It
is the nectar that lubricates the tongues of poets, the pens of playwrights,
the voices of singers and the fingers of musicians in every pub in Ireland.
Known in Irish as Uisce Beatha, pronounced "ish'ke-ba'ha,"
meaning "the water of life," the words have been anglicized
into the word "whiskey." Irish "whiskey" is always
spelt with an "e."
The recipe for distillation was originally brought to Ireland, probably
from the Middle East, by missionary monks about the sixth century AD.
They had discovered the alembic - or pot still - being used for the
distillation of perfume.
The greater popularity of Scotch whisky is attributable to a series
of incidents embroidered into Ireland's unhappy history. The implementation
of prohibition in the United States from 1919 to 1933 coincided with
Ireland's War of Independence from England (1916-1919) and the subsequent
Irish Civil War (1919-1921) over the island's partition. Then followed
a trade war with England during which the lucrative markets of Britain
and her empire were denied to Irish products. The distilling industry
in Ireland withered and many of the smaller distilleries closed. When
American prohibition was repealed in 1933, Irish distilleries were still
reeling from these many blows and were not poised to re-enter this profitable
market.
Many whiskey connoisseurs maintain that the Irish variety, with its
triple distillation and greater aging, is smoother and purer and less
hangover-inducing than other kinds. And it was in Ireland, many years
ago, that distillers discovered that if barley were soaked in water,
then spread out on a warm floor and allowed to sprout for about five
days before being dried, the resulting whiskey from this "malted"
barley was better tasting and more abundant than that made from plain
unmalted barley.
Distillers in Scotland developed the habit of drying their malt over
an open peat fire, thus imparting the characteristic peaty, smoky taste.
In Ireland only hot air dries the grains so that the smoky flavor is
deliberately absent, allowing the subtleties and delicacies of the malted
barley flavour to come through.
The way whiskey is drunk in Ireland also differs from other countries.
For one thing, in an Irish pub, one always orders one's whiskey by brand.
"A glass of Jameson or a small Bushmills please." The barman
will then place the whiskey, without ice, in a glass with sufficient
room to add water to taste. There is a saying in Ireland: "You
must never steal another man's wife, and you must never water another
man's whiskey!"
Although the origins of whiskey are lost in the mists of time, the world's
oldest licensed whiskey distillery, located in Ireland, is still in
full production and welcomes visitors.
|
Bushmills
distillery is located in
the village of Bushmills in County Antrim at the very northern
tip of the island. The first license to distill there was issued
in 1608, but there has been an actual distillery on the site since
1276 when Sir Thomas Savage fortified his troops going into battle
with a draught of Uisce Beatha.
Visitors
are offered a guided tour of the distillery to learn how Bushmills
whiskeys are made, followed by a dram of their choice in the Pot
Still Bar.
|
|
 |
The distillery is a jewel on the tourist trail known as the "Causeway
Coast," which includes the Giant's Causeway, one of the great natural
wonders of the world.
In Dublin, at the old Jameson distillery in Bow Street, is the Irish
Whiskey Corner, a museum to the history of Irish whiskey.
Old
Midleton Distillery, County Cork
|
At
the Old Distillery in Midleton, County Cork, 20 kilometers east
of Cork city, the buildings on the four-hectare site have been converted
to a major attraction called the Jameson Heritage Center.
Here
the story of Irish whiskey is told to visitors with the aid of some
magnificent artifacts, including a 12-meter water wheel, an original
stationary steam engine, a horse-drawn, steam-powered fire engine
and the largest pot still in the world with a capacity of 150,000
liters (40,000 gallons). |
It
was in 1943 that Shannon based chef, Joe Sheridan, first created "Irish
Coffee" to comfort cold and weary passengers just off the flying
boats from the United States and landing at Foynes, County Limerick.
Joe felt they needed a warm and welcoming drink after their arduous
flight. Here is his original recipe:
-
Heat
a stemmed whiskey goblet
-
Pour
in one jigger of whiskey
-
-
Fill
with strong black coffee to within one inch of brim
-
-
Top
off with whipped cream, slightly aerated so that it
floats
-
Do
not stir after adding cream, as the true flavour is
obtained by drinking the hot coffee and Irish whiskey
through the cream.
|
Irish Coffee
|
The
Irish like to boast that only Irish Coffee includes all four essential
food groups in one glass: caffeine, sugar, fat and alcohol.
IRELAND'S
"WATER OF LIFE"
was first published in the Victoria Times-Colonist
