Whisky has been distilled in Scotland for hundreds of years.

There is some evidence to show that the art of distilling could have been brought to the country by Christian missionary monks, but it has never been proved that Highland farmers did not themselves discover how to distill spirits from their surplus barley.

Ireland can be said to be the birthplace of whisky. It was first handed down from the monastery to the folk distilling technique. Before King Henry VIII of England announced the introduction of heavy taxation, it was once a necessary livelihood industry for every mountain, countryside and forest in Ireland.

Irish whiskey was popular in England before its excellent Scottish successor, but because of the region’s economic recession and heavy taxation, most Irish distilleries had to rely on continuous mergers to maintain their lifeblood, so that everything that has survived today. Very few are left and most are held by foreign companies.

Origin of whisky

Whiskey is a kind of strong distilled spirit brewed from barley and other grains, aged in oak barrels for many years, and blended into a strong distilled spirit of about 43 degrees. The British call it “the water of life”. According to the origin, it can be divided into four categories: Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, American whiskey, and Canadian whisky.

The brewing process of whisky is divided into six steps: germination, mashing, fermentation, distillation, aging, and blending.

The origin of whisky is unknown, but what is certain is that whisky has been produced in Scotland for more than 500 years, so Scotland is generally regarded as the birthplace of all whisky.

Irish historians believe that the oldest Scottish distillery (at Lslay, Islay) is across from Ireland, while the oldest whisky distillery, Ireland’s Bushmills, was officially established in 1608.

They also certify that the distillery was in production for a while before it was officially established. They justify their assertion with words from the Description of Pembrokeshire, published in England in 1602: “Most of the immigrants from Ireland had been artisans, who produced great quantities of ‘distilled spirits’ and then used horses and sold in England on a mule.”

Scottish historians defend their view by citing the earliest written records of barley being used to make distilled spirits.

These records were found in Scottish documents in 1494. In the British treasury chronicle at the time, it was recorded that “the monk John Cole was paid 8 buckets of wheat for the brewing of distilled spirits.” These wheats were enough to produce more than 1,000 liters of wine.

Regarding the origin of whisky, both Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky admit that they have a common ancestor, which is the “water of life (distilled spirit)”. Later it gradually became whisky in Scots and whiskey in Irish.

Irish Whiskey

Irish whiskey is a whisky that has been distilled.

In terms of production materials, Irish whiskey is not much different from its neighboring Scotch whisky. It is the same malt whisky that uses malted barley as raw material, uses pot stills for three distillations, and is aged in oak barrels for more than three years according to law. It is further blended with grain whisky produced by continuous distillation of unmalted barley, wheat and rye.

However, there are two key differences between the Irish-style approach and the Scottish approach. The first is that Irish whiskey also uses oats as a raw material, and the second is that Irish whiskey hardly uses peat as a fuel for roasting malt in the manufacturing process.

In addition to the larger production “Blend Irish Whiskey”, there are also a small number of “Irish Single Malt Whisky” sold in independent bottling.

Most Irish whiskeys have their Scotch equivalents, with the only exception being a version called “Still Whiskey”. This whisky uses both malted and unmalted barley as raw materials, and is 100% made in pot stills. Compared with Scottish single malt whisky,

Using unmalted barley as the raw material gives Irish Whiskey a greener, spicier taste.

Single pot still whisky can be bottled on its own or blended with malt whisky, usually blended Irish whiskeys do not specifically indicate whether the base is grain or pure pot still whisky.

Irish whiskey is spelled differently from British and American, not “Whisky”, but “Whiskey”. Locals joked that the addition of an “e” meant that Irish whiskey was more excellent (better) than British and American whiskies.