Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips

Before the available choices of single pot still whiskey stretched beyond two – Green Spot and Redbreast 12, one man had fallen in love with both the spirit and its history. Today, Fionnán O’Connor, my guest on the podcast, is recognized as one of the foremost experts on the history of single pot still whiskey.

His book A Glass Apart, published in October 2015, is recognized as the definitive guide to Irish pot still whiskey today.

This episode is the second part of a two-part series (Part 1 here) on the topic of single pot still whiskey, its history and its future and is a continuation of my conversation with Fionnan O’Connor.

Irish single pot still whiskey is in the midst of a welcome resurgence. Once one of the best selling styles of whiskey in the world, its rollercoaster journey has been well documented on this podcast and elsewhere. Though the Midleton distillery was the only distillery in Ireland producing this style from the early 1970s until 2012 when Dingle Distillery began production, today there are more than a dozen producers of Ireland’s unique style of whiskey with more in the pipeline.

Before the available choices of single post still whiskey stretched beyond two - Green Spot and Redbreast 12, one man had fallen in love with both the spirit and its history. Today, Fionnán O’Connor, my guest on the podcast, is recognized as one of the foremost experts on the history of single pot still whiskey.

In this episode of Stories & Sips I spent a very enjoyable afternoon chatting with Jarlath Watson, global brand ambassador and part of the founding team of the extraordinary Echlinville distillery. We sipped on some Dunville's Irish whiskey and I learned more about the history of this storied brand and Echlinville’s impressive approach to growing, malting and distilling.

It’s been 175 years since legal distilling has happened in Ireland’s North Western-most county of Donegal. That changed with the establishment of Sliabh Liag Distillers - founded by husband and wife team James and Moira Doherty who uprooted their family from Hong Kong to pursue a passion.

Welcome to the first episode in our twice-weekly attempt at introducing unsuspecting Americans to the joys of Irish whiskey.

The incredible history of this Irish spirit has given us stories that can keep us going for years. New distilleries, characters and brands are ensuring that the best days for Irish whiskey are still ahead and I’m looking forward to sharing these stories in each episode with you.