Irish whisky is considered one of the world’s greatest types of whisky. Made in Ireland and shipped worldwide, it has a characteristic smoothness that distinguishes it from scotch or bourbon. There are four main styles of Irish whisky, single malt, single grain, blended and pot still. Each is made of a different type of grain and distilled differently.
Single malt
Single malt whisky is made of 100 percent malted barley. Depending on the manufacturer, it is either double or triple distilled, and is aged in oak barrels for at least three years.
Single grain
Single grain whisky is a lesser-known type of Irish whisky. It is from a grain other than barley, such as wheat, and is only distilled once.
Blended
This is the most popular type of Irish whisky. It is a blend of the other three types of Irish whisky – single malt, single grain and pot still.
Pot still
Pot Still whisky is the only whisky that is uniquely Irish. It is a mixture of malted and unmalted barley and other grains and cereals such as oats.
The best way to enjoy Irish whisky
Drinking it neat
The consensus among whisky drinkers is that the best way to enjoy any whisky is to drink it neat. This means consuming it without anything added. Irish Whisky is smooth, often with hints of vanilla, and is considered softer than other whiskies. This makes it pleasant to drink by itself and a good place for new whisky drinkers to begin.
Adding water
If you find drinking Irish whisky neat a little too much, you can try adding water to dilute it. You can also drink whisky ‘on the rocks’, which means adding ice to it. Your drink will start off stronger and dilute more and more as the ice melts.
In Cocktails
When making cocktails with Irish whisky, consider adding flavours like citrus, especially lemon and orange, and honey.
In coffee
Irish coffee is a caffeinated alcoholic drink that is made of a combination of hot coffee, Irish whisky, sugar and cream. It is especially popular around christmastime.