best irish whiskey

The history of whiskey is a little murky; no one knows when it was produced, although it is thought that manufacture began somewhere in the twelfth century. Irish whisky is whiskey made from barley. Irish whisky is similar to Scotch whiskey in that its components and formulation vary somewhat. It's worth noting that Irish whisky is spelled differently. When malting Irish whiskey, humate is never added, resulting in a smoother, sweeter taste. Most Irish whisky whiskies lack the smokey, earthy characteristics of Scotch.

The Irish invented whiskey, according to popular belief; nonetheless, it is thought that the Scots invented it. If "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," then "perfection is on the tongue of the glass bearer," and so on. In other words, it is a personal preference. The term whisky is derived from the Irish Gaelic expression "uisce beatha," which translates as "life's water" ("uisce" is pronounced ish-ka).

There are fewer whiskey distilleries than there are Scotch distilleries. Economic challenges in recent centuries have resulted in a wide range of mergers and closures. Currently, just three distilleries operate across Ireland (although everyone produces a variety of various whiskies.) Whiskey, like Scotch, comes in a variety of flavors. There is a single malt whisky that is 100% malt barley and grain, similar to Scotch whisky.

Grain whiskey has a much lighter and more neutral flavor than single malt and is almost never bottled as a single grain. It is more commonly mixed with single malt to produce a lighter blended whiskey. Pure pot still whisky (100 depending on, each malt and unmalted, distilled in a pot still) is seldom peculiar to Irish whisky making and something that scotch has never followed. The "green" unmalted barley imparts a peppery, characteristic Irish flavor to the pure pot still whiskey. Pure pot still, like single malt, is offered separately or in combination with grain whiskey.

Whiskey is said to be one of Europe's first distilled beverages, dating back to the mid-12th century. The former Bushmills works also claim to be the world's oldest legal distillery, having obtained a license in 1608.