Little Help With Irish Whisky Laws

[Calcy]

Was hoping someone could guide me on this.....

I'm currently researching into the differences between Scottish and Irish whisky production. The obvious one is generally that Irish whisky is triple distilled vs Scottish twice distilled. Are there any other major differences in its production - e.g. artifical enzymes, flavourings brought in? I think there isn't but am struggling to find anything concrete to prove this to myself. Do any other whiskies around the world introduce artificial agents into its production?

Sorry, probably really naive questions, but one of those annoying questions I can not find the answer too!

[Distiller]

There is nothing about the number of times a spirit is distilled that makes it Irish or Scottish. There are distilleries in Ireland and Scotland that double and triple distill. The laws you are looking for are:

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1980/en/ ... index.html

and

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/22/contents

[DavidH]

The only technical differences between Irish and Scottish whiskey that I can think of are:

• Irish whiskey must be made in Ireland, whereas Scottish whiskey must be made in Scotland.
• Scottish whiskey must be matured in oak casks, whereas Irish whiskey must be matured in wooden casks (in practice, the wood is always oak)

There are NO artificial additives or flavourings. Only caramel colouring may be added in either jurisdiction.

Aside from the legal definition, I believe the "single pot still" style of whiskey is only made in Ireland. It could be made in Scotland, but isn't. Another difference is that Scottish whiskeys are sometimes a blend of the output of various distilleries of the same type of whiskey (eg two malts). That's really rare in Ireland (can't think of an example).

[bredman]

Another difference is that Scottish whiskeys are sometimes a blend of the output of various distilleries of the same type of whiskey (eg two malts). That's really rare in Ireland (can't think of an example).

These malt blends used to be referred to as "vatted malts" but are now to be referred to legally as Blended Malt. These contain malts from two or more distilleries, and the market is quite small. They do however clearly label these for what they are.

Scottish blends on the other hand are whiskies that contain grain whisky and malt, from one or more distilleries, so one distillery could produce a "blend" if it manufactured both these types of whisky. Which is the situation in Ireland with Middleton and Cooley (i assume) as the few distilleries in Ireland don't trade with each each other or supply third parties.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Scottish blends on the other hand are whiskies that contain grain whisky and malt, from one or more distilleries, so one distillery could produce a "blend" if it manufactured both these types of whisky. Which is the situation in Ireland with Middleton and Cooley (i assume) as the few distilleries in Ireland don't trade with each each other or supply third parties.

I think one of the points David was trying to make is that there is no legal definition of a blend in Ireland if all the constituents come from the same source, i.e. Midleton. But yes in practice when mixing Grain and Malt / Pot Still they still tend to call it a blend even though from an Irish legal view point they don't have to.

[bredman]

I think one of the points David was trying to make is that there is no legal definition of a blend in Ireland if all the constituents come from the same source, i.e. Midleton. But yes in practice when mixing Grain and Malt / Pot Still they still tend to call it a blend even though from an Irish legal view point they don't have to.

IWC, i was replying to the OP at that point. But that's interesting as i had wondered why the word "Blend/Blended" is rare on Irish whiskey labels. It seems to me that Cooley are the only distillery to use it as they have established malt brands to protect and to make them identifiable. Although i may be corrected on that.

[DavidH]

Another difference is that Scottish whiskeys are sometimes a blend of the output of various distilleries of the same type of whiskey (eg two malts). That's really rare in Ireland (can't think of an example).

Scottish blends on the other hand are whiskies that contain grain whisky and malt, from one or more distilleries, so one distillery could produce a "blend" if it manufactured both these types of whisky. Which is the situation in Ireland with Midleton and Cooley (i assume) as the few distilleries in Ireland don't trade with each each other or supply third parties.

Well, Midleton does supply Bushmills with grain whiskey. That's why I was careful to say that there are Scottish whiskeys that combine the same type of whiskey from multiple distilleries. In Scotland it's done to create a new whiskey; in Bushmills case it's done because they don't make their own grain, and because Bushmills and Midleton were part of the same company until recently.

The point I was aiming at was just to give an example of a whiskey style made in Scotland but not in Ireland, even though there is nothing preventing us from doing the same in Ireland, legally. You are right, 'vatted malt' or 'blended malt' is the name for this.

[bredman]

Easy guys. I'm just clarifying a point that looked foggy.

So do Midleton produce any double distilled whiskey? I always assumed they don't, but that it is all 'technically' triple distilled. So if it's the same for Bushmills then am i correct in saying Cooley are the only distillery to double distill in recent times? So it would be fair to claim that by legal definition there are no distilling number that set Irish and Scottish whiskies apart, but there is a practical value to making this claim. As well over 95% of the pot still produced Scottish malt is double distilled, and (a guesstimate) 95% of all the whiskey produced in Ireland is triple distilled.

[DavidH]

True, and you could make the same case for "peated". I do feel, though, that any description of Irish whiskey that excludes Cooley is missing something vital.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Easy guys. I'm just clarifying a point that looked foggy.

So do Midleton produce any double distilled whiskey? I always assumed they don't, but that it is all 'technically' triple distilled. So if it's the same for Bushmills then am i correct in saying Cooley are the only distillery to double distill in recent times? So it would be fair to claim that by legal definition there are no distilling number that set Irish and Scottish whiskies apart, but there is a practical value to making this claim. As well over 95% of the pot still produced Scottish malt is double distilled, and (a guesstimate) 95% of all the whiskey produced in Ireland is triple distilled.

Oh no not jumping on you back at all... just trying to explain the possible legal difference but what you say is pretty spot on. The Law on Irish Whiskey is quite basic and simplified. this may change though in the coming years to give it more protection.

Actually now that you mention distilling numbers. Do you know for sure if all Scotch Grain is only double distilled or is there any triple distilled. I'm not questioning it just really like to know. The reason I ask is that triple distilling a grain whiskey through a column still would have the added bonus of giving a smoother grain whisky for blending purposes which would be one of the uses for grain (As well as serious padding ).

[DavidH]

The Law on Irish Whiskey is quite basic and simplified. this may change though in the coming years to give it more protection.

We should end up at a point where both UK and Irish law on whiskey is just a transposed version of a common EU law.

Do you know for sure if all Scotch Grain is only double distilled or is there any triple distilled. I'm not questioning it just really like to know. The reason I ask is that triple distilling a grain whiskey through a column still would have the added bonus of giving a smoother grain whisky for blending purposes which would be one of the uses for grain (As well as serious padding ).

I wonder how meaningful the question is. In a Coffey still, the two columns house different processes so I'd describe it more like a single, continuous distillation. Looking at it another way, distillation is vapourisation followed by condensation, and that only happens once in a Coffey still, even though there are two columns.

Midleton has three columns in their still (so it's not a Coffey still) and I don't know exactly what happens inside them but I expect it's a similar story.

[bredman]

Actually now that you mention distilling numbers. Do you know for sure if all Scotch Grain is only double distilled or is there any triple distilled. I'm not questioning it just really like to know. The reason I ask is that triple distilling a grain whiskey through a column still would have the added bonus of giving a smoother grain whisky for blending purposes which would be one of the uses for grain (As well as serious padding ).

It seems that the Coffey still is standard. A couple make additional reference to "Patent" stills. North British is the only reference i can find (Whiskypedia) to a three column Patent still but is no longer used - "Three Coffey stills. Patent still with three columns decommissioned in 2007, but still in situ."