Irish whiskey - & pubs and beer in Ireland

Irish whiskey is loved by many, as is the culture of pubs and beer in Ireland. We experienced Ireland as one of Europe's most beautiful islands, with its intense green colours and dramatic nature. We travelled around Ireland for three weeks and we got to experience fantastic ruined castles, castles, breathtaking nature and of course the pub life with the laughter, music, whiskey, beer and drinks. Here is some liquid from Ireland!

Irish whiskey

Both Helena and I (Peter) like whiskey and beer. Helena can't handle the smokiest varieties that you find in Scotland, for example, so Ireland suits us both very well. I have been drinking whiskey all my "almost" adult life, because my father offered me a little Jameson whiskey now and then when it was cold in winter when I was 15 years old (1975).

When I bought my first boat (a second-hand Flipper) in the countryside with my brother, we put big stripes on both sides of the boat and named it Jameson. Here are some varieties from Ireland for those who like mild whiskey. Many whiskey varieties are made at large distilleries like Cooley Distillery, Middleton, Pernod Ricard and Bushmills, but there are also those made at small distilleries, independent of the big producers.

Mild and tasty Irish whiskey

• Connemara - Peat-smoked single malt
• The Wild Geese - Double slow distillation process
• The Irishman - Triple distilled and aged in sherry and bourbon casks.
• Shanahan's - Made for Shanahan's restaurant in Dublin.
• Michael Collins - Hard to find
• Merrys - Hard to find in Europe ... go to Ireland!
• Loke's 8 - Has double distilled with 10 % peat, and has won an award.
• Bushmills - Triple distilled and matured in sherry casks.

• Telling - Renowned award-winning and rum barreled.
• Knappogue Castle - Triple distilled and aged in Bourbon barrels.
• Tyrconnell - Slow Double Distilled
• Berry Bros & Ruda - Known from the legendary Doug McIvor
• Hyde - 10 years in Bourbon casks and 10 months in Sherry casks
• A Drop of the Irish - Old tradition of manufacturing
• Clontarf - Distilled three times and four years in oak barrels.
• Peaky Blinder - Triple distilled in sherry casks.
• Redbreast - Triple distilled in copper vats and matured in sherry casks.
• Greenore - Made from maize with lots of prizes
• Tullamore Dew - Triple distilled with a blend of Bourbon and Sherry casks.

• Paddy's - Triple distilled and then in three different oak barrels.
• Power's - First whiskey to be bottled - legendary
• Killbeggan - Double distilled from its own waterwheel, oldest in Ireland.
• Black Bush - Triple distilled and from sherry casks
• Midelton - Jameson's super brand made in the traditional way
• Jameson - Triple distilled from malt and barley

Jameson Distillery

The Jameson Distillery is located on Bow St, Smithfield Village in Dublin. Here you can take the opportunity to taste and learn more about whiskey while in the city. Or why not go for a whisky tasting at the Jameson distillery and take a guided tour.

Irish Coffey

Irish coffee is a world-famous drink and the perfect dessert in one. The coffee, whiskey (Jameson), cream and sugar make it my absolute favourite.

Irish whiskey + stout = true

Ordering 'a drop' or 'half one' means you want half a measure of Irish whiskey in a pint of stout.

Beer in Ireland

Who hasn't heard of Guinness and Kilkenny beer? I had never in my life been fond of dark beer. I have tried many times in Sweden for Christmas, but it has always been too sweet and bad tasting. I gave up dark beer completely for 25 years but the Irish opened my taste buds again when we travelled around the island in 2017. It's still not my favourite but it's ok!

Stout

Stout is a top-fermented and very dark type of beer common in Ireland, but also in the UK. This type of beer is made, among others, by the Guinness brewery.

Guinness - Irish beer with 250 years of history

Guinness was introduced in 1759 by Arthur Guinness and is brewed in Dublin and elsewhere. The Guinness brewery also makes Kilkenny and there is a lavish museum at the brewery. St James Gate Brewery is the second most visited site in Ireland.

Guinness is world-famous for its stout and has its main production facility in Dublin. Here is the large museum Guinness Storehouse with its own Skybar and views of Dublin at St. Jame's Gate 8. This is my next stop in Dublin!

150 pints every second

On St Patrick's day, 13 million pints of Guinness are drunk. That's triple the amount of Guinness than the usual crazy 5 million pints.

Kilkenny

Kilkenny is owned and made by Guinness. There are so many varieties of Kilkenny and some of them are Stout, Extra Stout, Bitter Stout, Dry Stout, Foreign Stout, Irish Stout and you can try them in the candy aisle. 

Smithwick's beer in Ireland

Smithwicks beer has been brewed in Ireland since 1710. When they started exporting beer to the European and Canadian markets, the name 'Kilkenny' was chosen because 'Smithwicks' was difficult to pronounce... Today, both names refer to two different, but similar, beers. Incidentally, the beer is brewed by the St Francis Abbey Brewery, which is owned by Guinness.

Some types of beer in Ireland

Guinness

Special Export, Special Export Stout, Foreign Extra Stout, Dublin Porter, Milk Stout, Draght, West Indies Porter, Draght Blik, Original, Nitro Ipa, Citra Ipa.

O'hara's

Irish Red, Leann Follain Barrel Aged, Irish Stout, Irish Pale Ale, Double Ipa, O'hara's 51st State

Porterhouse

An Brainblásta, Wrasslers Xxxx Stout, Oyster Stout, Hop Head, Celebration Stout, Red Ale

Even more Irish beers

• Hop House 13 Lager
• Murphy's Irish Red
• Curim Gold
• Galway Bay of Foam And Fury

Hop House is a good stock

I think Ireland has a lot of good IPAs that are coming more and more, and a lot of great lagers.

Pubs in Ireland

What would Ireland be without the pub? This is where all the crazy stories are told and all the good laughs are heard. It's also where the folk dancing and the lyrics to the music show the history and community of the Irish. After an evening in an Irish pub, you go home with a big smile on your face, and whether it's because of the music and the people or because you had a few too many beers, no one can say.

Peadar O'Donnell's Bar in Derry

The Duke of York in Belfast

The Dirty Onion Bar in Belfast

Tigh Neactain in Galway

Quays bar in Galway

The Temple Bar in Dublin

O'Donoghue's Bar in Dublin

The Brazen Head I Dublin

Fitzsimmons Temple Bar in Dublin

Lanigans Bar in Kilkenny

Ireland's pub life

There are over 1000 pubs in Dublin so you never have to worry about not getting a pint or a good laugh.

Spirits in Ireland

Irish people like beer and whiskeybut there are of course other drinks as well. For example, cocktails are very popular in Ireland.

You will certainly run into Poitin which is a traditional Irish spirit with an alcohol content of between 40-90%. 

Ireland has long won major awards with the finest gin in the world, but in 2017 and 2018, Sweden came first. Gin & Tonic is high on the list of Irish favourites.

You can visit the Buddha Bar at 14 Mary St if you want to cosy up with a cocktail in Galway. Klaw at 5A Crown Alley in Dublin is super hip and more like a hole in the wall with fresh seafood and cocktails.

Wine in Ireland

Wine production is really wrongbecause Ireland is too far north and it gets too cold. There are vineyards in Cork but it's not a huge production. 

The red dry wine Lusca is a Cabernet Sauvignon from County Dublin and Llewellyns Orchard. From Wicklow Winery come three award-winning fruit wines: Moinéir Irish Strawberry, Blackberry and Raspberry Wine. Fantastic!

Mead wines from honey Winery Bunratty Castle makes Bunratty Mead today and it remains a top seller for weddings and romance in general.

Other drinks in Ireland

Cider is very popular throughout Ireland both cold in summer and warm in winter.

The Irish drink lots of tea and are the best in the world at it. They drink about 1200 cups of tea a year and that's three times a day between beers. Coffee is perhaps best enjoyed in cocktails and not drunk just for the sake of it.

Please share your experiences about Irish whiskey or beer from Ireland!

This is just some of what we've picked up about Irish whiskey and beer from Ireland. We have missed all the lovely pubs in smaller towns, so we have a good reason to go back. If you have any tips, we'd love to hear them and if you haven't been to Ireland... go when you can because you won't regret it.