Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/306378
104 / the tasting panel / may 2014 IRISH WHISKEY I seldom tire of telling people that Irish whiskey once ruled the world (though people may tire of hearing it). In fairness, that was more than 100 years ago, and if you didn't know the history of this great industry you could be forgiven for being skeptical. But you can't keep a good man down, and right now the Irish are riding their luck—and a wave of new openings and whiskey releases suggest the revival has some way to go. Just a couple of years ago, you could only count four distilleries in Ireland, all con- trolled by industry giants (Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Beam, with two plants). How things change: today we have a magnificent seven and within the next few years the Irish Spirits Association (ISA) expects the number to double. A large copper pot still—one of four handcrafted to repli- cate the originals that were used to produce Tullamore D.E.W. until the distillery closed in 1954—arrives at the new distillery in County Offaly. The Once and Future King AS NEW DISTILLERIES COME ONLINE, IRISH WHISKEY IS RECLAIMING ITS ERSTWHILE STATUS by Ian Buxton PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAM GRANT & SONS TP0514_102-116.indd 104 4/24/14 11:03 PM