another clue what Irish whiskey might be.

http://www.irishwhiskeynotes.com/2010/03/new-whiskeys-from-kilbeggan.html

“Once the mash tuns are in place, the distillery plans, according to manager Brian Quinn, to try out the old Locke’s mashbill of 60% malted barley, 35% unmalted barley and 5% oats.”

Back to the roots!

Greetings
kallaskander

I have been told the limited availability has something to do with Pernod-Ricards concern over biting into their own market share. Sell one more bottle of Paddy, sell one less bottle of JJ.

Do you have to know how a product is made? I think it is enough to judge it by its characteristics (taste)….

To be blunt I think Irish whiskey is a sad shell of its former self. Yes there are still some great whiskies coming from that Island, but with only 3, some might say 4 distilleries, Ireland is a land that has lost touch with its whiskey distilling roots! Regardless of the reasons for its contraction in the 20th century–Irish Civil War, the Great Depression, Prohibition and others–the Irish whiskey industry has become separated from place, tradition and history. Bushmills is the only Irish whisky which has managed to keep its identity, and to me it is the only one which still has an authentic feel. The iconic brands distilled at Middleton are just that, brands, brands produced by one distillery under one roof. Yes there are different styles, the names of long lost distilleries persist, and some of the traditional techniques have been preserved but much more has been lost.

Whereas in Ireland there are only 3 active full time distilleries, there are over 100 in Scotland. To me this is the most striking fact. Scotland has done a much better job of protecting its tradition and heritage with respect to distilling (whether by design or not). There is a sense of mystique and place about the Scottish distilleries and their whiskies that those of Ireland have mostly lost.

It’s great to see what’s being done at Cooley, and I wish them the best of luck with Kilbeggan too. Hopefully we will see a return to Ireland’s distilling roots; the creation of new distilleries and the revival of some old ones. Short of that all we have to look forward to is another brand from the same “not so old” distillery!

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson
Calgary, Canada

not so much a missed opportunty but common sense. Poitin is an undeclared illicit distilled whiskey same as moonshine.

There is no way to bottle it and bring it ot the shelves in stores. As soon as it is taxed it is no longer poitin.

When the state took care of taxing potin the taxed spirit was called “parliament whiskey” in Ireland to make a difference from the real stuff.

You know, freedom an whiskey gang tagither.

As for Cooley and the question of defining or re-defining whiskey…

If you ask John Tealing he will probably tell you the story how IDL and her French mother tried to prevent him from starting Cooley.
With their monopole on everything in connection with Irish whiskey from distillers equipment to the barley market John was not able to obtain even the smallest item you need to start a distillery.

So he looked to Scotland. So much that he hired a Scottish master distiller. Soon after he had established Cooley IDL appeared at his doorstep with wallet in the hands and wanted to buy him out. Irish pride and the Irish anti trust legislation prevented that.

In the aftermath of all that Cooley took to calling ther malts made in the Scottish style “pure pot still whiskey” to emphasize that they were made in pot stills – and probavly to create confusion I am afraid.

And they opened the bottle of questions concerning the definition of Irish whiskey.

If a whisky is ACE’d in a wine barrel or uses a special stave does it go outside the boundaries? For me, no it does not because the base distilled material is 100% grain derived. That’s just me in terms of whisk(e)y. I’m all for a simple definition of what a country and its distillers decide. Less to memorize in regard giving a broad definition to a region’s style, but then again a lot more to memorize for each specific distillery. I’m all for innovation so long as what ends up in my glass is tasty and worth the price.

As for Irish whiskey, I don’t see any problem with there being no defined style as long as the quality continues to increase and more variety becomes available. I love variety.