Irish Whiskey

I honestly think that if some smart Irishman could figure out a way to make steel by mixing iron with booze they would do so.  The final product of this mix would be—as some of you have already guessed—Irish steel.  To make something Irish you simply add booze.   Irish cream is an example of this.  Irish coffee is a further extension of the same idea.

Irish whiskey is something of a shortcut on the making-a-thing-Irish process.  Here, the spirit is the direct thing.  As a point of interest, the word “whiskey,” as derived from Gaelic, means “water of life.”  This seems almost too convenient.   Out of profound respect for my many Irish friends in Butte, Montana and beyond, I will forgo all the jokes that naturally follow that knowledge.  You are welcome to run with those on your own.

Irish whiskey is made from barley and is distilled using many of the same processes as those used in making Scotch.  Some differences do distinguish Scotch and Irish whiskey.  The Irish spirits, as example, are seldom distilled with the use of peat in the process.  Peat is what introduces the earthy to smoky flavor that defines Scotch.  Perhaps most importantly, Irish whiskey is distilled three times as compared to only twice for Scotch.  The extra distillation tends to smooth the flavor.  Finally, Irish whiskey must be distilled in Ireland to earn the name.

According to Wikipedia, Irish whiskey was at one time the most popular spirit in the world.  Popularity declined for most of the last century, but in more recent years Irish whiskey has seen a sharp upswing in favor again.  Since 1990, Irish whisky has witnessed more growth in popularity than any other spirit.

Good for the Irish, that!

I realize that unsolicited advice is usually not welcome.  Just the same, in closing, I would like to advise those of you driving an Irish coworker to your shared workplace in the mornings to take only small sips of any coffee if your Irish coworker makes an offer.  If you drink too much, you might end up being an Irish worker by the time you arrive at your job.

--Mitchell Hegman

All apologies, Mary…