09-04-2025
Six Top Rated Irish Whiskeys, According To The Whiskey Exchange
Shot glass full of Irish whisky with a four leaf clover as a lucky garnish.
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Irish whiskey has been the fastest-growing whiskey category in the world over the past decade. Ireland has over 45 whiskey distilleries, up from just 3 in 1990. Recently, I spoke with Dawn Davies, head buyer at The Whiskey Exchange, the world's largest online whisky vendor, about her top Irish whiskey recommendations. Here are brief descriptions and tasting notes on her six top choices.
Boann is a family-owned distillery in County Meath, Ireland. One of their unique creations, the Marsala Cask expression, showcases their innovative cask finishes. The triple-distilled whiskey uses a traditional single pot still mash bill of malted and unmalted barley, oats, and rye, all locally sourced from Irish farms.
The spirit is first aged in heavily charred ex-bourbon barrels from Kentucky's Brown-Forman distillery. After the initial maturation, the whiskey is transferred to Superiore and Fine Marsala butts of French oak from the esteemed Cantine de Vinci in Sicily. The Marsala cask finish adds layers of spice and juicy citrus character.
The whiskey features subtle spices, resinous bark, and burnt orange aromas, complemented by freshly cut grass and honey notes. It's rich and viscous on the palate with a notable mouth weight. It features sweet marmalade, peppermint, and oak spice notes. The finish is long and flavorful, with a lingering spicy aftertaste of cinnamon and clove notes.
Blackwater Distillery, in County Waterford, Ireland, is known for its innovative approach to whiskey production. Its Starburst Spicebag Peated Rye Whiskey is Ireland's first peated rye whiskey.
The whiskey's mash bill is 55% rye, 31% malted barley, 9% oats, and 5% peated malt, all sourced and malted within Ireland. The whiskey is matured in a single ex-Ribera del Duero wine cask from Northern Spain. The initial release was limited to 400, 500ml bottles.
The whiskey is spice-forward, complemented by rich aromas of seasoned oak, caramel, vanilla, and assorted red berry fruits. It's bold and robust on the palate, featuring vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, caramel, and cooked barley malt flavors, balanced by red wine, peppery spice, and smoky notes. The finish is long and warming, with lingering spice, red fruit notes, and a subtle smokiness.
The Starburst Spicebag Peated Rye Whiskey from Blackwater Distillery was awarded 'Best Irish Rye' at the prestigious World Whiskies Awards 2024, a testament to its exceptional quality and unique flavor profile.
The Midleton Distillery, County Cork, Munster, Ireland where Green Spot and Redbreast, among other well known Irish whiskey brands are produced.
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The Green Spot Leoville Barton Bordeaux Finished Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is a unique collaboration between two historic Irish families: the Mitchells, renowned Dublin wine and whiskey merchants, and the Bartons, esteemed Bordeaux winemakers of Château Léoville Barton. This partnership brings together the best of Irish whiskey and French winemaking traditions.
This expression, crafted at the Midleton Distillery in County Cork, Ireland, undergoes initial maturation in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks for 7 to 10 years. It is then finished for 12 to 24 months in French oak casks previously used to age Château Léoville Barton wine, imparting unique characteristics to the final product.
The whisky is aromatic on the nose, featuring delicate, perfumed aromas of honeysuckle, orange blossom, ripe strawberries, and yeasty bread dough. It's light to medium on the palate, featuring honeyed and fruity red berries, vanilla, and spice notes. The finish is long with with lingering sweet fruit and subtle spice notes.
The Bushmills 16 YO is an outstanding expression from the Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The triple distilled whiskey is aged for approximately 15 years in a combination of Oloroso sherry butts and bourbon barrels, followed by a finishing period of about 9 months in port wine pipes. This triple cask aging imparts a layered, complex character to the whiskey.
The whiskey features honey, sweet apples, pears, bananas, and sherry aromas on the nose. It's robust, concentrated, and full-bodied on the palate, with a viscous texture and a pronounced mouth weight. It expresses orchard, stone, tropical fruit flavors, nuts, and spice, complemented by almonds, honey, Port wine, and vanilla hints. The finish is sweet and syrupy, with lingering notes of red berries, golden raisins, dried figs, and honey.
Dingle Distillery, established in 2012 in County Kerry, Ireland, is among the pioneers of the new wave of Irish craft distilleries. Situated along the Wild Atlantic Way in Dingle, it was the first new distillery built in West Ireland in 150 years when distilling began in 2012. In mid-2020, Dingle released its core single malt Irish whiskey release, marking a significant milestone in its history.
The whiskey is triple distilled with a 100% malted barley mash bill. It's aged in a combination of 61% Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry casks and 39% ex-bourbon casks, creating a harmonious blend of rich, sweet, and fruity notes.
The whiskey offers a flavorful and complex nose, featuring pine aromas, chalky minerality, charcoal/smoke, pronounced notes of citrus peel, and the typical PX notes of raisin, fig, and date.
It's smooth and robust on the palate with an oily, viscous character and a pronounced mouth weight. Showcasing flavors of licorice, candied citrus zest, dark chocolate, dried black fruit, and creamy butterscotch.
The finish is long and layered, with lingering notes of dark dried fruit, spice, and a subtle sweetness.
The Redbreast Range of Irish Single Pot Irish Whiskeys
Photo, courtesy Redbreast/Irish Distillers Ltd
Redbreast 15 YO is a premium expression from Midleton Distillery, one of Ireland's most iconic whiskey producers. Redbreast is celebrated for its single pot still Irish whiskey style, which uses a mash bill of malted and unmalted barley, triple-distilled in copper pot stills. The 15-Year-Old expression was first introduced in 2005 as a limited edition for the French market but became a permanent addition to the range due to its popularity.
This whiskey is aged in bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, offering a richer and more complex profile than its younger sibling, the Redbreast 12 YO. Combining bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks creates a harmonious balance of sweetness, spice, and fruit.
The whiskey is rich, layered, and aromatic on the nose, showcasing dried fruit notes of raisins, figs, and prunes, sweet notes of honey, caramel, subtle hints of toasted oak, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg spice. A touch of candied citrus zest and floral undertones adds brightness to the aroma.
It's robust, flavorful, and silky on the palate, exhibiting flavors of rich dark chocolate, dried fruits, and orange marmalade, balanced by creamy toffee and vanilla. Spicy undertones of clove and black pepper emerge mid-palate, blending with the nuttiness of roasted almonds. A subtle Sherry sweetness and seasoned oak notes provide depth and structure.
The finish is exceptionally long and warming, with lingering notes of dried fruit, sweet spice, and oak, and a gentle nuttiness that fades gracefully.
These Irish whiskeys are generally available in the US. They can also be ordered directly from the Celtic Whiskey Shop, Ireland's largest whiskey retailer, or The Whisky Exchange. All six whiskies are outstanding and worth trying. If you are a fan of Irish whiskey, or just getting started, you have much to explore here. For more recommendations of top rated Irish Whiskeys see: The World's Best Irish Whiskeys From The World's Top Competitions and The Top Irish Whiskeys According To The 2025 World Whiskey Awards.
