Here’s the thing about the Irish: they aren’t a fussy people. The French might sniff dismissively if you use the wrong fork to eat your escargot or chuck an ice cube into your glass of Bordeaux. But if you wander into an Irish public house and ask for a glass of Irish whiskey, they’ll be happy to drink with you, however you see fit to take your wee dram.
That said, there are some rules of thumb, developed over the years, that could make your enjoyment of that glass even deeper. After all, this is a drink that’s been around a long time, and people have learned the best ways to enjoy it. “Whiskey making has been recorded as far back as the 12th century,” said Kieran Folliard, founder of Red Locks Whiskey, which is produced at the Great Northern Distillery in County Louth, Ireland. “We Irish have had a lot of years to perfect this particular liquid, which has rightly earned its reputation as the world’s finest spirit.”
Another fan of the beverage is Jenna Elie of Whisky A Go Girl, a U.S. citizen of Irish descent, who said, “There are so many beautiful sprits and stories in Irish whiskey bottles, and they deserve a special spot on the shelf and in your glass.”
If you’ve tried whiskey before and didn’t like it, perhaps you weren’t trying Irish whiskey. According to Richard Davies, co-founder and CEO of County Louth’s Sláinte Irish Whiskey, the Emerald Isle has the advantage of a superior natural resource. He said, “Irish water is generally softer than water in America, which causes the whiskey to have a smoother, yet light taste, with a softer profile when compared to traditional American brands,” he said.
Want to drink just like they do on the Emerald Isle? We talked to experts for their thoughts, and they told us some of the secrets to enjoying a the best possible drink of Irish whiskey.
Get the right glass
“If you want to enjoy whiskey like the experts, you’ll need a proper whiskey glass,” said Maggie Kimberl, content editor of American Whiskey magazine, who is pretty sure there’s at least some Irish in her background. She’s the content editor of American Whiskey magazine. “Like most whiskey professionals, I recommend the Glencairn glass,” she said.
“It was specially designed by industry experts to aid in the evaluation of whiskey,” she said. “The bulb at the bottom is the perfect size for a one- to two-ounce neat pour. And the fluted shape concentrates the aromas at the top of the glass so the drinker can pick up even the most subtle notes.”
Can you drink your whiskey out of a Flintstones jelly glass and still enjoy it? Sure, but you might have some fun seeing if you can tell the difference when it’s served in a proper glass.
Pour the right amount of whiskey
There’s no need to decant a bottle or let the whiskey “breathe” the way you need to do with some wines. And it doesn’t matter if you pour with the label up or down. But make sure your pour is the right amount.
“You’ll want to pour one to two ounces of whiskey,” Kimberl said. Whiskey is intended to be enjoyed in small amounts, and to be sipped slowly, so if you’re pouring more than a couple ounces at a time, you’re encouraging more gulping than savoring.
Take a moment to examine your drink before you slowly taste it
Before you do anything else, take a moment to appreciate your drink. “Once it’s poured, examine the whiskey’s color and legs,” Kimberl suggested. (When you swirl your glass, the droplets that form inside the glass are the legs. The slower and heavy those droplets are, the higher the alcohol content.)
Now, settle into appreciation: “Breathe in first through your mouth and then your nose, and then take a small sip and let it roll all over your palate before swallowing,” Kimberl said. “Remember to keep your lips parted so you don’t anesthetize your olfactory bulbs.”
Lips parted, try a taste, Kimberl said. “Take note of the sensory experience of the whiskey and ask yourself a few questions like, What is the texture? Does it smell floral or sweet? Can you taste honey, nuts or candy notes? The proper appreciation of whiskey should take your full attention, at least for a few minutes.”
Many experts suggest that you take your first sip of whiskey all by itself, which is known as “neat,” before adding anything else. Folliard pointed out, “If you were served the food of a great chef, you’d taste it first, before you added salt or ketchup. It’s important to honor the work that has gone into making the whiskey and pay homage to its makers.”
The “secret ingredient”
You might be perfectly happy at this point, drinking a couple ounces of Irish whiskey from your special whiskey glass. But there are other additions that might be more your style. One is the “secret ingredient” of a drop — just a drop — of water, preferably distilled water, so it only dilutes the liquid without adding any other flavor.
“Dropping a tiny bit of water into the whiskey can really open up the liquid, which at a higher proof can mask some of the underlying fruits and spices,” said Stephen Teeling, sales and marketing director at Teeling Whiskey Company. “Adding a drop of water releases a whole range of new flavor,” said Ciarán Rooney, head distiller at Glendalough Distillery.
Ice? If you’d like, but only use the best
A glass of whiskey, served neat, in a proper whiskey glass, is the traditional method of serving the spirit. So as soon as anything else is added to that glass, controversies can arise. “There are purists who say the only way to drink it is neat, and they don’t like adding ice or mixers,” said Folliard. “But I don’t think that’s true.”
“Water or ice will change the character of the drink and the way the spirit tastes, but that may be how you like it, and that’s OK,” Elie said.
“Using ice might sacrifice a bit of flavor on the palate, but the chill will take away the edge that some drinkers dislike,” said Clodagh Mai O’Callaghan, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey’s U.S. ambassador. Still, you’ll want to take it easy. “Don’t add too much ice, and be aware that chilling the whiskey will dampen down some of the natural flavors,” Rooney said.
Just remember to use very clear, high-quality ice, preferably made with distilled water. Impurity-free ice will dissolve more slowly, so the dilution rate of your drink will be slower, which is ideal for a beverage that’s intended to be sipped slowly, like whiskey.
Want to mix it up? Here’s how
Even with these guidelines, the Irish “you do you” attitude makes it easy to enjoy your whiskey however you’d like. You can mix it in to a cocktail or add it to your morning brew for Irish coffee. Or you can enjoy it side-by-side another beverage, the way they do back in the old country, as explained by O’Callaghan. “In Ireland, whiskey is traditionally consumed in a ‘pint and a drop’ style. This means you drink it slowly alongside your preferred pint of beer or ale.”
If you want to add some mixers and make a cocktail, the only hard-and-fast rule to insist on is using the highest quality, no matter what you’re mixing in. “Using low-quality ingredients poses a significant risk to the integrity of Irish whiskey cocktails,” said Chloe McMahon, whiskey educator for Proximo Spirits, which produces Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, a spirit that’s triple distilled at the oldest whiskey distillery in Ireland. “Mixers, syrups or liqueurs that aren’t top quality can negatively impact the flavor profile of the drink, masking the unique characteristics of the whiskey and resulting in a subpar cocktail.”
Be sure to measure everything if you’re making an Irish whiskey cocktail, experts said. “An imbalance in the ratios of whiskey to mixers or other components can lead to a cocktail that is either too strong or too weak, overpowering or diluting the flavors of the whiskey,” McMahon said. “Achieving the right balance is crucial for creating a harmonious cocktail that highlights the whiskey’s nuances.”
Even with careful measuring, you might want start slowly with your next cocktail recipe. “Add mixers a little at a time and then sip,” Rooney suggested. “Over time, you might find yourself adding less and less, and allowing the natural flavors to permeate more.”
Finally, the one thing you should NEVER do
“The absolute worst thing for a whiskey drinker to do is to not tip your bartender,” Folliard said. “It’s bad karma that could affect your enjoyment of the beverage,” he added with a laugh.
Before You Go
