For those of you who enjoy a dram of the Irish here and again, you may ask yourself “what’s the story of Irish whiskey?” Some of you, like me, may wonder why Irish whiskey is such a small part of the liquor segment in general, and whiskey segment in particular, in the USA. After all, America boasts about 35 to 40 million citizens with Irish ancestry, which accounts for over 10 percent of our population. Compare that number with Ireland’s 6 million total inhabitants. So why has a country as sufficiently Irish as the United States only started to support a significant Irish whiskey consumer base in the last 10 years? You would think that Irish whiskey would be right up there in significance with Scotch and Bourbon. Why is Irish whiskey such a laggard in the brown spirits arena? To answer that question, let’s go back to the beginning and trace the rise and fall and rise again of uisce beatha.
THE BEGINNING
Firm dates are hard to come by, but it is generally accepted that Irish monks started to distill whiskey sometime in the 6th century AD. It is also generally accepted, though not by the Scottish, most likely, that the Irish exported their whiskey-making knowledge to Scotland. Over the next 1000 years, Irish whiskey became one of the leading alcoholic beverages in Europe. Fans of Irish whiskey include: Peter the Great, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Queen Elizabeth the First.
In the 1700s and 1800s Irish immigrants begin to immigrate to America in significant numbers. Both Scots-Irish Protestants and Irish Catholic immigrants bring their whiskey-making knowledge, both legally and illegally obtained, to America and Canada. Irish immigrants settle in areas like Kentucky and begin making whiskey using domestic grains and clear spring water, paving the way for America’s bourbon industry.
Irish whiskey continued to assert dominance the world over, and with the introduction of the Coffey Still in 1830, mass production becomes easier. Established Irish whiskey distillers with familiar names like Jameson and Powers send their wares out to be enjoyed by imbibers near and far.
In the mid-1800s, the potato famine causes a mass exodus of mostly Irish Catholic citizens to flee the Emerald Isle for the United States. The Irish immigrants bring with them to America a desire for their native spirit of uisce beatha (pronounced ISH-kee BA’ha). America then becomes a major market for Irish whiskey in the late 1800s and early 1900s. At this point in time, there are over 150 whiskey distilleries in Ireland and about 400 different labels of Irish whiskies available. Irish whiskey is, quite indisputably, one of the top dogs in the spirits world.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Delaware's Best Irish Pub
One of the better experiences one can have is going to a restaurant or pub that you have heard good things about and having an experience that surpasses all of your positive expectations. An even better situation is when you visit a new, completely unknown place and are so impressed that you ask, “where have you been all my life?” I had that experience with Stoney Lonen, a little place in Rehoboth Beach that may just be the best Irish pub in Delaware.
As a native Delawarean, I make my usual pilgrimages to the beach (that’s “the shore” if you’re from Jersey or Pennsylvania). I stop by Rehoboth a few times a summer and I have seen Stoney Lonen, but never had the opportunity to stop in. Their hours are limited: closed on Mon and Tues and they don’t open until 5 o’clock the other days, except Sunday when they open at 4. It always seemed that whenever I made a point to check the place out, it was closed. I actually started to get a little resentful, asking myself “who do these people think they are? I’m trying to have a spot of the ol’ uisce beatha and this friggin’ place is never open.” When I finally did make it in, I happily discovered what a gem Stoney Lonen really is.
The building itself is small, done up to resemble one of Ireland’s cottage-style pubs. Most likely the place used to be a house; many of Rehoboth’s in-town restaurants are converted homes. The exterior is painted an eye-catching green and yellow. The interior is small but cozy (and I mean cozy in the true sense, not as a realtor’s euphemism for cramped). There is the usual Irish bric-a-brac: pictures of old Eire, classic ad posters for Irish beers and whiskies. The bar is great, with dark wood and a low ceiling that invites civilized conversation rather than drunken rowdiness. The bar is relatively small, with about 10 stools and a few high top tables. It has a nice mellow atmosphere; an easy-going craic that will appeal to civilized adults looking for a quiet drink. The bartender, Chester, is a great guy. He’s the kind of bartender I like, unobtrusive but always ready with a great story when the opportunity presents itself. When my wife and I were recently there, he regaled us with all sorts of tales about his long career as a beach bartender.
What really puts Stoney Lonen over the top for me as an Irish pub is their whiskey selection. When I first walked into the place about a year ago, my eyes almost popped out of my head. The entire first shelf of the back bar was given over to Irish whiskey; 15 bottles in all, which is double what most other pubs carry. I’ve tried stuff there that I haven’t had the pleasure of drinking anywhere else. I had Connemara on my first visit (not bad, but too much peat, I call it shamrock scotch). On my recent visit I enjoyed: Tullamore 12, Jameson Gold Label, and Greenore 15. Great whiskies all, and all reasonably priced at $8 (I think a mistake was made with regard to the Greenore. Most likely the pricing is supposed to be for the standard 8 year old, not the premium 15 I was having. A good break for me). Chester was telling me that the owner deliberately set out to stock his bar with a wide variety of Irish whiskies. And it’s a fine sign for the state of Irish whiskey when a bar can carry 15 brands and still not have every Irish whiskey that’s available for purchase in Delaware. We’re a long way from “you can have any Irish whiskey you want, as long as it’s Jameson or Bushmills,” to paraphrase Henry Ford.
I’ll leave you with an anecdote that sums up why Stoney Lonen appeals to me so much When I was there on my recent visit, a customer came to the bar and asked for a higher-end scotch, something like Macallan. The bartender replied, “we don’t carry that, we’re really an Irish whiskey place.” Buddy, when I heard that I felt like yelling “Halleluiah” and dancing a jig on the bar. Finally, I found a pub that takes Irish whiskey as seriously as I do. Stoney Lonen makes me feel like less of an obsessed madman, ranting like a banshee in the wind that no one cares about uisce beatha. Well, maybe I’m still a bit of a ranting lunatic, but at least I’m not alone.
Paddy’s Grade: A
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? paddythepublican@gmail.com
As a native Delawarean, I make my usual pilgrimages to the beach (that’s “the shore” if you’re from Jersey or Pennsylvania). I stop by Rehoboth a few times a summer and I have seen Stoney Lonen, but never had the opportunity to stop in. Their hours are limited: closed on Mon and Tues and they don’t open until 5 o’clock the other days, except Sunday when they open at 4. It always seemed that whenever I made a point to check the place out, it was closed. I actually started to get a little resentful, asking myself “who do these people think they are? I’m trying to have a spot of the ol’ uisce beatha and this friggin’ place is never open.” When I finally did make it in, I happily discovered what a gem Stoney Lonen really is.
The building itself is small, done up to resemble one of Ireland’s cottage-style pubs. Most likely the place used to be a house; many of Rehoboth’s in-town restaurants are converted homes. The exterior is painted an eye-catching green and yellow. The interior is small but cozy (and I mean cozy in the true sense, not as a realtor’s euphemism for cramped). There is the usual Irish bric-a-brac: pictures of old Eire, classic ad posters for Irish beers and whiskies. The bar is great, with dark wood and a low ceiling that invites civilized conversation rather than drunken rowdiness. The bar is relatively small, with about 10 stools and a few high top tables. It has a nice mellow atmosphere; an easy-going craic that will appeal to civilized adults looking for a quiet drink. The bartender, Chester, is a great guy. He’s the kind of bartender I like, unobtrusive but always ready with a great story when the opportunity presents itself. When my wife and I were recently there, he regaled us with all sorts of tales about his long career as a beach bartender.
What really puts Stoney Lonen over the top for me as an Irish pub is their whiskey selection. When I first walked into the place about a year ago, my eyes almost popped out of my head. The entire first shelf of the back bar was given over to Irish whiskey; 15 bottles in all, which is double what most other pubs carry. I’ve tried stuff there that I haven’t had the pleasure of drinking anywhere else. I had Connemara on my first visit (not bad, but too much peat, I call it shamrock scotch). On my recent visit I enjoyed: Tullamore 12, Jameson Gold Label, and Greenore 15. Great whiskies all, and all reasonably priced at $8 (I think a mistake was made with regard to the Greenore. Most likely the pricing is supposed to be for the standard 8 year old, not the premium 15 I was having. A good break for me). Chester was telling me that the owner deliberately set out to stock his bar with a wide variety of Irish whiskies. And it’s a fine sign for the state of Irish whiskey when a bar can carry 15 brands and still not have every Irish whiskey that’s available for purchase in Delaware. We’re a long way from “you can have any Irish whiskey you want, as long as it’s Jameson or Bushmills,” to paraphrase Henry Ford.
I’ll leave you with an anecdote that sums up why Stoney Lonen appeals to me so much When I was there on my recent visit, a customer came to the bar and asked for a higher-end scotch, something like Macallan. The bartender replied, “we don’t carry that, we’re really an Irish whiskey place.” Buddy, when I heard that I felt like yelling “Halleluiah” and dancing a jig on the bar. Finally, I found a pub that takes Irish whiskey as seriously as I do. Stoney Lonen makes me feel like less of an obsessed madman, ranting like a banshee in the wind that no one cares about uisce beatha. Well, maybe I’m still a bit of a ranting lunatic, but at least I’m not alone.
Paddy’s Grade: A
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? paddythepublican@gmail.com
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