March 17 marks St Patrick’s Day, that one day of the year when everyone has an excuse to get a little Irish and sink some Guinness. But if all you did was stick to the stout, you’d be missing out on one of the world’s great spirits — Irish whiskey.
Not so long ago in Australia, there use to be only a few bottlings of Irish whiskey you could get your hands on. That’s no longer the case, and to help you navigate these tasty waters, here’s a roundup of nine great Irish whiskey options and where to get them.
The Tyrconnell Irish Whiskey
The Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey is produced by the Cooley distillery, and is a single malt Irish whiskey. Notes of marzipan up front, with a light spice, cinnamon and clove, following through to a creamy palate..
CCA
Redbreast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey
A complex, spicy and druity nose with toasted wood notes; on the palate, it is full flavoured and complex, with a good balance of spicy, creamy, fruity, sherry and toasted notes leading to a long complex finish.
Pernod Ricard
Writers Tears Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Writer’s Tears is an un-chill filtered pure pot still Irish whiskey that salutes the great Irish writers of history. Honey and concentrated marmalade on the nose with citrus hints, it is viscous and smooth with noticeable malt character and a finishing kick of ginger.
island2island
Jameson Caskmates Irish Whiskey
This new whiskey sees Jameson whiskey matured in ex-stout barrels. There’s aromas of hay, apple and pear, hazelnut and milk chocolate; a subtle hops and chocolate character on the palate with marzipan and charred oak flavours, leading to a long and sweet finish with character of milk chocolate and butterscotch.
Pernod Ricard
Tullamore D.E.W. Special Reserve 12 Year Old
Tullamore D.E.W. combines all three types of Irish whiskey and is triple distilled — the sweet softness of grain whiskey, soft spice from the pot still and citrus from the malt leads to a complex flavour profile.
William Grant & Sons
Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey
The dark colouring is a result of maturing for up to seven years in Spanish oloroso sherry casks and sweet bourbon barrels. On the palate‚ this 80% malt whiskey floats across the tongue to deliver dark‚ velvety fruity notes right through to the back of your throat.
island2island
Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey
This is a mildly peated single malt coming out of the Cooley distillery. Peated whiskey is a style of whiskey that was more prevalent in Ireland before the 1900s. Featuring a good balance between malt and peat, with honey and creamy characters coming through.
CCA
Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey
A blend of triple distilled single malt whiskey with a lighter Irish grain whiskey, this is an approachable whiskey with a rich‚ warming taste of fresh fruit and vanilla.
island2island
Green Spot Irish Whiskey
A single pot still Irish whiskey, it is comprised of pot still whiskeys aged between 7 and 10 years. Matured in new and used bourbon casks as well as sherry butts, it features complex aromas of aromatic oils, orchard fruits and spices with a full bodied taste of toasted oak, green apples and subtle hints of clove, finishing on a note of sweet barley.
Pernod Ricard