Once Irish Whisky was as popular as Scotch Whisky and there were many distilleries in Ireland supplying this great demand. Today though only three working distilleries remain - Bushmill's, Midleton and the independant Cooley. The main difference between Irish Whisky and Scotch whisky is that Irish whiskies are often (but not always) distilled three times, thus making them generally regarded as smoother tasting. The most traditional form of Irish Whisky is the "Pure Pot-Still" which is made from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley, with the malt having been dried in a closed kiln rather than over a peat fire which accounts for the less smoky characteristics of Irish Whisky in general. There are of course exceptions to this rule such as Connemara made by Cooley which is peated but is also column distilled so is not exactly traditional. However for a spirit to be called Irish Whisky, the only requirements are that it must be made in Ireland from grain and must be aged in wood for a minimum of 3 years.

We stock a small range of Irish Whiskies - generally not the better known brands but some of the lesser known examples - although we can get our hands on most things!