What is Irish Whiskey?

[jcskinner]

Arising from a discussion on the malting thread, I thought it useful to open a new discussion on what might be called first principles.

What do we mean when we say Irish whiskey?

There's a legal definition, (maybe more than one?) but I'd like to go beyond that to see what people themselves expect from something that calls itself 'Irish whiskey'.

• It should be made in Ireland, obviously. But what does that mean? Distilled on the island? Bottled here? Conceived of here, distilled in Taiwan, bottled in China and sold in the US? Where's the defining line?
• Should it be made entirely from Irish barley? Irish malt? Or a majority proportion? If so, how much? Is entirely foreign barley ok?
• What about using other grains in the mash? What about a mash with no barley at all?
• What about using foreign water?
• Must it be aged here? All of its life before bottling? Or just a minimum period of time?
• What about the stills? Must they be in Ireland? Are there limits on what types of still to use? Or what types of distillation to do?
• What about the wood? That's historically been imported. But should there be limitations on what type of wood to use, or where it should come from? Or how it should previously have been used?
• Are there traditional methods that must be adhered to? What sort of innovation is welcome and what would be beyond the pale?

I've gone on a bit, but really I'm just asking what people understand by the phrase 'Irish whiskey' and what they would like that to mean going forward.

I'm really interested in what people have to say on this topic, because in a way that will define what Irish whiskey fans expect Irish whiskey to be.

[DavidH]

The Scotch Whisky Association recently pronounced that Scottish single malts must be bottled in Scotland. That surprised me, in these environmentally aware times. Instead of bulk shipping the product, they are wasting fuel on transporting glass and empty space around the world.

So, that's one rule I don't want to see here. Other than that, I want the Irish contribution to the product to be as high as possible. I want whiskey to be a flagship product for Irish excellence. There should be no ambiguity about where it was made, from start to finish.

I also want consumers around the world to know that Irish whiskey contains no additives (not necessarily true at the moment; I have nothing particular against caramel but it's frustrating we can't make this simple claim) and is honestly aged in oak barrels (unlike the ambiguity in the wine industry, where oak chips might have been used, say).

Straightforward, pure, top quality, Irish.

[Mothrae]

The final proof should be taste.

With variants, of course, every distilled beverage has variations, but you expect certain whiskeys to taste a certain way as you pour that first dram.

Legal issues and traditions aside, I want the taste I expect.

[Michael Foggarty]

The Scotch Whisky Association recently pronounced that Scottish single malts must be bottled in Scotland. That surprised me, in these environmentally aware times. Instead of bulk shipping the product, they are wasting fuel on transporting glass and empty space around the world.

Im all for this, it safe guards jobs, Scottish jobs or in our case Irish jobs on these shores. Diogio already put a knive into the heart of Scottish bottling in Ayrshire last year, no more please!

also want consumers around the world to know that Irish whiskey contains no additives (not necessarily true at the moment; I have nothing particular against caramel but it's frustrating we can't make this simple claim) and is honestly aged in oak barrels (unlike the ambiguity in the wine industry, where oak chips might have been used, say).

The caramel factor doesnt really bother me, what does is the people who believe they can tell the difference with a whiskey with no caramel and one with caramel (J Murray excluded, i know he can tell) time to bring in the cobalt blue glasses for tastings i think

[jcskinner]

I agree.
I've seen professional tasters mistake a lager for a stout (and vice versa) when served in the opaque glasses.
Too much is decided visually sometimes.

[jcskinner]

John Hansell has taken up this debate on his very excellent blog:

http://www.whatdoesjohnknow.com/2010/03 ... h-whiskey/