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Irish whiskey in the fast lane
For whiskey lovers who rely on familiar brands, these ups and downs were hardly noticeable, as they remained almost unchanged on the market.
However, it is hardly known that for some years all brands in Ireland were produced in only two distilleries. By 2012, a full four sites in Ireland were responsible for all production. From then on, growth exploded.
More on the historical conditions and background later. Now let's take a look at some of the conditions that are necessary for Irish whiskey to be called whiskey - and what is actually in it?
As with beer, malt provides the necessary sugar for alcoholic fermentation in whiskey. (Photo: Lutz Wernitz auf Unsplash)Preconditions for the creation of the whiskey
The current legislation, which is still the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980, stipulates that Irish whiskey may only be distilled and stored in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
From a mash of grain (mainly barley or maize), sugar is converted into alcohol by fermentation with the help of yeast. This is followed by distillation in pot stills, usually in three passes, or industrially in a continuous process. In the process, an alcohol content of 94.8 percent must not be exceeded in order to preserve the independent character of the grain.
Storage takes place exclusively in wooden barrels. After a minimum maturation of three years, the brandy may call itself whiskey and must be bottled with an alcohol content of at least 40 per cent.
Patent or Coffey Still (Photo: HighKing*, Coffey Still, CC BY-SA 3.0)Two types of distillation: Pot and Patent Still
In the traditional pot still process, copper stills determine the distillation. The fermented mash is distilled three times to achieve an alcohol content of about 70 per cent. In the process, copper atoms are dissolved, which produce acet aldehydes during storage through oxidation, reminiscent of fruity or floral notes. This is how the aromas in the whiskey are individualised.
Some whiskeys, such as the Connemara Single Malt, are only distilled twice. Additional drying of the germinated malt over peat fires gives this whiskey a rather smoky Scottish aroma.
In order to be able to produce whiskey on a large scale, with a possible loss of individuality, a simplified method was developed in the 19th century that produces a lot of alcohol very quickly: grain whiskey can also be produced in a continuous distilling process, the patent or Coffey Still process. Named after the Irishman Aeneas Coffey, who perfected the technique invented by the Scotsman Robert Stein in 1826.
Tall, chimney-like columns circulate the mash until distillation is complete, new mash is added, and the finished distillate is discharged. Laborious emptying and cleaning of the stills is bypassed, more effective, cheaper distillation of large quantities, but without individual flavour components, is made possible. Another advantage is the possible use of both malted and unmalted barley, but also cheap maize.
Unlike germination, here the starch present in the raw fruit must be converted into fermentable sugar without the help of natural enzymes. For this purpose, the grain is ground and cooked under pressure. The starch dissolves from the husks, long-chain starch molecules are split into shorter and fermentable sugar molecules.
After three years of cask maturation, a highly individual product has emerged, not only due to the influence of wood, but also due to other individual characteristics such as ambient temperature, water quality, and the location of the distillery, for example on the coast or inland. Extending the maturation to ten, twenty or more years increases finesse and complexity.
* HighKing (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coffey_Still.JPG), „Coffey Still“, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode
Value for money or more sophisticated? Boutique distilleries that sell their distillates with real value added are on the rise in Ireland (Photo: Naomi Tamar auf Unsplash)The varieties of Irish whiskey
The first distinction is between blended and unblended whiskey, blended or unblended. In Ireland, there are three different types of unblended whiskey. "Malt Whiskey" is produced by distilling the mash from barley malt in pot stills. It may be called "Single Malt Whiskey" if it comes from a single distillery.
"Single Pot Still Whiskey" is produced exclusively in Ireland. Only here is it permitted to combine malted and unmalted barley. This whiskey impresses with its particularly mild, fruity-floral aroma, not least due to triple distillation.
Of course, pure "grain whiskey" can also be bottled. The generic term grain basically allows all types of grain, but for price reasons it is almost exclusively produced with maize in the patent still process.
For blended whiskeys, it is possible to blend different unblended whiskeys, mainly for reasons of harmony. This ensures the maintenance of a house style, which is considered a primary recognition feature, especially for large brands.
Drinks with the name "Poitin" or "Potcheen" also appear. These refer to the predecessor of Irish whiskey, which has been distilled and drunk unripened by Irish monks since 584, mostly from malt, barley, sugar beet and later also potatoes.
A concentration of companies in the first half of the 20th century ensured that Irish whiskey was produced at just two production sites (Photo: Aris Rovas auf Unsplash)Influencing factor "Irish history
A number of changes in Irish history were responsible for the existence of the product "Irish whiskey" today.
According to legend, the Irish patron saint St. Patrick (ca. 391 - 461) brought the art of distilling with him from the Mediterranean. In fact, monks are said to have carried "Uisghe Beatha", Gaelic for water of life and derived from the Latin "aqua vitae", with them from their missionary journeys in the Orient as early as the 1st century.
From the Gaelic word uisge, which is difficult for English people to pronounce, the term whisky or whiskey developed, as England's influence on Ireland was already increasing in the 12th century.
In 1661, the Irish government imposed duties on whiskey made from malted barley, which forced many distilleries to increase the proportion of unmalted barley. This is still a traditional ingredient in Irish whiskeys today.
Further setbacks caused the decline in production: the Catholic clergyman Father Theobald Matthews preached against alcohol consumption and founded the Temperance Society in 1838. In the 1840s there was a great grain shortage, the brown potato blight (1845 - 1851) led to the emigration of many Irish to North America and the closure of many distilleries.
Financially strong investors, whose names are still reflected in the most common Irish whiskey brands, prevailed: John Power, John and William Jameson, George Roe in Dublin and the Murphy brothers in Midleton dominated the market. They wanted to distinguish themselves from Scotch whisky. Thus, at the beginning of the 20th century, the distinction was made to write Irish whiskey henceforth only with "e".
The loss of the most important export market, the USA, at the beginning of Prohibition (1919 - 1933) and a trade embargo by England as a reaction to Ireland's efforts to gain independence (1919 - 1921) meant that the Irish whiskey market was at rock bottom and Scotch whiskey dominated the world.
Ireland withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1937 with its own constitution, and now import duties were also due. Famous distilleries such as Tullamore, Kilbeggan, Jameson and Powers in Dublin had to close. From then on, all Irish whiskeys came from only two production sites: Bushmills in Northern Ireland and Midleton in Cork.
The diversity of brands remained, but this was only due to a company concentration in the 1960s: Powers and Jameson from Dublin and Cork Distillers, Midleton, merged in 1966 to form IDG, the "Irish Distillers Group". The last independent distillery, Bushmills in Northern Ireland, was merged into IDG in 1973, but continued to produce itself.
It wasn't until 2012 that there was a wave of new distillery start-ups in Ireland (Photo: Adam Wilson auf Unsplash)The new diversity
A return to whiskey as a premium product in the 1980s prompted Irish entrepreneur John Teeling, who had previously bid unsuccessfully for the sale of IDG to Pernod-Ricard, to open new distilleries.
He reopened two former distilleries and has since ensured a return to individual whiskeys: the revival of Cooley in the north and Kilbeggan in the centre of Ireland with the Tyrconnell and Locke brands indicated a new upswing.
Until 2012, all Irish whiskeys came from these four production sites. Then the new distilleries were founded: Mostly small, farmhouse or boutique distilleries such as Dingle, Tipperary or Glendalough, start-ups by renowned entrepreneurs such as the Teeling Distillery in Dublin or small, new flagship distilleries by large companies such as Diageo's Roe & Co. saw their chance.
By 2020, the number of new distilleries had risen to over 30. The long transitional period until the three-year cask ageing period is cleverly bridged by the production of gin and vodka, while whiskey is bought in for the time being.
The rapid development of Irish whiskey cannot be stopped and promises an immense increase in individual brands and qualities for the coming years.
