereals such as maize or wheat, column stills, one distillery.
- Single pot still. A mix of malted and unmalted barley, pot stills, one distillery.
- Blended. Two or more of the styles above, mixed.
Blends are what you will most often see on Indian shelves. The other three are worth seeking out.
Single pot still is the style to know
Single pot still is the most distinctly Irish style. Using raw, unmalted barley alongside malt goes back to the nineteenth century, when malt was taxed and distillers stretched it with unmalted grain. The habit became a style.
Unmalted barley gives a thick, oily, almost creamy mouthfeel and a spicy, peppery edge. Expect green apple, pear, a little ginger and baking spice over a rich body. If you have brewed with raw barley or flaked grains, you will recognise that grainy, viscous character. Our guide to single pot still Irish whiskey goes deeper.
Why Irish whiskey often tastes smooth
Many Irish distillers distil three times rather than the two that is usual for Scotch malt. It is common practice, not a legal requirement. A third distillation produces a lighter, cleaner spirit at a higher strength, with fewer of the heavy compounds that come through in a double distilled spirit.
Most Irish whiskey is also unpeated, so there is no smoke to fight through. Add a large share of light grain whisky in the blends and you get the soft, easy profile the category is known for. Smooth, in this case, means light body, no smoke and low harshness. It does not mean bland. A good Irish whiskey still has plenty to find.
Set up a four style flight
If you can find them, the ideal flight is one of each style at a similar strength, around 40 to 46%. Pour 15 ml of each into identical tulip glasses. Keep still water and plain crackers on the table.
Taste in this order: single grain, blend, single malt, single pot still. That moves from lightest to heaviest. For each one, note:
- Nose: fruit, cereal, oak, spice.
- Texture: thin, silky, oily.
- Finish: short or long, sweet or dry.
Most people find the grain whiskey light and sweet, the single malt fruity and malty and the pot still the most textured and spicy. The blend sits in between, which is exactly what it was designed to do.
The casks behind the flavour
Much Irish whiskey matures in ex-bourbon barrels, which add vanilla, honey and coconut. Sherry casks bring dried fruit and nuttiness. Irish producers also finish whiskey in other casks such as port, rum or wine to add a final layer. Our guide to the history of Irish whiskey explains how the industry shrank and then grew again, which shaped what is on the shelf today.
When a finish is involved, try to taste the whiskey before and after the finish if both exist. You learn quickly how much the second cask adds and whether it masks the spirit or complements it.
Irish whiskey with food
The light, fruity profile of most Irish whiskey makes it friendly at the table. A blend or single grain with soda sits well alongside fried snacks such as pakoras or a plate of chilli paneer, where the bubbles and sweetness cut the oil. The richer single pot still style can stand up to a mutton curry or a smoky kebab, its spice meeting the spice in the food.
Treat pairings as suggestions to test, not rules. The useful habit is to taste the whiskey alone first, then with a bite, then alone again. Note what each changes in the other.
Pacing a flight
Four 15 ml pours add up to 60 ml of whiskey, the same as a large peg. That is plenty for one evening. Sip water between each, eat something first and spit if you plan to taste more. Nobody drives home from a tasting.
Good tasting is about attention, not volume. The trick professionals use is to nose for longer than they sip. By the third or fourth glass, a palate that has not been trained starts to blur. A trained one keeps finding differences, because it knows what it is looking for.
Your first step
Find one bottle of single pot still Irish whiskey, even a miniature. Taste it next to the Irish blend you already know. Note the difference in texture first, before flavour. That oily weight is the clearest single sign of the style. Once you have felt it, you will recognise it anywhere.
Common questions
What are the four types of Irish whiskey?
Single malt, single grain, single pot still and blended. Each has its own grain and still rules.
Is all Irish whiskey triple distilled?
No. Triple distillation is common in Ireland but it is not required by law. Some Irish whiskey is distilled twice.
What does single pot still Irish whiskey taste like?
It is made from malted and unmalted barley, which gives an oily, creamy texture with spice, green apple and pear.
