Irish Whiskey is one of the oldest distilled drinks in the European continent and since 1990 has been among the fastest-growing categories of spirits. The technology of distillation was spread by monks around early Europe from around the 10th century onwards, and by the 1200s the process had been adapted by Irish monks for the distillation of basic beer into a strong malt spirit.

This grew into a cottage industry of illicit home distillation on farms and in secret hideaways, which in turn evolved into a more commercial industry - much like what happened with Scottish whisky. By the late 1800s Irish Whiskey boasted enormous popularity around the world, particularly in the United States. However, throughout the early 20th century the combination of American Prohibition, the Irish War Of Independence and subsequent civil and trade wars all contributed to its commercial downfall. 

Before the arrival of Cooley distillery in the late 1980s, Bushmills and Midleton were the last two operational distilleries in Ireland, providing spirit for numerous brands and producing a mixture of grain whiskey, single malt whiskeys and 'pure pot still' whiskeys. The latter, which has been renamed Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, is made using a combination of malted and unmalted ‘green’ barley in the mash and is unique to Ireland. 

Thankfully, since 1990 Irish Whiskey has enjoyed a significant resurgence, with extraordinary production expansions at Jameson's Midleton distillery heralding phenomenal growth in the single pot still whiskey category, and a proliferation of newer distilleries starting up in the last decade or two.