Queen Elizabeth I of England once remarked that her only true Irish friend was whiskey. The word “whiskey” comes from the Gaelic words uisce beatha, which mean “water of life.” The origins of whiskey are lost in the mists of time; some historians think the distilling technology was developed in the Far East and brought to Scotland and Ireland by traveling Celts. By 1000 C.E. people in both Scotland and Ireland were fermenting grains, distilling the brew, and aging the final product in wooden barrels.

Modern Irish whiskey is similar to Scotch whisky, but it's distilled three times instead of two, it's slightly sweeter, has less peat flavor, and it's spelled with an “e” — Scotch is spelled “whisky.”

Although Scotch whisky enjoys a far larger market today, in the nineteenth century Irish whiskey was the more popular drink. It was the liquor of choice in Victorian England, but in the period from 1910 to 1945 the Irish whiskey industry hit on hard times when the combination of Irish independence, American Prohibition, trade disputes with England, and World War II effectively ruined the export market.

Reviving the Spirits of Irish Whiskey

Nevertheless, the domestic Irish market managed to keep a few distillers alive. The Bushmill's distillery in the North continued to produce Bushmill's malt whiskey, and the Midleton distillery near Cork produced the Jameson, Powers, and Midleton whiskies.

In recent years, Ireland's tourist boom has encouraged entrepreneurs to revive old Irish brands and distilleries. Today, there are dozens of Irish whiskey brands on the market, like Paddy, Kilbeggan, Locke's, Tullamore Dew, Redbreast, and Greenore.

Irish Poteen

A discussion of Irish distilled beverages would not be complete without a mention of poteen, poitín (po-CHEEN) in Irish Gaelic, an extremely strong grain alcohol made in unlicensed stills in the country — like moonshine. It's said that farmers used to give poitín to cows in labor. Supposedly, you can still find it in remote rural areas, but we don't recommend that you drink it; the ethyl alcohol in bad batches can be poisonous.

Alcohol: A Mixed Blessing

For better or worse, alcohol is an important part of Irish life. Irish beer and whiskey provide jobs for thousands of people, they pump export money into the economy, and they help create the boisterous pub atmosphere that is such a big part of Irish life.

The unfortunate side effect of this success is the high rate of alcoholism in the Irish population. Ireland has consistently had one of the highest alcohol consumption rates in Europe; in 2000, the average Irish person consumed 12.3 liters of pure alcohol. This tradition of excess has taken its toll in lost productivity, lives cut short, and a reputation for drunkenness that has been hard to shake.

The stereotype of the drunken Irishman has a complicated history. Some aspects of Irish culture have tended to promote alcohol consumption: the long-standing heritage in producing beer and whiskey, the desire to escape from continuing poverty and oppression, and the relatively benign view that the Catholic Church has tended to take on alcohol.

But while the stereotype has probably been backed up by elements of truth, it is also true that it was often perpetuated by politicians who wanted to suppress Irish political power. Anti-Irish and anti-Catholic politicians in England and the United States frequently evoked the image of the drunken Irishman to stir up animosity against the Irish.

The Republic of Ireland has fought to bring down alcoholism and the stereotype that goes with it. Government actions have increased the penalties for drunk driving, limited the hours that pubs can be open, and mandated that pubs must serve nonalcoholic beverages. Public education campaigns have helped reduce some of the worst consequences of drinking, but the overall rate of consumption is still high. How Ireland will deal with this issue in the future remains to be seen.