Welcome to this week’s edition of Whiskies of the World; the series that teaches you about different nations’ whiskies and how they came to be. In this edition, we’re delving into the world of American whiskey, starting with what is probably America’s best known whiskey product; bourbon.

Doubtless you’ve heard the name, and chances are you’ve probably had a glass or two in your time. But do you know your high rye from your wheater? Come to think of it, what makes bourbon, well… bourbon?

Fear not intrepid whiskey drinker! As always, we’ll be getting into the nitty gritty of it all.

So, grab your trusty spirit glass and join us on a journey to where it all started… 18^th century Kentucky.

History

In previous editions of this series, we found out how whiskey originated in either Ireland or Scotland, though which country invented whiskey first is still the subject of debate!

With that in mind, it probably won’t surprise you to know that Scottish and Irish settlers brought the distilling of whiskey to what is now Kentucky in the late 18th century.

It’s less clear, however, when bourbon emerged as its own entity, with its own distinct characteristics. Some attribute the invention of bourbon to Elijah Craig, a Kentucky Baptist minister who was supposedly the first to age the drink in charred oak casks, a key component in the drink’s distinctive reddish color and taste.

Early distiller Jacob Spears, meanwhile, is often credited as the first person to label his product as “Bourbon whiskey” after his native Bourbon County. In recent times, however, this has been contested, with historian Michael Veach suggesting that the name bourbon came from “Bourbon Street” in New Orleans – a major port where Kentucky whiskey was sold as a cheaper alternative to cognac.

While its origins remain unclear, bourbon whiskey as we know it today was well established, and had unquestionably taken over the American spirit market by the late 19^th century. In spite of taking a massive hit during the early 20^th century thanks to the ratification of the 18^th amendment and the introduction of prohibition, bourbon has stood the test of time in America and the global market.

Indeed, in 1964, the United States Congress adopted a resolution that declared “distinctive product of the United States” and required “the appropriate agencies of the United States Government… [to] take appropriate action to prohibit importation into the United States of whiskey designated as ‘Bourbon Whiskey’.

Fermenter #5 at Woodford Reserver in Versailles, KY. Photo by Jeff Frank.

What makes it bourbon?

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Last week, we learned about the fascinating history of Irish Whisky; how it grew to become one of the most popular spirits in the western world, how it almost died a death in the late 1800s and how it’s seen a spectacular resurgence in recent years. (If you’re not up to date, check out last week’s post here).

Now that we know the history, it’s time to find out more about the drinks themselves. If you’re up to date on our Scotch 101 series, you’ll know that Scottish whisky takes the form of blends, single malts, single casks and cask strength varieties. There’s some cross-over in Irish Whisky, but thanks to the specificities of Irish whisky production, there are also some discrepancies.

Before we get into the types of Irish whisky, though we’ll talk a bit about what makes Irish Whisky… well, Irish Whisky!

The Rules of Irish whisky

Just like with Scotch, there are some pretty clear rules laid out in Ireland about what does, and does not constitute Irish whisky.

The Irish Whiskey Act of 1980 (more on the appearance of that “e” in “whiskey” in a minute) defines the basic requirements of Irish whisky. Here’s a pretty neat summary of everything that you need to know via the folks over at Whisky Advocate.

“Irish whiskey must:

• Be made from a mash of malted barley, plus other cereal grains (optional);
• Be mashed, fermented, distilled to no more than 94.8% ABV, and matured in wooden casks, such as oak, not exceeding 700 liters for a minimum of three years in the Republic of Ireland and/or Northern Ireland;
• Not contain additives other than water and caramel coloring (e150a);
• Retain the characteristics of its raw materials (in other words, smell and taste like whiskey);
• Be bottled at no less than 40% ABV.”

To be honest, this is all pretty standard stuff, not dissimilar to the Scottish rules, and indeed, the rules many counties have for the making of their domestic whiskies across the world.

What about that “e,” though? Well, the “e” in Irish “Whiskey” is simply a regional spelling variation. As a rule, the Americans and Irish tend to spell whisky with the “e,” while other countries, including Scotland, drop the extra vowel. This isn’t set in stone though, and plenty of Irish brands forgo the “e” on their labelling, or stick with the traditional “uisce beatha Eireannach.”

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Welcome to Whiskies of the World, a new series in which we’ll be exploring the history and origins of some of the most revered spirits that this planet has to offer.

This edition is the first of a two-parter on Irish whisky. This week, we’ll be talking about the history of Irish whisky. Next time, we’ll explore the different kinds of Irish whisky on the market today, as well as recommending plenty of bottles for you to sample.

The Irish are widely credited as inventing whisky, and in the late 1800s, they were the premiere whisky producers in the world. But, by the early 20^th century, the Irish whisky world was in disarray.

This is the story of how Irish whiskey rose, then fell, then rose again, staging a spectacular comeback in the past 20 years that defied the odds and reestablished it as a world whiskey player.

So let’s jump in, and find out how the so-called “water of life” came to be:

Finding the “Water of Life”

While the Scots will fiercely contest it, it was the Irish who first gave the world “whiskey” way back in the 12^th century. The term whisky is in fact derived from the Irish uisce beatha – which literally translates at the water of life (an apt descriptor of whisky if we ever heard one!).

Where did it come from? Well, it came from monks, who brought back the technique of distilling – not liquor, but perfumes – from their travels to the Mediterranean around 1000 A.D. Some bright spark (a genius I dare say!) decided to adapt this technique to create a drinkable spirit, and whisky was born.

Or rather, the term whisky was born, because the drink that came about as a result bore very little resemblance to the drink we know today. Uisce beatha was not aged and was flavored with aromatic herbs including mint, thyme and anise. If you’re curious about what that original uisce beatha tasted like, you might want to sample a glass of Irish Mist, a whiskey liqueur that purports to be based on the original recipe.

Licensed distillation of Irish whisky began in 1608, and by the 18^th century, the demand for Irish Whisky had grown significantly. As a result, Ireland became the largest spirit market in the United Kingdom by the early 1800s. In 1832, the city of Dublin was home to the five biggest distilleries in the country, which grew to become the largest distilleries worldwide. By late 1800s, the reputation for Irish whisky overseas was so strong that it had a demand five times that of Scotch. Irish “pure pot still” whisky (we’ll come back to “pure pot” whisky in the next edition) was supremely popular.

But, by the turn of the century, Scotch had displaced Irish whisky as the world recognized spirit, and all of Dublin’s legendary distilleries were closed for business.

So what happened?

The Decline of Irish Whisky

There were a few factors that led to the decline of Irish whisky, but the introduction of the “Coffey still,” and Irish distillers’ refusal to adopt it, is perhaps the most significant. Invented in 1832 by Aeneas Coffey, the Coffey still was a continuous distillation apparatus that was much more efficient, required less fuel, and was cheaper to run than the traditional Irish “pure pot still.”

But, while more efficient, the Coffey still removed other volatile components from the drink that contributed to its flavor. Irish distilleries were amongst the first to trial Coffey stills, but decided against using them, believing they produced an inferior drink. However, the much milder tasting whisky from the Coffey still found increasing favor with British drinkers, particularly when blended with whiskies produced by traditional means.

While tastes changed, and the demand for the new “blended” Whiskies soared, the Irish distillers remained steadfast in their refusal to use them, with some even arguing for restrictions on their use.

It was too little, too late however. Failing to account for blended whisky’s appeal to changing palates, the Irish distilleries were dealt further blows thanks to the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent civil and trade war with Britain. While there were 28 distilleries in operation in Ireland in 1887, there were only two by 1972. Old Bushmills was the last remaining distillery from Irish whisky’s golden years, while the New Mildeton Distillery was opened when three remaining Irish distillers – John Jameson, Powers and Cork – amalgamated their operations under “Irish Distillers” and closed their existing distilleries.

A Spectacular Comeback

To understand just how far Irish whisky had fallen by the 1970s, you’ve only got to look at the statistics. Throughout the decade, only 400,000 – 500,000 cases of Irish whisky were being shipped per annum. That might seem like a reasonable number, but it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the 12 million cases being shipped per year circa 1900.

Towards the tail end of last century, Irish whisky was seen as something of a relic, overtaken in popularity by the Scotch juggernaut, seemingly never to recover. But, the massive resurgence of Irish whisky in the past 20 years has been one of the most surprising stories in the sprit world’s recent history.

Two milestones in the late 1980s can be attributed to Irish whisky’s recovery. The first is the establishment of the Cooley Distillery in 1987, a major boost to the country’s whisky industry. The second was the takeover of Irish Distillers by Pernod Ricard in 1988. Pernod Ricard – the conglomerate that owns the French, anise-based spirit Pernod – invested significant time and energy into promoting Irish whisky (particularly Jameson’s) worldwide.

Thanks in no small part to Pernod Ricard’s efforts, Irish whisky has undergone a spectacular resurgence in the past two decades. While there were only two Irish distilleries in 1972, the country currently boasts 18, with a whopping 16 under construction. 8.7 million cases of Irish whisky were sold in 2016 and that number is expected to exceed 12 million by 2020, beating the 1900 historical peak. In fact, with an annual growth rate of approximately 20 percent, Irish whisky is now the fastest growing spirit in the world.

That’s it for this edition. Be sure to come back next time when we’ll be getting to grips with the differences between Irish single malts, pure pots and grains, as well as recommending a few choice for your liquor cabinet!