legal
Irish whiskey
Defined in law
Spirit distilled on the island of Ireland from a mash of malted cereals, with or without other whole grains, saccharified by the diastase of the malt, distilled below 94.8% ABV, and matured at least three years on the island of Ireland in wooden casks not exceeding 700 litres; minimum 40% ABV.
Where it is defined
Irish Whiskey Technical File (DAFM, October 2014), §2.1.1; Irish Whiskey Act 1980; Regulation (EU) 2019/787, Annex I category 2
Worth knowing
The technical file says 'wooden casks, such as oak' — unlike Scotch, Irish whiskey is not restricted to oak. Its three varieties are Pot Still, Malt and Grain; Blended Irish Whiskey is a blend of two or more of them.
Related terms
Last reviewed 2026-07-30 · All glossary terms