Top 10 Irish whiskeys for St. Patrick’s Day
Looking across a multitude of price ranges and categories, we bring you a comprehensive list of award-winning Irish whiskeys to toast the patron saint of Ireland this St. Patrick’s Day.
This is our selection of the top 10 award-winning Irish whiskeys to celebrate St. Patrick’s DayEach year in The Spirits Business’s Irish Whiskey Masters, a panel of expert judges blind taste an array of variants representing different price points and subcategories within the industry.
The Irish Whiskey Masters 2015 in particular demonstrated the diversity and heightened quality in the sector, with an abundance of Masters and Gold medals awarded to worthy brands.
As St. Patrick’s Day (17 March) approaches, we have handpicked a number of medalists from the latest Irish Whiskey Masters to give revelers some high quality spirits alternatives to Guinness.
Although it has long played second fiddle to its Celtic cousin Scotch, Irish whiskey is now one of the most exciting and rapidly growing categories in spirits. And as consumer knowledge in the sector grows, interest is diversifying away from the leading blends to single malts, single grains and single pot still variants.
Click trough the following pages to discover the top 10 award-winning Irish whiskeys for St. Patrick’s Day.
Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve
Medal: Master
Price: US$119.00
Sitting at the top end of category leader Jameson’s range is this 18-year-old blend, ideal for the whiskey connoisseur. Matured in handpicked European and American oak casks, the “rare” expression is finished in first-fill Bourbon barrels, providing a full flavour of vanilla, wood, spice and toffee. Judges at our Irish Whiskey Masters praised the whiskey for its “delicate, soft and tropical palate” and “delightful” finish. “This is a hefty, fascinating dram worthy of the world stage”, they said.
Glendalough 7 Year Old
Medal: Master
Price: US$64.00
Produced by Glendalough Irish Whiskey, said to be Ireland’s “first craft whiskey distillery”, this whiskey was entered into the Single Malt: Super Premium category of The Irish Whiskey Masters 2015. Described by the judges as having “incredible complexity” with a “hot, elusive apricot note” on the nose and flavour of “pistachio and dried fruit”, Glendalough 7 Year Old was given the coveted accolade of Irish Whiskey Taster Master 2015. The Bourbon barrel-aged whiskey was re-tasted at the end of the competition along with the other Master medalists and was deemed by judges to be the ‘best in class’ in terms of taste. Co-founded by former Ireland rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll in 2011, Glendalough is based in County Wicklow and previously sourced liquid for its whiskeys from Beam Suntory.
Redbreast 12 Year Old
Medal: Master
Price: US$58.00
Produced by Irish Distillers’ Midleton Distillery, Redbreast is regarded by critics as one of the foremost examples of excellence in the single pot still Irish whiskey category. In typical Redbreast style, this 12-year-old expression is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, tripled distilled in copper pot stills and aged in oloroso Sherry casks, giving a trademark Christmas cake character.
Teeling Poitín
Medal: Master
Price: £39.00
Not an Irish whiskey of course, but for those looking for a something a little different to toast St. Patrick with, why not try a dram of ‘Irish moonshine’? Poitín was outlawed in Ireland for more than 300 years, but is now rapidly growing in popularity since being made legal in 1997. Judges described master medal-winner Teeling Poitín, as “extremely interesting” with an “unbelievably intense flavour”. The 61.5% abv variant is a blend of new make Irish spirit distilled from malted barley in copper pot stills and from maize distilled in column stills.
Tullamore Dew Cider Cask Finish
Medal: Gold
Price: US$60.00
Last year, William Grant & Sons launched what is thought to be the world’s first Irish whiskey finished in a cider cask. Awarded a Gold medal in the competition, limited edition Tullamore Dew Cider Cask is the result of ageing the triple blend Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey in Bourbon barrels that previously held pressed Irish apples for “several months”, allowing them to ferment. Due to the seasonal nature of the Irish apple harvest, Tullamore Dew Cider Cask Finish has limited production and is made only between September and November each year. Certainly an interesting proposition in Irish whiskey.
2 Gingers Whiskey
Medal: Gold
Price: US$20.00
Beam Suntory’s 2 Gingers Whiskey won a Gold medal in the Blended: Premium round of The Irish Whiskey Masters 2015, showing that quality is available at every price point in the category. The brand, which is twice distilled and aged for four years, was praised by judges for its “archetypically Irish nose”. Originally available only in Minnesota and later the Midwest of the United States, 2 Gingers rolled out across the country in 2014 – one year after Beam acquired the brand from Kieran Folliard. Since its launch in 2011, 2 Gingers has been produced at the Kilbeggan distillery in Ireland, under a supply contract with Cooley.
The Irishman Cask Strength
Medal: Gold
Price: US$144.00
Praised by judges for its “firecracker palate”, The Irishman Cask Strength is described as Ireland’s “most exclusive whiskey”. Each year, Bernard Walsh, founder of brand-owner the Walsh Whiskey Distillery Co., selects a handful of “exceptional casks” to bottle at cask strength and sell under The Irishman label. At US$144.48, this limited edition, small batch offering is one of the most expensive Irish whiskeys available on the market. Until liquid from the new Walsh Whiskey Distillery is ready, The Irishman whiskey is sourced from Midleton.
Green Spot Single Pot Still
Medal: Gold
Price: US$51.00
Another worthy medalist from Irish Distillers is Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish whiskey. A firm favourite among whiskey enthusiasts, the no-age-statement expression contains liquid aged between seven and 10 years, matured in a combination of new Bourbon and refill Bourbon, along with Sherry casks. Green Spot Château Léoville Barton also performed strongly at The Irish Whiskey Masters 2015, bagging a Silver medal. Released in June last year, the expression is thought to be the first single pot still Irish whiskey finished in Bordeaux wine casks. After being aged in a mix of ex-Oloroso Sherry, ex-Bourbon and new American oak barrels, the whiskey is transferred into ex-Bordeaux wine casks from Château Léoville Barton to age for between 12 and 24 months.
The Quiet Man
Medal: Gold
Price: US$40.00
Thought to be the first Irish whiskey bottled in Derry is 100 years, The Quiet Man was awarded a Gold medal in the competition. The whiskey is created using a high malt percentage, giving a “mellow and ultra-smooth finish”, and is finished in first-fill Bourbon casks. Last year brand producer Niche Drinks was given planning permission to build Derry’s first Irish whiskey distillery in 200 years, which will create liquid for The Quiet Man.
Teeling Single Grain
Medal: Gold
Price: US$51.00
The single grain Irish whiskey category may be niche, but it can certainly hold its own against the established single malt players in the taste stakes. Teeling Single Grain is a unique bottling of non chill-filtered corn whiskey aged in Californian Cabernet Sauvignon barrels and bottled at 46% abv. At the time of its release in 2013, the expression became only the second commercially available single grain whiskey from Ireland, joining Cooley Distillery’s Greenore. It was praised by judges for its “sweet nose” and “pronounced raw wood influence”.
