Taste Test: Irish Whiskey

Over the past 15 years, the Irish whiskey category has grown at a rate not seen for generations. Our March/April 2025 issue maps out this rapidly evolving world of Irish whiskey. Many of the newer distilleries are still aging their young whiskies and are just beginning to enter the market. But we’re already seeing interesting signs from these producers, as well as engaging expressions from long stalwarts in the category. Here are a few bottles to get you started.

Note that these are not in alphabetical order but rather on the three major styles, with blends at the end.

Powers John’s Lane Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

The Midleton Distillery kept the Irish whiskey taps open even during the most difficult days for the category, producing brands including Jameson and Powers. The familiar Powers flagship bottling is a blended whiskey, but their John’s Lane expression is 100 percent single pot still whiskey, made from a mix of malted and unmalted barley. Arguably the signature style of Irish whiskey, single pot still became a rarity for much of the 20th century, but Midleton helped keep the style alive. Aromas of chocolate, leather, and toffee give way to a rich, honeyed texture and flavors of spice, vanilla, and dried fruit. $59.99, shop.klwines.com

Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

The Teeling family has a long history in Irish whiskey, and brothers Stephen and Jack Teeling helped revive the category when they opened their eponymous Dublin distillery in 2012. Like some single malts from Scotland, Blackpitts uses a portion of peated malt for a smoky character. But distinctive to Irish whiskey, Teeling triple-distills their whiskey on pot stills. The result is a rich yet gentle whiskey with a soft touch of woodsmoke, lively with tropical fruit and citrus, and layered with caramel and butterscotch. $65.99, caskers.com

The Busker Single Grain Whiskey

Unlike single pot still or single malt whiskies, single grain whiskies are made on a column still, typically using grains like corn and wheat instead of barley. Grain whiskey is the workhorse spirit in most blended whiskies, typically forming a bulk of the liquid in the bottle. Made at the Royal Oak Distillery in eastern Ireland, The Busker Single Grain is matured in both American bourbon casks and in Marsala casks from Italy. Pale in color and delicate in character, the whiskey offers soft notes of caramel, vanilla, and baked fruit, with touches of honey and green apples. $34.99, caskers.com

Jameson Black Barrel Blended Irish Whiskey

Jameson’s flagship blended whiskey can be found in bars worldwide, and offers a reliably light, drinkable character. For Jameson Black Barrel, the blenders at Midleton increased the ratio of single pot still whiskey in the blend, boosting its richness and intensity. For added oomph in flavor and aroma, the whiskey’s also matured in double-charred barrels, giving it bold characteristics of spice, vanilla, and butterscotch, and resulting in a whiskey that goes great in cocktails. $34.99, reservebar.com

Writers’ Tears Inniskillin Wine Cask Irish Whiskey

Irish whiskey producers have an extraordinary range of barrel options for maturing and finishing whiskies. This bottling takes a mix of matured single pot still and single malt Irish whiskies, and finishes it for a final 12 months in casks formerly filled with ice wine from Inniskillin Winery in Ontario. The result is a beautifully vibrant spirit redolent of tropical fruits and flowers, and with a soft, honeyed richness on the palate. $89.99, internetwines.com

Roe & Co. Blended Irish Whiskey

Based in a Dublin distillery neighboring the historic Guinness brewery, Roe & Co. is a nod to an historic Irish whiskey producer. Composed of a mix of single malt and single grain whiskies, the blend offers touches of fruit, vanilla, and spice, with a balance of lightness and richness that makes it a good pick for cocktails. $34.99, frootbat.com