Blended Irish Whiskey
Blended Irish Whiskey
Overview of Irish Whiskey
Blended Irish whiskey comes in different types that tell a lot about how they were made but were all distilled in Ireland. There are a few different types of Irish whiskey, but there are only four major distilleries in Ireland that make all of the different types of Irish whiskey. To be considered Irish whiskey, the beverage must be distilled in either the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland and it must be aged there also. The four major distilleries in Ireland are the Kilbeggan Distillery, Cooley Distillery, New Middleton Distillery, and Old Bushmills Distillery. Being distilled in Ireland and aged for at least three years in wooden casks makes the whiskey Irish, but blended Irish whiskey is special.
About Blended Irish Whiskey
Blended Irish whiskey, like all whiskey, is fermented with distillates. The whiskey gets its flavor from the distillates as it ferments. There are many different distillates used to make the different types of whiskey, and a blended Irish whiskey is made with two or more distillates. Blended Irish whiskey is also typically distilled three times where many whiskeys from other countries are only distilled twice. The different types of blended Irish whiskey are also usually not malted with peat which makes it smoother. When a whiskey is malted with peat, it has more of an earthy flavor while blended Irish whiskey eliminates that.
Types of Blended Irish Whiskey
There are many kinds of blended Irish whiskey to choose from. A popular type of blended Irish whiskey is Black Bush which is brewed in Old Bushmills Distillery and uses more malt than grain when distilled. Bushmills is another popular blended Irish whiskey brewed at the same distillery. The major blended Irish whiskey types brewed today include Inishowen, Jameson, Kilbeggan, Midleton Very Rare, Paddy, Tullamore Dew, The Irishman Potstill, and Writher’s Tears. Blended Irish whiskey has been very popular for years and there are many kinds to choose from to suit any taste for whiskey. Picking the right blended Irish whiskey for you ensures a smooth drink and great taste.
Currently the types of blended Irish whiskey have very little regulation on them. Other than the standards on blended Irish whiskey being brewed and distilled in Ireland, there are no real regulations on them. There was the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980 that had some stipulations about Irish whiskey, but it was later repealed. This act did impose regulations for the classification of blended Irish whiskey to apply which is still used as a standard. The regulations imposed made it so that a blended Irish whiskey could only be called blended if it had two or more distillates which is still the case. The act also put into place the process of maturing the whiskey in wooden casks in Ireland. The most restrictive action put into place was that the whiskey had to be distilled at an alcoholic strength of less than 94.8% by volume.
All of these measures and actions help to ensure the smooth taste and authentic Irish flavor of blended Irish whiskey.
