Best Irish Whiskey Under $100

The Irish Champ.   The Midleton Distilleries situated in Midleton, Cork County, Ireland, produces pure pot still Whiskey or single pot still as it's now officially known. It is made in a different way than Single Malt because the mash is made from both malted and un-malted green barley. The enzymes in the malted barley stimulate the production of malt in the un-malted barley. Also, Single Malt Whiskeys are generally distilled twice, whereas single pot still Whiskeys more often than not distilled three times.   Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey 12YO is one of two Whiskeys on the market that are 100% single pot still Irish Whiskeys. It’s this — the process of making Whiskey in a copper pot still — from both malted and unmalted barley, that makes this Redbreast unique. Moreover, no grain Whiskey is added to the 12 Year Old. It’s highly regarded as one of the best (if not the best) Irish Whiskeys, by notable critics and laymen alike. 

We don’t want to gush, but this one just may be perfect. Irish Distillers stubbornly adhere to their time-tested methods and practices for making the world’s most popular Irish Whiskeys, including Jameson, Powers, Paddy, Redbreast, Green Spot, and Midleton. The Good men at Redbreast set themselves apart by being one of the very few remaining single pot still Whiskeys and provide four variants of it — all of them top-notch. Redbreast is known for three things: quality, quality, and quality. Their Whiskeys have even been called "masterpieces." Redbreast 12 YO Cask Strength is a proud member of this product range winning a slew of awards itself, including the coveted "Irish Whiskey of the Year." With a resurgence in popularity, we seem to be entering a new golden age of Irish Whiskey, so there are a lot of really good ones out there right now, but Redbreast 12 YO Cask Strength just may be a 58.6% ABV single pot still dram of perfection. Smartass Corner: Only a handful of Irish Whiskeys still use the single pot still process. Oddly, it's not about a specific type of still. Rather, it means using a combination of both malted and un-malted barley in the mash. And where a single malt Whisky is usually distilled twice, single pot still Whiskey is usually distilled three times.

The Cult One.   The Mitchell & Son wine merchants started their business in 1805. At first, they set up a bakery and confectionery on Dublin’s Grafton street. But with the rise of demand for Irish Whiskey in the Victorian Whiskey boom era, they soon entered the Whiskey bonding business. What they did is purchase newly made Whiskey under bond to mature and bottle it themselves, before selling it under their brand. By doing so, they evaded paying the excise tax.    It’s unknown when exactly Green Spot was first produced, but by the 1920’s Mitchell & Son had bottled over 100 Sherry casks of Whiskey per year. Usually the Whiskey was matured for five years in casks by the distiller and later blended, then matured by the merchant for at least five more years, depending on the "Spot" brand name. The name comes from the practice of marking the different ages of casks with a different color.    Green Spot Single Pot Still bears no age statement and is composed of Pot still Whiskeys aged from 7 to 10 years. The Whiskey has been matured in new casks and ex-Bourbon barrels, as well as the ones that contained Sherry. This much appraised drop of Irish Whiskey has become a cult favorite.

When it comes to Jameson’s, "Black Barrel" means something different. Back in the late 1700’s Ireland, there was one powerful distilling family in two branches — the Haigs and the Steins. John Jameson was originally from Scotland, but married into the Haig family and moved to Dublin 1777 where he was put in charge of the new Bow Street Distillery which was founded in 1780. After working hard for years, he eventually acquired the entire operation in 1810, and the Jameson & Son Distillery Company was born. Since then Jameson has become the most recognizable and best-selling Irish Whiskey in the world with a wide-ranging product line delivering over 56 million bottles of golden Irish nectar each year. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again… when the Whiskey-drinking world thinks of Irish Whiskey, they think of Jameson’s. It’s not only the largest selling brand of liquid Irish culture, it is the standard by which all others are measured. The core Jameson’s Whiskey spirit comes from a single distillery in Cork, Ireland, but uses a unique mixture of triple-distilled grain and pot-still spirits aged seven years in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey takes the extra step of re-charring the Bourbon casks ("black barrel," get it?). This diminishes the Bourbon influence and adds a more natural, vanilla character. Smartass Corner: John Jameson used to enjoy sharing a drink and a story with his workers at the end of their work-shift. Jameson’s has always been the working-man’s quality Irish dram and to this day you'll see two barrel men balanced on either side on the bottom of the label. *No returns or refunds available for personalized items.

In a word, elegant. In two words... darn delicious. The winner of the Flaviar Community Awards 2019 in its respective category! Irish Distillers is a subsidiary of liquor-giant Pernod-Ricard that stubbornly adhere to their time-tested methods and practices for making the world’s most popular Irish Whiskies and they don’t give a fig-leaf what those crazy Frenchmen think about the matter. Irish Distillers makes the famous Jameson, Powers, Paddy, Redbreast, Green Spot, and Midleton Very Rare Whiskies along with Huzzar Vodka and Cork Dry Gin. The Good men at Redbreast set themselves apart by being one of the very few remaining Single Pot Still Whiskies and provide four variants ranging from 12 to 21 years old — all of them are top-notch. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — Redbreast is known for quality. In fact, their Whiskeys have even been called “masterpieces.” Redbreast Lustau Edition gets it name from a special partnership with the famous Lustau Bodgea in Cádiz, Spain. This elegant Irish Whiskey starts like all core Redbreast Whiskies with a blend of spirits aged from none to twelve years in both ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. The married spirits are then aged an additional full year in first-fill Bodegas Lustau casks. This exceptional combination yields a Whiskey flavor explosion you will not soon forget. Smartass Corner: Only a handful of Irish Whiskeys still use the Single Pot Still process. Oddly, the term has nothing to do with the still itself. Rather, it means using a combination of both malted and un-malted barley in the mash. And where a Single Malt Whisky is usually distilled twice, Single Pot Still Whiskey is usually distilled three times.