Distillation was a common occupation for monks around Europe, but Irish monks chose to use their skills in distilling a specific kind of spirit and that would be whiskey.

And although Irish Whiskey grew in name and reputation, several misfortunes during the twentieth century led Irish Whiskey almost to extinction. The great Famine in 1845, the two world wars, the Volstead Act in U.S. in 1919 and the “Economic War” with England in 1932, played their role in the significant reduction of Irish Whiskey production.

But this magic that always follows whiskey, helped the Irish Whiskey industry recover in a spectacular way. In 1966 only two distilleries remained in Ireland while according to the Irish Whiskey Association, as of December 2019, there are 32 whiskey distilleries operating nowadays.

Using a different style and approach than their “Scotch” cousins, Irish Whiskey becomes more and more popular and gains its rightful place as a leading whisky producer globally.