Do you know your Irish whiskey from your blends? What happens when you blend a single pot still with a 50% rye (mashbill) whiskey? Well, the world of Irish whiskey is unique with different categories that not only define certain types of whiskey but also allow for a catch all of those that do not meet these definitions.
It is often noted that Irish whiskey has four categories: malt, pot still, grain, and blended whiskey, but what people often do not realise is that there is a fifth category that is simply called “Irish whiskey”.
This is a catch all category to define any and all whiskeys that do not qualify for any of the initial four defined categories of Ireland’s native spirit. Ireland is unique in the world for having this catch all category in whiskey, which gives the category a good step up in terms of space for liquid innovation.
While this seems like a simple idea it can confuse even the most seasoned whiskey professionals, as such, to understand it better, it’s probably best to see what this category is not defined by. See the four main categories of Irish whiskey defined below: (Source: Irish Whiskey Technical File/Product Specification Sheet 2014)
Pot Still Irish Whiskey/ Irish Pot Still Whiskey
Pot Still Irish Whiskey/Irish Pot Still Whiskey” is made from natural raw materials, malted barley and includes unmalted barley and other cereals, water and yeast. Other natural enzymes may also be used at the brewing and fermentation stages. The unmalted barley is an essential ingredient of “Pot Still Irish Whiskey/Irish Pot Still Whiskey” as it gives both a distinctive spicy flavour to the whiskey and influences the texture by giving the whiskey a distinct creamy mouthfeel.
“Pot Still Irish Whiskey/Irish Pot Still Whiskey” is defined as a spirit distilled from a mash of a combination of malted barley, unmalted barley and other cereals. The mash must contain a minimum of 30% malted barley, and a minimum of 30% unmalted barley. A maximum of 5%* oats, rye and/or wheat can be added if required and be:
a) saccharified by the diastase of malt contained therein, with or without other
natural enzymes;
b) fermented by the action of yeast;
c) distilled in pot stills in such manner that the distillate has an aroma and taste
derived from the materials used.
*Proposed amendment to Department of Agriculture to replace the current 5% other grains maximum with 30% .
Malt Irish Whiskey/ Irish Malt Whiskey
“Malt Irish Whiskey/Irish Malt Whiskey” is made from natural raw materials, 100% malted barley, water and yeast. Other natural enzymes may also be used at the brewing and fermentation stage. Malted barley is produced to individual specification by dedicated malting companies, which may be un-peated or peated in character.
“Malt Irish Whiskey/Irish Malt Whiskey” is defined as a spirit made from a mash of 100% malted barley and:
a) saccharified by the diastase of malt contained therein, with or without other
natural enzymes;
b) fermented by the action of yeast;
c) distilled in pot stills in such manner that the distillate has an aroma and taste
derived from the materials used.
Grain Irish Whiskey/ Irish Grain Whiskey
“Grain Irish Whiskey/Irish Grain Whiskey” is produced from malted barley (not
exceeding 30%**) and includes whole unmalted cereals usually maize, wheat or barley.
Other natural enzymes may be used at the brewing and the fermentation stage.
a) saccharified by the diastase of malt contained therein, with or without other
natural enzymes;
b) fermented by the action of yeast;
c) distilled in pot stills in such manner that the distillate has an aroma and taste
derived from the materials used.
** 30% limit on malt has been removed in the proposed new Technical File below the department of Agriculture.
Blended Irish Whiskey/ Irish Blended Whiskey
“Blended Irish Whiskey/Irish Blended Whiskey” means a blend of two or more different whiskey types from the “Pot Still Irish Whiskey/Irish Pot Still Whiskey”, “Malt Irish Whiskey/Irish Malt Whiskey” and “Grain Irish Whiskey/Irish Grain Whiskey” varieties.
Irish Whiskey/Uisce Beatha Eireannach/Irish Whisky
“Irish Whiskey must bear on the label the geographical indication Irish Whiskey/Uisce Beatha Eireannach/ Irish Whisky. The terms Pot Still, Malt, Grain or Blended may be included in this description where the production/method set out for that specific variety (detailed in definitions above) are strictly adhered to and fulfilled“
The whiskey used must be produced in Ireland in accordance with the methods outlined above. The use of any “Irish Whiskey/Uisce Beatha Eireannach/Irish Whisky” in combination with any of the above varieties shall also be entitled to the description “Blended Irish Whiskey/Irish Blended Whiskey”.
So, this catch all category of Irish whiskey exists to collectively categorise whiskeys that otherwise would not be defined or in other countries would just be classified as “grain whiskey”, whether they were distilled in a column still or not.
For example, if you wanted to create a whiskey that was 100% wheat, or 50% rye and 50% barley, or even 40% malt, 29% barley and 31% oats, all of these whiskeys would be classified as generic “Irish whiskey”. This gives the whiskeys the ability to be marketed and sold without added confusion to the consumer. Supplementary information, like what grains the mashbill may contain, can be added to the label but must be separated from the words “Irish Whiskey”, as this is the official category and should be unimpeded on the label.
So, what happens if I vat an “Irish whiskey” with a Single Pot Still Whiskey?
Well, this is a question that I have been asked on numerous occasions. Thankfully, we need only to look at the last line of the definition of “Blended Irish Whiskey” above to figure this out. “The use of any “Irish Whiskey/Uisce Beatha Eireannach/Irish Whisky” in combination with any of the above varieties shall also be entitled to the description “Blended Irish Whiskey/Irish Blended Whiskey”.
As such, any flavour creators that decide to vat Irish whiskey with single pot still or any of the defined terms outlined above will default to a “Blended Irish Whiskey”.
So, when is a Blend not a Blend?
So, what happens when some beautiful whiskey maverick decides to blend generic “Irish whiskey” from the same distillery or even two different distilleries together?
For example, if I blended a 100% wheat whiskey with a 100% rye whiskey from different distilleries would this retain the title of “Irish whiskey” or be classified a “Blended Whiskey”?
While it might seem that logic would dictate that blending two different styles of whiskey together begets a Blend but in this case this new whiskey does not meet the definition of “Blended Irish Whiskey” as it is does not combine two different defined styles of whiskey together (it’s just two “Irish whiskeys”), so what would we call it? Is it possible that a blend is in-fact, not a blend?
Well that is exactly the case! As this new fantastic mixture does not meet the definition of a Blended Irish Whiskey, because it doesn’t blend an “Irish whiskey” with another defined category, this is in-fact still a generic “Irish whiskey”. So let this be a call to all the mavericks of the Irish whiskey industry! Get your generic Irish whiskeys ready and have fun blending to your hearts desires!
So, when is a blend not a blend? When it’s an “Irish Whiskey“!
Finally, it is very important to note as outlined in the definition of “Irish whiskey/Uisce Beatha Eireneach/Irish whisky” above, the term “Irish whiskey” without a corresponding category does not mean that this whiskey couldn’t classify as a malt/pot/grain whiskey. It is possible (as per the definition) for producers to choose not to include the category on the label and instead just use the category name “Irish whiskey”. It requires a bit more dissection of labels and marketing information to determine those in the “Irish whiskey” category optionally or not, but it is important not to assume all “Irish whiskeys” are outside of the established parameters.
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