For those who are new, or not so new, to the world of Irish Whiskey, a “flight” of whiskeys can be a great way to deepen your understanding of a particular style, brand, or geographical area. With the modern resurgence in Irish whiskey making there are literally dozens, if not hundreds of options for an Irish whiskey flight and I’ve outlined some of these below.
Dublin Whiskey Flight
Dublin, also known as "The Fair City," was a global distilling powerhouse back in the days when Irish Whiskey ruled the world. But as with the industry island-wide, these distilleries one-by-one shut their doors until only two remained in the 1960's - Powers and Jameson. Both of these distilleries closed their doors in the 1970's when their operations were moved to Midleton in Co. Cork as part of the formation of Irish Distillers Ltd. (IDL) along with Cork Distilleries Company.
Teeling Whiskey - Roe & Co - Pearse Lyons - Dublin Liberties - Lambay Whiskey
Powers Irish Whiskey Flight
Powers has always been regarded as the "Best" Irish whiskey of the big brands and from its founding in 1791 by James Power, an inn-keeper just outside the old walls of Dublin City it has always been known as an innovative brand. The original Powers distillery at John’s Lane grew to over 5 acres, and in its heyday (mid to late 1800’s) it was one of the most modern distilleries in Ireland, and beyond. Powers were reputed to have great respect for their employees and generations of the same families worked at John’s Lane over the years.
In 1966 Powers merged with Jameson and Cork Distilleries Company to form Irish Distillers Ltd. and in 1975 the production of Powers was moved to Co. Cork. At the time Powers was the best-selling Irish whiskey in Ireland.
Bushmills Irish Whiskey Flight
Originally licensed to distill by King James in 1608 there are records of distilling on the current site of the Old Bushmills distillery since the late 1700's. Located on the beautiful north Antrim coast, Bushmills has been synonymous with Irish whiskey for centuries. At one stage during the dark days for Irish whiskey it was one of only two operating distilleries on the island and was also owned by Irish Distillers/Pernod Ricard for a period of time.
Bushmills Original - Bushmills Black Bush - Bushmills 10yo Single Malt -
Bushmills 12yo Single Malt - Bushmills Prohibition Recipe Peaky Blinders
Green Spot Irish Whiskey Flight
Green Spot is a single pot still Irish whiskey, produced specifically for Mitchell & Son of Dublin by Irish Distillers at the Midleton Distillery in Cork, Ireland. Read about Green Spot’s colourful History Here.
Green Spot Irish Whiskey - Green Spot Chateau Montelena - Green Spot Chateau Léoville Barton - Green Spot Quails' Gate
Redbreast Irish Whiskey Flight
Redbreast is synonymous with the unique style of Irish whiskey making that is Single Pot Still. Impressively the Redbreast "round" (one of the collective nouns for a group of robins) is the fifth most popular Irish whiskey by volume (cases sold) in America.
Redbreast 12-Year-Old - Redbreast 15-Year-Old - Redbreast Lustau - Redbreast PX -
Redbreast 12-Year-Old Cask Strength - More Redbreast Expressions
Cork Irish Whiskey Flight
Cork has a long and storied history of distilling stretching back to the late 1700's. In 1867 four of these distilleries (Daly's, the Green, North Mall, and the Watercourse) merged to form the Cork Distilleries Company (CDC) which became a powerhouse in Irish distilling. Cork became the new home of Irish Whiskey when in the 1970's the three remaining distilleries in the Republic of Ireland - CDC, Jameson, and Powers - merged to form Irish Distillers Limited, and all of their distilling operations were moved to a new greenfield site - New Midleton - in East Cork.
Clonakilty - West Cork - Midleton - Powers - Jameson - Method & Madness - Hyde Irish Whiskey - Blacks of Kinsale
Dublin Irish Whiskey Flight
Bushmills Irish Whiskey Flight
Powers Irish Whiskey Flight
Redbreast Irish Whiskey Flight
Green Spot Irish Whiskey Flight
Cork Whiskey Flight