II.

IRISH WHISKEY
IRISH WHISKEY
• Irish whiskey is a grain whiskey produced in Ireland. Irish
whiskeys are generally distilled three times and must be
aged for three years in Oak casks.
• Irish whiskey has a smoother finish as opposed to the
smoky, earthy overtones common to some Scotches. 
• 12th Century Irish monks distilling the whiskey.

• 1405 – Whiskey recorded in Ireland.

• 1494 – Old Bushmills distillery started (first)

• 19th Century it was very famous, but now it is not.

• 1960 – Damaged due to Irish war of Independence.
• 1988 – Started to produce more whiskies.

• Current Distilleries -

– Cooley Distillery (2012)

– Dingle Distillery (2012)

– Kilbeggan Distillery (2007)

– New Midleton Distillery (1975)

– Old Bushmills Distillery (1784) (Oldest in the world)

• Irish whiskey must be distilled and aged on the island of
Ireland; that is, either in the Republic of
Ireland or Northern Ireland.
• The contained spirits must be distilled to an alcohol by
volume level of less than 94.8% from a yeast-fermented
mash of cereal grains.
• The product must be aged for at least three years in
wooden casks.
• 80° – 100° proof is a normal alcohol proof for Irish
whiskey.
TYPES OF IRISH
WHISKEY
1. SINGLE MALT WHISKEY
• Single malt whiskey made from 100% malted
barley distilled in pot still method.
2. PURE POT STILL WHISKEY
• It is made from both malted barley and un malted
grains but distilled only pot still method.
3. BLENDED WHISKEY
• It is a blend of either single malt or pure pot still
whiskeys from various distilleries.
 PRODUCTION OF
IRISH WHISKEY
❖ Malting
❖ Milling
❖ Mashing
❖ Fermentation
❖ Distillation
❖ Maturation
❖ Marrying & Vatting
1. Malting
• Malting a proportion of the barley is essential to
produce the natural enzymes in the grain which
will later be used in the brewing process.
• Barley can be malt in 3 steps; Steeping,
Germination and Kilning.
• Steeping involves soaking the barley for a
number of days in water.
• Germination is done by laying out the barley to
let it grow and produce the necessary enzymes.
• Then kiln dry our barley with clean hot air.
2. Milling
• When we’ve got our malted and unmalted barley,
we mill the grains to create a coarse flour called
grist.
• By milling the barley and malt into a flour we gain
better access to the starch and enzymes which
we need later to create alcohol.
• The proportion of barley to malt is based on a
recipe according to the Master Distiller.
3. Mashing
• The grist is then mixed with hot water at a
temperature of 63C to form a mash.
• It is then pumped into a large vessel called the
‘Mash Tun’ and this is where the enzymes
breakdown the starch into smaller sugars.
• We then need to extract this sugary liquid from
the mash so we filter the mash through a Mash
Filter giving us a hot sweet liquid called wort.
4. Fermentation
• The wort is pumped into giant vats called
washbacks’ where yeast is added and then the
fermentation begins.
• After 60 hours, the sugar is converted into
alcohol. The liquid, now called wash’ contains
just 8% alcohol by volume.
• The ‘wash’ is now ready for the next stage of the
whiskey making process, distillation.
5. Distillation (Triple Pot)
• After the fermentation is complete the wash is
then pumped to the first of our 3 copper
pot stills; the Wash Still.
• Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water
so by boiling the wash at around 80°C the
alcohol vapours rise out of the neck of the still
and through a condenser to return back into a
liquid.
• Under the care of the Master Distiller, this
process is repeated two more times: one in the
Feints Still and again in the Spirit Still until the
alcohol by volume is between 80 and 85.5%.
6. Maturation
• After distillation, the 2 styles of spirit are reduced
in strength to between 60-70% ABV with pure
water and filled into casks.
• There are three different types of casks used;
sherry butts, bourbon barrels and port pipes.
CONTD..
• The casks are then stored in vast, dark and
aromatic warehouse in Midleton where they rest
and mature for the next few years.
• Each barrel loses about 2% of its volume through
evaporation each year. This is called the Angel’s
Share.
7. Marrying & Vatting
• The mature whiskeys are then emptied into a
huge vat and allowed to marry before being
bottled.
• The alcohol strength is also reduced to 40%
alcohol by volume, ready to be enjoyed.
 Famous Brands

• Paddy
• Jameson
• Connemara
• Middleton Rare
• Bushmill’s Malt
• Power’s Gold Label
• Red Breast
• Dunphys
• Tullamore dew
• Tyrconnell
Thank You