Irish whiskey is the easiest whiskey shelf to shop and one of the hardest to explain, because three very different styles sit side by side at similar prices. This guide sorts our picks by what you want to spend, and says plainly what the extra money buys.
Most Irish whiskey is triple distilled, which is why it tastes lighter and softer than most Scotch. That smoothness is the reason it works neat, over ice and in cocktails, and the reason it is such a safe bottle to buy for someone else.
What to buy first
- Your first bottle: Jameson Black Barrel. Smooth, warm and hard to get wrong, neat or mixed.
- The one people fall for: Redbreast 12 Year Old. Single pot still, rich sherry fruit, the style Ireland does better than anyone.
- The easy gift: Bushmills 10 Year Old. A gentle single malt from the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland, and it looks the part.
- For a round of cocktails: Tullamore D.E.W.. Light, citrusy and generous on the pour.
Prices below are rough guides for the UK and they move about, so treat the bands as a way of grouping bottles rather than a quote. Everything here is on The Distillery App, and you can see the whole Irish shelf on our Ireland page. If you want the styles explained properly before you spend, read our guide to Irish whiskey styles. Buying for St Patrick's Day? Skip to how to pour it on the day.
Three Words on the Label That Change the Price
Blended means a mix of pot still, malt and grain whiskey. It is the lightest and cheapest style, and it is where almost everyone starts. Single malt means malted barley from one distillery, usually a bit richer and fruitier. Single pot still is the Irish speciality: malted and unmalted barley distilled together in copper pots, which gives a thick, creamy texture and a peppery kick you do not get anywhere else.
None of the three is better than the others. But pot still is the style people travel to Ireland for, so if you only ever buy one expensive Irish bottle, buy a pot still one. Our explainer on how whiskey is made covers why the still shape matters so much.
Under About £40: The Everyday Bottles
This is the band that does the most work. These bottles are smooth, widely stocked and good enough to drink neat, and none of them will hurt if you use them in a Highball.
Jameson Black Barrel
Blended Irish Whiskey | 40% ABV
Jameson is the world's best-selling Irish whiskey, and Black Barrel is where it starts to get interesting. Double charred bourbon barrels give it richer vanilla, toasted wood, caramel and a hint of butterscotch. Smooth enough to sip neat, with enough depth to hold its own in an Old Fashioned or an Irish Coffee.
Ideal for: A first bottle, everyday sipping, gifting to someone whose taste you do not know.
Bushmills 10 Year Old
Single Malt Irish Whiskey | 40% ABV
An age-stated single malt for not much more than a blend, which is a rare thing. Matured in bourbon-seasoned and sherry casks, it gives honey, milk chocolate and fresh apple with a light, clean finish. Gentle enough for a newcomer, and the age statement on the label makes it feel like a proper present.
Ideal for: Your first single malt, gifting, drinking neat with no ceremony.
Teeling Small Batch
Blended Irish Whiskey | 46% ABV
Finished in rum casks, which brings a sweetness and warmth you can taste through a mixer. Expect vanilla, banana and light tropical fruit. The higher strength is the point: it keeps its shape in a Highball or an Irish Old Fashioned instead of vanishing under the ice.
Ideal for: Cocktails at home, anyone who finds standard blends too soft.
Tullamore D.E.W.
Blended Irish Whiskey | 40% ABV
A triple blend of pot still, malt and grain whiskey, and one of the great crowd bottles. Gentle citrus, light malt and a touch of vanilla make it supremely easy to drink. This is the one to buy when you are pouring for a table rather than for yourself.
Ideal for: Parties, cocktails, pouring generously.
Slane Irish Whiskey
Blended Irish Whiskey | 40% ABV
Made at Slane Castle in County Meath using three cask types, virgin oak, seasoned casks and oloroso sherry casks, which builds caramel, brown sugar and baking spice. It is the best value Irish Coffee whiskey we know, and it is happy neat too.
Ideal for: Irish Coffee, a second bottle to keep in the kitchen.
About £40 to £70: Where Irish Whiskey Gets Good
Spend here and the texture changes. This is the band with the single pot still bottles and the wine-cask single malts, and it is where most people find the Irish whiskey they stay loyal to.
Redbreast 12 Year Old
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey | 40% ABV
The bottle we recommend more than any other in this category. Rich sherry fruit, toasted oak and a creamy mouthfeel that hangs around, with dried fruit, marzipan and gentle baking spice behind it. If you have only ever drunk Irish whiskey as a mixer, this is the one that changes your mind.
Ideal for: After dinner, learning the pot still style, a present for someone who knows whiskey.
Green Spot 10 Year Old
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey | 46% ABV
Green Spot began as a bottling for a single Dublin wine merchant, and it still drinks like a wine merchant's whiskey. Bourbon and sherry cask maturation give fresh orchard fruit, toasted barley and gentle spice, and it is brighter and crisper than Redbreast. A good pick if a heavy sherried dram is not your thing.
Ideal for: Summer sipping, drinkers who like things dry and lively.
Teeling Single Malt
Single Malt Irish Whiskey | 46% ABV
Matured across five different wine casks, which gives layers of tropical fruit, dark berries, vanilla and gentle oak. It tastes modern, in the sense that it tastes like a distillery having fun. Teeling helped bring distilling back to Dublin, and this is the bottle that made the case.
Ideal for: Wine drinkers, anyone bored of standard bourbon-cask malt.
About £70 and Up: What the Extra Money Buys
Above this line you are paying for higher strength, older or scarcer stock, and smaller distilleries with less to sell. The step up in pleasure is real but it is smaller than the step up in price, so buy here when you want a specific thing rather than because you want the best.
Powers John's Lane 12 Year Old
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey | 46% ABV
Named after the old Powers distillery in Dublin, and the most muscular pot still whiskey in this guide. Dark honey, charred oak, dried fruit and black pepper, with a long warming finish. Buy this if you tasted Redbreast and wanted more of everything.
Ideal for: Experienced drinkers, cold evenings, a bottle to open slowly.
Dingle 10 Year Old
Single Malt Irish Whiskey | 46.5% ABV
From a small distillery on the Kerry coast, and the clearest example of Ireland's new wave doing something worth paying for. Bourbon and sherry cask maturation gives honeycomb, stewed pear, toasted cereal and a faint saltiness. Production is small, so treat a bottle on the shelf as a reason to buy it.
Ideal for: Collectors, craft distillery fans, a special occasion.
How to Drink Irish Whiskey
Neat, in a small glass, at room temperature, is the fairest test of any bottle above. A few drops of water opens up the pot still whiskeys in particular. After that, three serves cover almost everything.
Irish Coffee. A measure of whiskey, hot coffee, a teaspoon of brown sugar, and lightly whipped cream poured over the back of a spoon so it floats. Slane and Tullamore D.E.W. are the value picks here.
Irish Old Fashioned. Muddle a sugar cube with a couple of dashes of Angostura, add a measure of whiskey, stir with ice, garnish with orange peel. Teeling Small Batch has the sweetness and strength to carry it.
Whiskey Highball. A measure over plenty of ice in a tall glass, topped with cold soda and a lemon twist. The easiest way to drink Irish whiskey on a hot day, and no bottle in this guide is too good for it.
Buying for St Patrick's Day
On 17 March you are usually buying for a group, which changes the answer. Get one bottle to pour freely and one bottle to pour carefully. Tullamore D.E.W. or Slane for the rounds and the Irish Coffees, Redbreast 12 for the two or three people who will actually sit down with it.
If you want a single bottle that does both jobs, Jameson Black Barrel is the safest pick on the table. Serve it neat and in Highballs and nobody will be disappointed either way.
Frequently Asked Questions About Irish Whiskey
What is the best Irish whiskey to buy first?
Jameson Black Barrel is the safest first bottle. It is smooth enough to drink neat, has enough vanilla and toasted oak to stay interesting, and it mixes well. Bushmills 10 is the next step if you want a single malt, and Redbreast 12 is the one to buy when you are ready to spend more.
How much should you spend on Irish whiskey?
Around £30 to £40 buys a genuinely good everyday bottle. Between £40 and £70 you move into single pot still and aged single malt, which is where most people find their favourite. Above £70 you are paying for older stock, higher strength and smaller production rather than a fundamentally better drink.
What is single pot still Irish whiskey?
A style unique to Ireland, made from a mix of malted and unmalted barley in copper pot stills. It produces a creamy, full-bodied whiskey with spicy notes. Redbreast and Green Spot are well-known examples.
What makes Irish whiskey different from Scotch whisky?
Irish whiskey is typically triple distilled, producing a smoother, lighter spirit. It also features a unique pot still style using both malted and unmalted barley, giving it a creamy, spicy character you won't find in Scotch.
Our Short Answer
Start with Jameson Black Barrel, and when the bottle is half empty buy Redbreast 12 so you can taste the two next to each other. That one comparison teaches you more about Irish whiskey than any guide can, including this one.
Every bottle here is on The Distillery App. Save the ones you like to your cabinet, and we will point you at what to try next. Sláinte.