In the midst of Irish whiskey’s modern transformation, pot still offers a direct link to its past. Its roots lie in commercial pragmatism: in 1785, the British government introduced a tax on malted barley, so Irish distillers started using a proportion of unmalted barley in production, thus saving money – but, inadvertently at first, adding flavour. Double distilled, this is one of a handful of Irish whiskey brands that manages to deliver both a complex and approachable flavour profile, which is no mean feat! The one thing that this Dublin whiskey tour confirmed for me is that you’d have to beat me to get me to take a sip of peaty whiskey ever again. April 2021] The Dublin Liberties Distillery (The DLD) today announced it achieved record sales growth over the past 12 months, as global sales of its Dubliner and Dublin LibertiesIrish Whiskey brands grew year-on-year by 21% for the April 2020 to March 2021 period. The Dubliner Irish Whiskey’s position as one of the fastest-growing brands in the category worldwide is all the more impressive given the continued strong growth of Irish Whiskey globally; this success can be attributed to the brand’s appealing flavour profiles and to its links to Dublin – the brand’s home and a city renowned for its charm and good cheer. The quality of the range was recently re-affirmed when The Dubliner 10 Year Old was the only Irish Whiskey to be awarded a gold medal in this year’s Whiskies of the World competition.

Volume growth of 69% and 51% was achieved in Germany and Ukraine respectively, with Dubliner placing amongst the top four selling Irish whiskey brands in Germany, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Over 350,000 bottles were sold in the key US Irish Whiskey market, as sales of Dubliner benefited from the introduction of new-look bottles and branding this year. I greatly disliked the original Connemara Peated Whiskey the first time I tried it. On the second occasion, about two years later, I still disliked it… greatly.

Eight excellent Irish whiskies to discover

This may sound obvious, but there’s often a big difference between visiting a Dublin whiskey distillery and taking one of the manyDublin whiskey tours. When you visit a distillery, you’re generallydoing the guided tour. On many (not all) organised whiskey tours, you’re taken around pubs in Dublin by a guide. 2. Read the Ts&Cs carefully A soft and rounded grain matured in ex-Cabernet Sauvignon casks, this offers pure drinking pleasure with its vinous, grape-skin flavours, married with white chocolate and a peppy herbal undercurrent. Alc 46% As I said I am not a fan of malt. This whiskey is a blend of grain and single malt whiskies. If your taste runs more in that line you may find this one to your liking. The price is in line with Jameson and about the same as Proper 12. I find this one much better than Proper 12. A smooth and balanced sip is on offer here with notes of citrus, nutmeg, apple and malt. There are plenty of reasons for seeking out a bottle of West Cork.

It’s the kind of initiative that, until now, would have been confined to the worlds of high-end Cognac or luxury single malt, the province of a Hennessy or a Macallan. Such rarefied projects may be a world away from the teeming, chaotic, steam-filled distilleries of Victorian Dublin, but they’re also a vote of confidence in a drink that so nearly became extinct only a few decades ago. Eight excellent Irish whiskies to discover The new premium addition to the range, which will be available to markets worldwide from January 2018 in 70cl, 75cl and 1L formats, aims to continue The Dubliner’s momentum and success as one of the fastest-growing Irish whiskies in the world.A good Irish whiskey for: Those looking for a tasty whiskey at a mid-range price point (its impressive bottle makes it a good gift) Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise. This 2-hour tour takes your tastebuds on a food and drink adventure to Bowes (they do the best Guinness in Dublin) and the very beautiful and very old Palace Bar. Part of Mitchell’s ‘spot’ range, it’s been on sale continuously since the early 1900s but now its reach is global and thus (thankfully for us!) far more widely available.

The below points may seemobvious, but they’re worth being aware of before you make a booking (especially point 1). 1. Whiskey tours vs distillery tours First introduced in 1791 by John Power & Son, it was originally a single pot still whiskey but eventually evolved into a blend of pot still and grain whiskeys. However, I’ve found myself decidedly avoiding it in recent pub-visits, hence the switch (note: Yellowspot is still a great drop, but no longer one of my favourites).Housed in a beautiful green bottle, Connemara was inspired by the 18th-century art of drying malting barley over peat fires. It is now the only Irish Peated Single Malt Whiskey widely available. If you’ve been on any Dublin whiskey tours recently that you’d like to recommend, let me know in the comments below. What is the best whiskey tour Dublin has to offer?