17 Best Irish Whiskeys to Add to Your Collection

Jameson has been around since the 1700s, and it is one of the most popular Irish whiskeys that people enjoy today. Jameson is readily available in any store, and it has a smooth, vanilla, and nutty taste. 

This whiskey is an excellent choice for people who want to mix their alcohol with other flavors and drinks.

Where Jameson has nutty undertones, Bushmills has more of a fruity taste. The recipe for this Irish whiskey involves aging the alcohol in sherry and bourbon barrels, giving it rich, fruity notes. 

Bushmills is excellent on its own, but it’s also good in coffee and tea-based mixed drinks.

Green Spot is an Irish whiskey that manages to hit the spot every time. This fragrant whiskey smells of fruits and wood but tastes of cloves and green apples, adding to the “green” feel of the flavor. 

These whiskeys age for 7 to 10 years to obtain their unique, mellow taste. You can enjoy it on its own or over ice.

Knappogue Castle boasts three excellent options for single-malt Irish whiskey. They have a 12-year whiskey that is peppery, mildly spicy, and fruity, a 14 -year that maintains a pleasant, fruity taste, and a delightfully malty 16-year with a soft, sweet aftertaste. You can’t go wrong with such a wide variety of whiskeys!

Redbreast produces several excellent whiskeys. The most popular is their Redbreast 12. The 12 is the perfect choice for a fall evening; the spiced notes in this Irish whiskey taste of nutmeg and vanilla.

While the Redbreast 12 is excellent served neat, the whiskey is also well-suited for an Old Fashioned.

Teeling Irish whiskey ages in bourbon barrels and then, unlike most other Irish whiskey, ages in rum casks. Teeling has the traditional woody-vanilla taste that most Irish whiskey has, but it also has some extra sweetness and fruitiness from the rum casks.

This whiskey is well-suited to summer cocktails, where hints of its rum-aging shine through.

Tullamore D.E.W. is a blended Irish whiskey with hints of fruit and nuts. This whiskey is smooth and gentle, suitable for beginning drinkers of Irish whiskey. Tullamore D.E.W. does well in mixed drinks that lean into its fruity undertones.

Connemara is a peated single-malt whiskey, which is very atypical for an Irish whiskey. While this whiskey tastes like honey, apples, and vanilla, the peating causes this drink also to taste smooth and smokey.

Connemara is also available in cask strength. The undiluted option increases the woody and smokey flavors.

Powers has three styles of Irish whiskey, but only two are available outside of Ireland. The first, the Powers Gold Label, is spicey and peppery with a hint of sweetness. The other whiskey, John’s Lane Release, distills into rich, dark flavors, with hints of coffee, chocolate, and tobacco.

Slane Irish whiskey has the typical vanilla and fruity notes that many Irish whiskeys have, but Slane is unique in having banana and butterscotch in the flavor profile. The distillers at Slane have made Irish whiskey for over 250 years, and their masterpiece whiskey is best if you drink neat.

Drinking the Sexton standard single-malt Irish whiskey is a smooth and pleasant experience. This whiskey ages in oak and sherry barrels and has the typical fruit and nut taste many Irish whiskeys share.

This whiskey is an excellent choice for a spooky fall evening. The company has even paired with the C.W. to create a Walking Dead themed Limited Edition.

Writer’s Tears is a homage to all of the famous literary giants who came from Ireland and enjoyed Irish whiskey for a bit of extra inspiration. The single-pot still is an exceptionally fruity option for Irish whiskey drinkers. This whiskey tastes of candied apples and dessert wine underneath a warm, woody taste, making it an excellent addition to a cider.

Midleton Irish whiskey is difficult to find, but it’s worth it when you do! This smokey, woody whiskey has a light floral hint and afternotes of almond.

Midleton Very Rare Irish whiskey, like the name suggests, is rare. Production sizes are very limited, but this results in a more personal touch in each of their bottles.

Glendalough makes several variations of their Irish whiskey, but their 7-year single malt is one of the most popular.

Glendalough takes a unique stance on the distilling process; they are not afraid to use unique woods to age their whiskey in, resulting in whiskey with hints of orange, cinnamon, and chocolate.

Dead Rabbit whiskey has an interesting story behind its name; the Dublin-based distillery was a rabbit tanning location before it was a distillery.

This whiskey doesn’t have a long history, but its flavors are just as stunning. This whiskey is very woody but tastes like caramel, vanilla, apricots, and macadamia nuts underneath.

Roe & Co is a newer Irish whiskey. Their standard is a blended whiskey that ages in bourbon barrels. Along with the sweet, woody, and vanilla notes typical in many Irish whiskeys, Roe & Co also incorporates pear flavors. Roe & Co is good on the rocks, neat, or in a mixed drink.

At around 20 years old, West Cork has made a name for itself in Irish whiskey in a short period. Today, they produce over 1 million gallons of whiskey each year.

One unique feature of West Cork is the variety, as they have a dozen varieties of Irish whiskey. One of their best is the Port Cask, which brings in fruity notes but preserves more sweetness.