The History of Irish Whiskey: Part 1

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.