![]() Although Crown control now extended far beyond the Pale, there is limited official record of whiskey distillation during this period. Therefore, in theory, all whiskey distillers in Ireland were to register and pay taxes. In 1661, the Crown introduced a tax on whiskey production in Britain and Ireland. However, the current Bushmills distillery and company was not registered to trade until 1784 and despite the promotion of the Phillips licence as its claimed founding date, the Bushmills distillery does not clearly descend from any distillery operated by Phillips through ownership or location. However it is through the earlier 1608 licence that the Old Bushmills Distillery lays claim to being the oldest surviving grant of licence to distil in the world. ![]() Kilbeggan also has what is believed to be the oldest operational copper pot still in the world, first used in 2007 after being "last used in the 19th century". Despite this the licence was continuously paid and whiskey is currently distilled in Kilbeggan using the original 1757 licence. Today Kilbeggan Distillery in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, lays claim to the title of oldest distillery in Ireland, as the first distillery in Kilbeggan was established in 1757 (although not continuously operating since – e.g., the Kilbeggan Distillery was entirely shut down around 1917 and again between 19 and was "in rubble" and "totally derelict" by 1983). In 1608, King James I granted a licence to Sir Thomas Phillips, a landowner in County Antrim. Irish whiskey is also described in The commodities of aqua vitae by Richard Stanihurst in 1547-1618 Start of licensed distillation However, as Crown control did not extend far beyond the Pale, a fortified area around Dublin, this had little effect. This Act also made it technically illegal for anyone other than "the peers, gentlemen and freemen of larger towns" to distil spirits without a licence from the Lord Deputy. However, it is known that by 1556 whiskey was widespread, as an Act passed by the English Parliament declared whiskey to be "a drink nothing profitable to be drunken daily and used, is now universally throughout this realm made". Its first known mention in Scotland dates from 1494. The oldest known documented record of whiskey in Ireland was in 1405 in the Annals of Clonmacnoise it was written that the head of a clan died after "taking a surfeit of aqua vitae" at Christmas. In addition, as many Irish records were traditionally oral rather than written, details on early production are likely lost. Even in later years, as production was frequently illicit, official records bear little resemblance to reality. ![]() Irish Mist, a whiskey liqueur launched in 1963, is purportedly based on such a recipe.Īlthough known to have occurred for hundreds of years, records of whiskey production in Ireland can be difficult to come by, particularly in the earlier years when production was unregulated. Īlthough termed "whiskey", the spirit produced during this period would have differed from what is currently recognised as whiskey, as it would not have been aged, and was often flavoured with aromatic herbs such as mint, thyme, or anise. The Irish then modified this technique to obtain a drinkable spirit. It is believed that Irish monks brought the technique of distilling perfumes back to Ireland from their travels to southern Europe around 1000 AD. Irish whiskey was one of the earliest distilled drinks in Europe, arising around the 12th century. Part of Erskine Nicol Irish collection, painting of Irish life. ![]() History Erskine Nicol – A Nip Against the Cold – An Irishman pouring whiskey 1869. As of December 2019, Ireland has 32 distilleries in operation, with more either planned or under development. With exports growing by over 15% per annum, existing distilleries have been expanded and a number of new distilleries constructed. Since 1990, Irish whiskey has seen a resurgence in popularity and has been the fastest-growing spirit in the world every year since. The monopoly situation was ended by an academically-conceived launch of the first new distillery in decades, Cooley Distillery, in 1987. Irish whiskey was once the most popular spirit in the world, though a long period of decline from the late 19th century onwards greatly damaged the industry, so much so that although Ireland boasted at least 28 distilleries in the 1890s, by 1966 this number had fallen to just two, and by 1972 the remaining distilleries, Bushmills Distillery and Old Midleton Distillery (replaced by New Midleton Distillery), were owned by just one company, Irish Distillers. The word 'whiskey' (or whisky) comes from the Irish uisce beatha, meaning water of life. Irish whiskey ( Irish: Fuisce or uisce beatha) is whiskey made on the island of Ireland.
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