The 12 Best Irish Single Malt Whiskeys for 2024

by Brian Donnelly

March 11, 2024

Overview

What is Irish single malt whiskey? I thought single malt was Scotch.

Just like Scotland, Ireland has a long history of distilling malt whiskey. I have defined Irish malt whiskey below and provided 12 recommendations for the sub-category. Plenty of options are available, so I could only cover some of them, but these 12 are a great and diverse starting point.

Spirits Definition - Irish Malt Whiskey

“Irish malt whiskey must be made from 100% malted barley, with the wort separated from the solids before fermentation, and must be distilled in pot stills. The traditional practice is to use smaller pot stills in order to encourage complex flavors and a full, oily texture; however, there are no requirements as to the size of the still. Irish malt whiskey is traditionally triple-distilled, although double distillation may be used.”

Nickles, Jane. 2022 Certified Specialist of Spirits Study Guide (p. 71). Kindle Edition.

Bushmills 10-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey

The Bushmills 10-Year-Old is the gateway expression to the brand’s Single Malt line-up. Unlike the blended expressions, which contain a proportion of lighter grain whiskey distilled from corn or wheat, their Single Malt whiskey is triple distilled in copper pot stills from 100 % Irish malted barley at a single distillery. This style of Irish whiskey changed when the British Crown imposed a tax on malted barley in the mid-1800s, causing most distilleries to switch to corn or to include unmalted barley. Bushmills continues the original process, and their Single Malts are “pure malts” with no peat or smoked malt. The 10-year-old expression is matured for at least ten years separately in ex-Bourbon barrels, sourced from the Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky and Oloroso Sherry casks before being blended and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV). This product is the favorite of Bushmills Master Blender Helen Mulholland, Ireland’s first female Master Blender. 

Bushmills 12-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey

The Bushmills 12-Year-Old expression is the newest addition to the single malt lineup and was designed to offer customers a bridge product between the 10-Year-Old and 16-Year-Old expressions. This expression is triple distilled from 100 % Irish malted barley and matured for a minimum of 11 years in former sherry casks and bourbon barrels before combing and finishing for 6-9 months in Marsala wine casks, which is a fortified wine from Sicily, a large island south of the Italian Peninsula. This product is bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV). 

Bushmills 16-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey

The Bushmills 16-Year-Old expression is a favorite among whiskey connoisseurs, arguably the most popular expression in the brand’s single malt collection. This expression is triple distilled from 100 % Irish malted barley and matured for up to 16 years in former Sherry casks and bourbon barrels, then those barrels are mingled together and cask-finished for 6-9 months in Ruby Port pipes and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV). Port is a type of fortified wine from Portugal, and Ruby Port is made in a less oxidative and fresher style. Port pipes are the official name for the casks used to mature Port. They are usually a long, narrow shape and around 650 liters or 172 gallons. This expression is a whiskey of three kinds of wood; each barrel provides a different influence, complexity, texture, and finish. The bourbon barrel adds caramelization, the Sherry cask adds an almond characteristic, and the Port pipe imparts a finish with notes of dark summer fruits. 

Bushmills 21-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey

The Bushmills 21-Year-Old is the pinnacle of the brand’s Single Malt portfolio. This expression is tripled-distilled from 100 % Irish malted barley, aged for a minimum of 19 years in former Bourbon barrels and Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks. Those barrels are mingled and cask-finished in Madeira wine drums for an additional two years. The final product is bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV). If you are unfamiliar with Madeira, it is a fortified wine produced on the Portuguese island of Madeira, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the North-West coast of Africa. Like the 16-Year-Old expression, this product is a whiskey aged in three different types of barrels. The Bushmills 21-Year-Old is particularly rare because the distillery only fills 27 Madeira Drums each year, each of which is around 650 liters or 172 gallons. The Bushmills distillery can fill about 250 barrels daily to put that volume into perspective. 

Busker Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Busker Single Malt is distilled in pot stills from 100 % malted barley at the Royal Oak Distillery, located on an 18th-century estate in eastern Ireland in Clorusk Lower, County Carlow, just a short drive east of Kilkenny. This product has no age statement (NAS), is aged in ex-Bourbon barrels, finished in Sherry casks, and is bottled at 88.6 proof (44.3 %).

Connemara 12-Year-Old, Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Connemara is distilled from malted barley at the Old Kilbeggan Distillery, which dates back to 1757, making it the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the Republic of Ireland. Unlike most Irish whiskey, the Connemara brand specializes in Peated Irish single malt whiskey. One could think of Connemara’s whiskies as “Islay meets Ireland,” as they retain the smooth and sweet taste of Irish whiskey with the smoky taste associated with Islay Malt whiskies. Inspired by Ireland’s ancient distilling tradition of drying malted barley over peat fires, Connemara’s smooth, sweet malt taste and complex peat flavors make it a truly unique Irish whiskey. For centuries, peat (or turf as it is known locally) was widely used in Ireland to dry cereal crops and to fire the stills. The 12-Year-Old label is aged at least twelve years, bottled from a single cask at 80 proof (40 % ABV), and offers an expressive aroma with a vibrant presence of malt and peaty smokiness.

Connemara Cask Strength, Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Connemara Cask Strength is the trade-up option from the 12-Year-Old label, which is bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV). The Cask Strength label is also distilled from peated malted barley at Old Kilbeggan Distillery. This product has no added coloring, is non-chill filtered, and is bottled uncut or undiluted at cask strength, which will vary from batch to batch. I recently tasted one bottled 117 proof (57 % ABV). 

Glendalough 7-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Mizunara Finished

This expression is a Single Malt Irish Whiskey, produced at one single distillery, triple distilled in pot stills from a mash bill of just Irish malted barley, and double matured for 7 years in heavily charred Bourbon casks and up to one year in #3 charred Mizunara puncheon casks (500 L), non-chilled filtered, and bottled at 92 proof (46 % ABV). The 7-year age statement represents the seven years that St. Kevin lived in the wilderness and the seven churches he built.

Glendalough is the first Irish whiskey distillery to use Mizunara, grown on Hokkaido, Japan's most northern and least populated mainland Island. Mizunara is notoriously rare and exotic because it takes 200 years for a tree to mature, and each tree might only give you one cask because they're prone to grow twisted. The year's harvest is sold in one day at a blind auction, and each cask can cost $3,000. Mizunara means "water oak" and takes three years to dry, making them extremely brittle and hard to shape into barrels. 

The "red thread of fate" is tied around the neck of the bottle. The Japanese believe an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to be together. In this case, it represents the connection between two islands on the far sides of the world—Hokkaido and Ireland. It brings together the world's best oak and the world's best malt, marrying Japanese design and Irish storytelling. "What you seek is seeking you." 

Limavady Single Malt, Single Barrel Irish Whiskey

Limavady (Lim-Ah-Vah-Dee) is a single barrel single malt Irish whiskey created by former Bushmills Master Distiller Darryl McNally. The name comes from Darryl's hometown of Limavady in Northern Ireland, which translates to "Leap of the Dog" (Leim an Mhadaidh). The legend goes that an Irish wolfhound leaped across the River Roe to warn his clan of an enemy ambush. Darryl's grandfather lost ownership of his family's distillery during American Prohibition, and he hopes to resurrect the family legacy with his leap into a new independent Irish whiskey brand. The product is triple distilled in copper Pot Stills from 100% Irish barley, first aged in ex-Bourbon barrels, then finished for 2-3 weeks in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks, and bottled one barrel at a time at 92 proof (46 % ABV).

Tullamore D.E.W. 14-Year-Old, Single Malt, Irish Whiskey

Tullamore D.E.W. 14-Year-Old is an single malt Irish whiskey aged in four cask types. This product is triple-distilled from 100 % malted barley at one distillery (single malt). Most single malt whiskies from Scotland or Japan are double-distilled, but Irish single malt whiskeys are usually triple-distilled, generally producing a smoother flavor. The whiskey has aged a minimum of 14 years in former or ex-Bourbon barrels, then finished for a minimum of 6 months in ex-Oloroso Sherry Butts, ex-Port Pipes, and ex-Madeira Drums, bottled in small batches of fewer than 200 casks at 82.6 proof (41.3 % ABV). 

Tullamore D.E.W. 18-Year-Old, Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Tullamore D.E.W. 18-Year-Old is the oldest age statement ever released by the brand. This product is triple-distilled from 100 % malted barley at one distillery (single malt). The whiskey has aged a minimum of 18 years in former or ex-Bourbon barrels, then finished for a minimum of 6 months in ex-Oloroso Sherry Butts, ex-Port Pipes, and ex-Madeira Drums, bottled in small batches of fewer than 20 casks or fewer than 2,500 bottles at 82.6 proof (41.3 % ABV). 

The Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey

The Tyrconnell Irish whiskey is originally from the Andrew Watt Distillery, established in 1762. The name comes from a horse that won against all odds at the National Produce Stakes in 1876. Tyrconnell is double-distilled from 100 % malted barley from one distillery. Its double distillation gives it a robust profile with more character than triple-distilled blends. This product is bottled with no age statement (NAS) at 86 proof (43 % ABV), so the whiskey is approachable, making it the ideal introduction for those exploring the world of Irish whiskey.

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