The Great Irish Whiskey Revival

The great whiskey fire of Dublin broke out in an area known as The Liberties on 18 June, 1875. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this area was home to the largest concentration of distilleries in Ireland, becoming known as the Whiskey Triangle.

The cause of the fire itself was unknown. Still, it resulted in flames sweeping through warehouses storing thousands of barrels of whiskey, with the natural consequence of a huge whiskey river running through the heart of Dublin. No one miraculously died in the fire itself, but 13 were reported dead from alcohol poisoning, from siphoning off and drinking cask strength whiskey perhaps.

The fire was a portent of grimmer times for Irish whiskey, which at the time was on the ascendance with more than 100 distilleries across Ireland. The year 1920 saw prohibition in the US, followed closely by Irish Independence from the UK in 1922. This led to closure and disruption in two of their main markets, with scores of distilleries shutting down as a result.

I’d visited Ireland last in 2008, and during a whirlwind trip visited the only two operational distilleries. One was the already well-known Jameson Distillery in Midleton. The other was the Cooley Distillery, where I first became acquainted with a lovely peated Irish single malt called Connemara.

Fast forward to 2025, and the Irish drinks industry is having a renaissance moment with over 50 distilleries now spread across Ireland. The spectacular success of Jameson in India, making it the second largest export market for the brand, is also drawing more Irish brands to the Indian market.

In February this year, I was at the Teeling Distillery in the heart of The Liberties Area, which, when it began distilling 10 years ago, became the first new distillery in Dublin in the past 125 years. The duo behind the distillery are the Teeling brothers Jack and Stephen, the latest generation of whiskey makers with whiskey running in the family till as far back as 1782, when Walter Teeling set up a small distiller in the heart of Dublin.

Their father John Teeling founded the Cooley’s Distillery. In 2012, Cooley’s was acquired by Beam International and the Teeling brothers, as part of the deal, hung on to 16,000 priceless casks of aged whiskey that helped lay the foundations of Teeling.

Lorna Allen, from Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, and I were on the Distillery Select Tasting Tour that gave us a taste of the whiskies known as the Teeling Trinity—the Small Batch, the Single Malt and the Single Pot Still. There was also the Black Pitts Peated Single Malt. Our guide also threw in a taste of the Single Grain, with these five whiskies accounting for the core range of Teeling.

The Teeling logo is a phoenix rising from a pot, symbolising the rebirth of the Teeling brand and the fact that distilling has come back to the Liberties in Dublin

My favourite, however, was the Black Pitts that uses both ex-bourbon and ex-Sauternes wine casks, bottled at 46 percent. I wonder if it’s my memory of the Connemara that drew me to it, or perhaps I was just partial to the Sauternes casks, having enjoyed greatly the Kilchoman ex-Sauternes cask on my trip to their distillery last year.

Be that as it may, the drink that Allen and I were looking forward to, especially on a cold and windy day, was an Irish Coffee made at the bar, with the Teeling Small Batch, hot coffee, sugar syrup and a layer of cream. Delicious doesn’t even begin to describe it.

The Shed Distillery is home to, among other brands, Gunpowder Irish Gin, Sausage Tree Vodka and the Single Pot Still whiskey—all prefixed with Drumshanbo

Part of the renaissance of the Irish drinks industry is the fantastic set of entrepreneurs responsible for the same. One of them is Patrick Rigney, whose “curious mind” has spawned the Shed Distillery, home to, among other brands, Gunpowder Irish Gin, Sausage Tree Vodka and the Single Pot Still whiskey—all prefixed with Drumshanbo, the town where the distillery is located.

The Shed Distillery was set up by Patrick and Denise Rigney in Leitrim and is the first to be set up in the province of Connacht in 101 years. As Fergal McPartland, manager of the Food Hub, a community created space where the distillery is located, told me over a croissant and coffee in the Jackalope Café, the distillery has helped rejuvenate the area by providing employment, drawing thousands of visitors and putting the tiny town of Drumshanbo on the world map by planting it front and centre on the label of every bottle.

The Powerscourt distillery obtained many casks of aged whiskey in the 2012 Cooley’s sale

No whiskey tour is complete without a tasting. I sat down to a whiskey tasting of the Drumshanbo Single Pot Still, the Single Malt Galanta, and the Single Pot Still Marsala Edition. The Single Pot Still whiskey is the heart of the range and uses a mix of malted and unmalted barley and Irish oats. It’s been aged in a mix of ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks.

The use of oats lends a creamy mouthfeel to the whiskey, while the use of unmalted barley in Irish whiskey dates to the 18th century, when only malted barley was taxed, so adding a portion of unmalted barley brought the tax bill down for the English tax collector. The next day I was due to visit the Roe and Co distillery in the Liberties. But before my tour, I visit the Harkin’s Bar to savour a pint of Guinness and see Ireland score a try against Scotland in the 5 Nations rugby tournament. Rugby is to Ireland what cricket is to India. A pint of Guinness at a local pub added perfectly to the jovial scenes.

The Roe and Co distillery in the Liberties

Back in the 19th century, George Roe and Co. had the largest distillery in Ireland in the Liberties. The distillery closed down in 1926, and the only things left as a memory are the distillery’s windmill tower and a pear tree. Now owned by drinks giant Diageo, which also owns the nearby Guinness, it’s a beautiful and modern distillery. I was on a tour titled Beyond the Blend, where we tasted three blends from Roe and Co. Our small group enjoyed them with a curated pairing of artisan confectionery by renowned pastry chef and chocolatier Tara Gartlan. We then went on to create our own whiskey blend and used it to create a cocktail, which we carried to the Powerhouse Bar, toasting the Irish rugby team, which had

recorded a comfortable win over Scotland.

Incidentally, I was not in Ireland for just pleasure. I was part of a conference attended by representatives from about 50 Irish drinks companies. On the way to the conference at Killashee, we stopped at the spectacular Powerscourt Estate. I was there to visit the eponymous Irish whiskey distillery, which is home to the Fercullen Falls whiskey.

The Powerscourt distillery was another beneficiary of Cooley’s sale in 2012, obtaining many casks of aged whiskey, which helped them launch several aged whiskies. After the tour, we sat in the bar for a tasting of four whiskies from the Fercullen Falls range, including the single malt, and the 15- and 21-year-old.

What brought the tasting alive was the selection of a range of artisanal foodstuffs made by small producers from across Ireland, from a selection of pates on crackers to cheese and salami. We were encouraged to try each, with each of the whiskies we taste, to see what worked best for our palate. Irish brands continue to have a lot of interest in the Indian market.

Many more brands from the Emerald Isle could be on our shop shelves and bars in the near future. ‘He or she is good Craic’ is high praise in Ireland to say about someone. It loosely means they’re good fun to be with. My week in Ireland taught me that there’s no shortage of people who match that description. Along with their whiskey, there will also be a lot of good cheer coming our way soon.

To read more stories from Esquire India's May-June 2025 issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest newspaper stand or bookstore. Or click here to subscribe to the magazine.