What’s Great And New In Irish Whiskey

By Richard Thomas

Irish whiskey is booming, so much so that it seems a week doesn’t pass without a new distillery breaking ground or a new expression launch making a splash. This boom is a golden age in Irish whiskey for American drinkers in particular, since so much of what is going on in Ireland has the American market firmly in mind.

The Irish whiskey scene is so busy lately that keeping track of what’s new and where it’s available is a serious chore. Here are some new Irish whiskeys to watch out for:

2Gingers: This Minnesota-based import is arguably the most prominent example of a growing trend, thanks to the brand’s acquisition by Beam Global. The whiskey in 2Gingers is made in Ireland at Cooley Distillery, but is bottled in the United States. That makes it an Irish whiskey that isn’t widely available in Ireland.

The other thing 2Gingers happens to be is cheap, typically running about $20 a bottle. If you are looking for a substitute for your Jamesons or Bushmills White Label, 2Gingers is a good alternative.

Dunville: This venerable brand name was revived in just in the last year, bringing some whiskey-making company to Bushmills up in Northern Ireland. Operating out of their Echlinville Distillery, Dunville is following a model that is now very familiar in the United States and will soon become so in Ireland: bottle sourced whiskey today, while producing your own stuff for tomorrow.

Green Spot: Green Spot was started back in 2011, and the line has been slowly attracting devoted fans ever since. The core expression is the Green Spot Pure Pot Still. As the name implies, it is a 100% pot still whiskey, aged between 7 and 12 years with roughly a quarter matured in sherry casks. Despite being the “floor” of the Green Spot line, expect to pay between $50 and $70 for the Green Spot Pure Pot Still.

Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength: The Redbreast 12 Year Old from New Midleton (same place as Jamesons) is one of the most popular premium Irish whiskey expressions around, if not the most popular. After a sneak preview at Whisky Live Paris 2011, fans of Hibernian whiskey have been eagerly awaiting the release of what has already become a classic. Everyone adores it, and if you can find it, you will too.

Teeling: Probably the biggest thing in Irish whiskey in the past year was the launch of Teeling Irish Whiskey. As the standard bearer for former Cooley honcho Jack Teeling’s new whiskey company, the black bottled Teeling whiskey is a fine example of a premium blended Irish whiskey.