Return to site

Single Malt Irish Whiskey 101

The Daily Shot! August 2, 2018

In the mood to try an Irish Whiskey that resembles a scotch? It would be wise to ask the bartender for an Irish Single Malt.

Single Malt Irish Whiskey is made from malted barley and water in pot stills from a single distillery. The Single refers to the spirit being produced at one distillery.

Thanks for definition Einstein, so what makes it unique?!

What separates Irish Single Malt from a Single Pot is the absence of unmalted barley during distillation. The use malted barley (only) was the original recipe for Irish Whiskey. A divergence to umalted barley occurred as a result of the late 1700’s tax on malt.

Single Malt is a homage to the original Irish Whiskies plus an added kicker: multiple pot stills commonly used during the distillation process. Double and triple distillation is a dominant, distinguishing operating practice in Ireland. The additional distillations runs strip out compounds to produce a lighter, smoother whiskey. For those new to tasting whiskey, it can be easier on the palate than Scotch.

broken image

The strict use of malted barley aligns with many of the components of a Single Malt Scotch. Notably, a Single Malt produced in Speyside region where unpeated Scotch is common. Yes, peated Irish Whiskies are in the market just not as common...

Single Malt Irish Whiskies to know: Bushmill Single Malt, Teeling Single Malt, Tyrconnell Single Malt, West Cork Distillers Single Malt, Connemara Single Malt

Note the labels above have other Whiskey types associated with each label. Ask the bartender specifically for the Single Malt! Otherwise you will likely end up with the Irish Blended version as they tend to be more popular.

Boom! Another shot of knowledge!