Finding a great bottle of Irish whiskey isn’t terribly hard. We import a lot of Irish whiskey to these shores, providing a wide range of options at pretty much every price point. For what it’s worth, the style also makes a great fit for sipping during the quarantine — there’s plenty of nuance and lots to learn. If you’ve got the time and the energy (recognizing that many people have much bigger concerns at the moment), Irish whiskey will certainly keep you interested.
At the heart of the Irish whiskey production process is triple distillation, creating a lighter-tasting final product. Thanks to this refinement, the whiskey used to dominate the market. Then the 20th century happened and with it came the Bourbon Boom. Irish whiskey fell off many drinkers’ radars. Now it’s back and appealing to more and more aficionados who have gotten used to sipping whiskey straight.
The ten bottles below are excellent examples of the Irish tipple. Each bottle clocks in at under $30 and you can get any of them delivered right now, even in isolation. Sláinte!
Wolfhound Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Distillery: Cooley Distillery, County Louth (Beam-Suntory)
Average Price: $19.99
The Whiskey:
Wolfhound is a great standard Irish whiskey to start your journey with. It’s not overly wrought. This juice is aged in old bourbon casks, which helps make it a perfect cocktail base or an easy sipper, mixed with sparkling water. This blended Irish whiskey is an off-brand product produced at the Cooley Distillery.
Tasting Notes:
Perfumed flowers greet you right away. There’s a sense of butterscotch on the taste that leads towards a light touch of vanilla — sound familiar bourbon lovers? A mild sense of malts arrives late with a hit of ginger snapping at the end.
Paddy’s Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Distillery: Irish Distillers, Midleton Distillery, County Cork (Pernod Ricard)
Average Price: $20.99
The Whiskey:
Paddy’s is another good mixing whiskey. The County Cork classic is a blend of tripled distilled single pot still, single malt, and grain whiskeys. The juice is then aged for at least seven years in old bourbon barrels before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Clear notes of fresh honey and bourbon vanilla are upfront. The sip becomes a little harsher towards the middle with a sense of tart apple, dried flowers, and spice. That spice turns to black pepper as the cereal malts create a base for the hot finish with a hint of oak.
Bushmills Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Distillery: Old Bushmills Distillery, County Antrim, Northern Ireland (Casa Cuervo)
Average Price: $25.99
The Whiskey:
This Northern Irish classic is a blend of triple distilled spirits made with a mash bill of both malted barley and grain whiskey aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Technically speaking, Bushmills is the oldest “licensed” whiskey distiller in the world, dating back to 1784. Very little has changed over the years with this exceptionally drinkable dram.
Tasting Notes:
Green grass, blooming spring flowers, and an apple orchard lead the way. There’s a sense of apple and pears with hints of spice, burnt sugars, oak, and a chewy sourdough bread crust. The sweetness of the sugar carries through the taste, with a nice little touch of earthiness at the finish.
Kavanagh Single Malt Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Distillery: Cooley Distillery, County Louth (Beam-Suntory)
Average Price: $26.98
The Whiskey:
Kavanagh is a no-age-statement off-brand Irish whiskey made for the U.S. market. It seems to be made via Cooley, but that’s just the whiskey world’s best guess — the label and company hold their cards close to their chest. Either way, this whiskey is a good bottle to have on hand if you’re looking to mix it up a little.
Tasting Notes:
Honeysuckles and vanilla open this dram up. Pear and apple orchards carry through with a bit more vanilla and a note of caramel, next to a clear sense of malt grains. A hint of spice and oak come leading to a short, sweet finish.
West Cork Original Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Distillery: West Cork Distillers, County Cork
Average Price: $26.99
The Whiskey:
This independent distillery down in Cork has been operating since 2008. By its nature, that means a lot of their juice is sourced — which, in turn, has given birth to a diverse barrel-finishing program. This bottle is a blend of 75 percent grain whiskey and 25 percent malt whiskey that’s aged for around three years in ex-bourbon barrels.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of caramel apples and vanilla upfront. A floral nature kicks in with a grassiness that leads to more apples and a whisper of toffee. A dark chocolate bitterness comes into play late and with a velvet-note preceding a quick finish.
Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Distillery: Tullamore Distillery, County Offaly (William Grant & Sons)
Average Price: $27.49
The Whiskey:
Standard Tullamore D.E.W. is a whiskey blend of single malt, grain, and pot still whiskeys that are aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels. If you’ve ever wondered what the “D.E.W.” stood for, it’s the former owner Daniel E. Williams, who worked his way up from shoveling grains to owning the whole operation.
Tasting Notes:
This is another great mixing whiskey with a clear sense of vanilla up front. There’s a light touch of sweet caramel, oak spice, and orchard fruits that balance out on the palate. The final note carries a whisper of spice and cereal malts.
The Sexton Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Distillery: Old Bushmills Distillery, County Antrim, Northern Ireland (Casa Cuervo)
Average Price: $28.73
The Whiskey:
This feels like a classic Irish single malt but is actually a fairly new expression. The juice is 100 percent malted barley that’s triple distilled. It’s then aged in former sherry butts for at least four years.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lot in play with this sip. Pears and apples baked in cinnamon greet you with a rush of vanilla and honey sweetness. There’s a movement toward more spice, leaning into nutmeg and clove as oak and lemon zest arrive on the palate. There’s a clear sense of the sherry on the end with a note of dried fruits, almonds, and more spice.
Slane Irish Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Distillery: Slane Irish Whiskey Distillery, County Meath (Brown-Forman)
Average Price: $28.99
The Whiskey:
This new entry into the Irish whiskey world is triple distilled and triple-barreled. The juice is from malt and grain whiskeys that are aged in new oak, used American whiskey barrels, and used Oloroso sherry butts.
Tasting Notes:
The sip opens with a trio of vanilla, marzipan, and caramel. Those flavors evolve into a sense of spicy baked pears with clove and cinnamon leading the way. The spice gets a little flowery as the oak steps in, with a continued sweetness on the velvety finish. Definitely an easy sipper.
Jameson Cold Brew
ABV: 30%
Distillery: New Midleton Distillery, County Cork (Pernod Ricard)
Average Price: $29.99
The Whiskey:
Okay, this is more of a coffee liqueur or “flavored” whiskey if we’re being technical. Still, the blend of standard Jameson and cold brew coffee is the perfect base for a tasty Irish coffee.
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla dominates early with a sense of bright orange zest. The texture drives the taste of this towards an oaky vanilla coffee bitterness, with a slight touch of whiskey lurking in the background. That coffee bitterness gives way to a dark chocolate sweet-bitter note on the short and vanilla-soaked end.
Powers Gold Label
ABV: 43.2%
Distillery: Irish Distillers, Midleton Distillery, County Cork (Pernod Ricard)
Average Price: $29.99
The Whiskey:
Powers Gold Label is another great gateway whiskey. The triple distilled expression is a blend of pot still and grain whiskey produced at Midleton Distillery down in Cork. There’s no age statement but the whiskey was bottled at a slightly higher ABV, giving it a little more kick.
Tasting Notes:
Corn flakes, caramel, honeysuckle, oats, and honey sweetness come through. There’s a driving force of cereal malts that lead toward a white sourdough toast with creamy, mildly salted butter. Spice and oak kick in with a hint of floral fruits on a satisfying end.
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