Destinations / JOURNEY
How did I arrive in this whiskey-craving predicament?
A self-proclaimed whiskey doubter, I’d recently realized in
a moment of self-reflection (that unflinching by-product of
age) that my opinion was completely uninformed — shaped
by hazy high school memories colored by poor social choices
and tepid seven-and-sevens. Whiskey is fashionable now,
enjoying a resurgence in popularity with new creatively
crafted cocktails and paired with food. Declaring a categorical dislike of the barley-grain spirit was akin to stating a
sweeping dislike of, well, fruit or bread. Whiskey’s flavor
and blends are numerous and nuanced, with hints of sweet,
spice, wood and smoke, while its history is tinged by wars,
feuding clans, bootleggers and famines. If whiskey were a
person, I would invite it to dinner to get to know it better. So,
I decided to go to Ireland and start a relationship.
Politics, Religion and Whiskey
Bags and ibuprofen packed, I headed off to the source — at
least according to the Irish. The origin story for whiskey
is somewhat murky in the British Isles. Opinions vary
depending on which side of the sea you sit, and as in politics
and religion, there are many points of view — and everyone
is right. Distillation methods can be traced as far back as
the Middle Ages, with all sides laying claim. The Irish will
tell you that their monks introduced whiskey-making to the
Scottish highlands, when, following the dissolution of the
monasteries in the late Middle Ages, Irish monks became
the craft distillers of their era, traveling to Scotland and
spreading the spirit love. Meanwhile, in Ireland the Old
Kilbeggan Distillery was established as the first licensed
distillery in 1757, and from there distilleries were born on
both sides of the Irish Sea.
As luck would have it, Ireland proved the perfect place
for me to get to know whiskey, thanks to two significant factors that influence its brand of spirit. The first is that Irish
whiskey is triple distilled, yielding a smooth and clean taste,
which is an inviting starting point for novice drinkers. The
second is that Ireland has the dubious luck of a consistent
rainy and cool climate, which is very conducive to whiskey
production — and to whiskey drinking.
Opener: The Rock of
Cashel. This page: The
Bison Bar. Opposite
from top: Vintage
copper pot stills at
Jameson Distillery;
Jameson sign; a classic
whiskey tasting.
