The 12 Best Irish Whiskeys to Buy Right Now
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If you’re in the market for the best Irish whiskey you can find, there are some factors to consider. The best known expressions are inexpensive blends, and while these are fine there are much more interesting options to explore. Irish whiskey has a range of styles, including single malt, single pot still and single grain, along with the aforementioned blends that can include any of these styles. The good news is that there are so many excellent choices of distilleries and brands from the Emerald Isle out there for you, so we’ve put together this list to help steer you towards some of the best bottles to buy in different categories. Happy hunting, and cheers.
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Best Overall Irish Whiskey: Redbreast 15
Irish whiskey has exploded in popularity over the past few years, with blends from well-known brands like Jameson leading the way. But for a superior drinking experience try Redbreast, a single pot still Irish whiskey made at Midleton (the same distillery that produces Jameson). “Single pot still” means the whiskey is made at one distillery in a pot still from a mash bill of malted and unmalted barley. This 15-year-old whiskey is the pinnacle expression from Redbreast, aged in bourbon and sherry casks that infuse it with rich notes of dried fruit, vanilla, spice and a bit of fruitcake on the palate.
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Best Ultra-Aged Irish Whiskey: Teeling 33 Year Old Single Malt
This ultra-aged single malt comes from Dublin distillery Teeling, which was the first to operate in the city in over a century when it opened in 2015. This 33-year-old single malt, distilled in 1983, is one of the oldest Irish whiskeys you can currently find. After a long maturation in just two bourbon barrels, it was finished in Pineau de Charentes casks and bottled at nearly 50 percent ABV. This is a lovely aged whiskey with notes of grape, dried fruit, spice, and vanilla on the palate, along with a soft touch of tannic oak.
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Best Single Malt Irish Whiskey: Bushmills 25
The most popular whiskey from Northern Ireland’s Bushmills—the oldest licensed distillery in the world—is an affordable workhorse blend. But the fact is that this distillery only produces single malt whiskey, and the core range of age statement expressions are fantastic. Scotch drinkers, take note—Irish single malt should not be ignored. This 25-year-old expression is aged in bourbon and sherry casks, blended, and then given a long 21-year finish in ruby port barrels. That last step brings a deep richness to the palate with notes of fig, almond, chocolate, and some buttery caramel.
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Best Single Grain Irish Whiskey: High N’ Wicked Foursquare
Irish single grain refers to the fact that the whiskey is made at a single distillery from a mashbill that is made up of a mixture of grains (most commonly in a column still as opposed to a pot still). Single grain is usually made with a large percentage of corn, and in this case the mashbill is 95 percent French maize and five percent malted barley, making this a lovely option for bourbon fans. This whiskey was initially aged in bourbon barrels, and then finished for six months in casks previously used to age rum from Foursquare in Barbados, one of the best rum distilleries in the world. This is a great single grain whiskey, with notes of vanilla and citrus mingling with berry, tropical fruit, caramel, and nut flavors.
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Best Cask Finished Irish Whiskey: Glendalough 7 Year Old Mizunara Cask
Glendalough claims to be the first Irish whiskey brand to use mizunara oak, and specifically wants to highlight how it affects the Irish single-malt category. This whiskey comes after 13- and 17-year-old mizunara-finished releases and stands tall with these prior bottles. After seven years in bourbon barrels and just a few months in mizunara oak, the liquid is transformed with notes of chocolate, cedar, incense and fruit on the palate.
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Best Blended Irish Whiskey: Midleton Very Rare 2023
This is another release from Midleton, and it really is the cream of the whiskey crop from that prolifici distillery. Each year a different vintage of this blend is created, and the the 2023 edition was a standout. This new edition is a blend of single grain and single pot still whiskey assembled by master distiller Kevin O’Gorman, combining lighter and heavier styles of spirit to highlight notes of fruit, cereal, toffee, honey, and floral citrus on the palate.
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Best Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey: Method and Madness Garryana Oak
Method and Madness is made at a microdistillery at the aforementioned Midleton Distillery just outside of Cork, so these whiskeys are very different from what you might expect from other brands produced there. The latest expression is a single pot still whiskey that was finished in Garryana oak from the Pacific Northwest, a type of barrel that American single malt distillery Westland is known for using. The resulting whiskey has notes of spice, tannin, dark berries, and espresso on the palate, making this a successful experiment in maturation.
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Best Cask Strength Irish Whiskey: Natterjack Cask Strength
These days it seems like everyone is looking for cask-strength whiskey–and for good reason, as drinking whiskey that has not been diluted really allows you to experience flavors that you would not get from your average 80-proof bottle. One great example of cask-strength Irish whiskey comes from Natterjack, a blend of 20 percent malted barley and 80 percent corn that was aged in bourbon barrels and finished in virgin American oak. This whiskey is a strong 63 percent ABV, but that doesn’t hide notes of citrus, honey, spice, and butterscotch on the palate. Just add a little water if you’d like to proof it down to your taste.
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Best Peated Irish Whiskey: Waterford Peated Cuvee
Mark Reynier opened this Irish distillery after his tenure as Bruichladdich CEO with a focus on the concept of terroir in whiskey—and he has the science to back him up on this. The distillery is also committed to using barley from lcoal individual farms and using organic grains as much as possible. While peated whiskey is relatively uncommon in the world of Irish whiskey, it is certainly not unheard of. This new expression, Fumo, is a blend of peated single malts from four single farm origins, revealing notes of pepper, spice, tobacco, citrus, and a soft smokiness throughout.
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Best Irish Whiskey Under $100: Green Spot
Green Spot is another whiskey produced at Midleton, but sold under the auspices of the Mitchell family. Mitchell & Son filled wine casks with whiskey and aged them in their own warehouses starting in the late 1800s, but now everything is done onsite at Midleton. Green Spot is an excellent option for less than $100, a blend of pot still whiskey aged between seven and ten years in bourbon and sherry casks. According to the brand, Mick Jagger and Daniel Day Lewis are both fans of this Irish whiskey.
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Best Irish Whiskey Under $50: The Busker Small Batch Single Pot Still
Irish single pot still whiskey is a category that continues to grow as both new and older brands release versions of this distinctly Irish style. The Busker just launched this new expression in the U.S., a whiskey made at the Royal Oak Distillery that was aged in bourbon barrels and finished in Oloroso sherry casks. It’s a tasty and affordable whiskey, with notes of green apple, caramel, peach, berry, and black pepper on the palate.
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Best Splurge Irish Whiskey: The Last Drop 32 Year Old
The Last Drop is a luxury brand known for its rare high-end spirits, the latest of which is this 32-year-old Irish single malt whiskey. This expression was blended by Louis McGuane, the founder of the excellent whiskey bonder JJ Correy. After more than three decades of maturation, a few 1991 vintage single malts were selected and put into an Oloroso sherry butt to finish. The whiskey is delicate and decadent, with notes of oak, chocolate, dark stone fruit, and tobacco on the palate—a worthwhile splurge for sure.
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FAQs
What is Irish whiskey?
There are some key requirements for a whiskey to be called Irish whiskey. It must be made on the island, either in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. It must include malted barley in the mashbill, be aged at least three years in casks, and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. The main styles of Irish whiskey are blends, single malt (made from 100 percent malted barley), pot still (made from malted and unmalted barley), and grain whiskey (made from malted barley and another cereal grain).
How should you drink Irish whiskey?
The short answer is however you like it. There is no wrong or right way to enjoy Irish whiskey. If you prefer cocktails, there are plenty of options and certain whiskeys go well with other ingredients. But consider trying Irish whiskey on its own as well to explore the flavors. A Glencairn glass is a good way to nose and taste it neat, and some people like to add a splash of water. A tumbler works just fine if you’d like to add some ice. Just remember to drink it in the way that you like best.
How did we choose the whiskeys on this list?
We considered different factors when picking these whiskies, with the emphasis being on taste. Because after all, despite a bottle’s availability or the hype surrounding it, that is the most important thing. Tasting Irish whiskey involves a combination of sensations, including the nose, palate, mouthfeel, and finish. And each category has different characteristics, so part of the process is to consider how an individual pick fits into its style overall. The bottles on this list represent the best Irish whiskeys based on all of these options, providing a good overview of selections you can easily purchase in person or online that are good examples of each individual category.
Why should you trust us?
Jonah Flicker has been writing about whiskey and other spirits for nearly a decade, visiting distilleries around the world to meet the people behind the bottles and find out more about their stories. He is a judge for the John Barleycorn Awards and the New York World Wine and Spirits Competition, and his work has appeared in many national other lifestyle outlets besides Robb Report, including Esquire, Food & Wine, Men’s Journal, CNN, USA Today and more.
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