A category of whiskey that’s as rich in flavour as it is in history, Irish whiskey has entered an age of experimentation in the past few years.
From creative cask finishes to a return to historic mashbills, there are exciting things happening within Irish whiskey that are certainly worth exploring, and what better excuse than a toast for St Patrick’s Day, coming up next Tuesday, 17 March.
Here are some top Irish whiskey picks available at The Whisky Exchange now.
St Patrick’s Day tipples
Two Stacks Blackberry Brandy Cask Finish
This unusual whiskey from innovative Irish producer Two Stacks’ Fruit Drops series is finished in blackberry brandy casks, providing delicious flavour combinations of spiced honey, sweet blackberries and subtle pepper. 50 per cent ABV £37.50
Busker Small Batch Single Malt
Launched this month, this single malt whiskey from Busker uses 100 per cent Irish grains. It was triple distilled and matured in a combination of bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, bringing sweet, soft flavours of vanilla, toffee, digestive biscuit and cream with a subtle hint of tobacco on the finish. 46.3 per cent ABV £49.25
Boann 2021 4 Year Old Oloroso Cask Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange
More than just a delicious Irish whiskey, this release from family-run Boann was created under the guidance of historian Fionnan O’Connor to reflect Irish whiskey as it would have tasted in the 19th century, using a high percentage of oats. It’s a complex whiskey with notes of orange peel, pear drops and soda bread, with ginger biscuits on the finish. 52 per cent ABV £110
Redbreast 20 Year Old Oloroso Casks – Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange
Available exclusively from The Whisky Exchange and released for St Patrick’s Day 2026, this Redbreast 20 Year Old showcases notes of cherries, raisins, sugar plums, walnuts, orchard fruit, toffee and pineapple.
Redbreast is widely regarded as the definitive Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, making complex, rich and creamy whiskeys using a traditional mix of malted and unmalted barley. 60 per cent ABV £275
