St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) sees the whisky world’s spotlight fall on Ireland. Sales see a large spike as people celebrate the day with all things Irish. Sales of Irish whiskey exceeded 15 million cases in 2024 with exports totalling €1 billion. Add in that 800,000 people visited whiskey distillery experiences in the Emerald Isle last year, and you can see that Irish whiskey is booming.
A true renaissance is taking place, driven by the craft and artisanal distilling movement that has swept across the country. The country is a hotbed of whiskey innovation, which is being cleverly married with its deep whiskey making heritage and history. This has spurred the big well-known names in the industry to be even better and more creative. But which one of the many whiskeys available should you choose?
Here we look at five Irish whiskey brands to watch that may not be on your radar yet. They will make any St. Patrick’s Day celebration better.
Dingle
The Dingle distillery was founded in 2012 and is located in the south west of Ireland in a converted sawmill on the outskirts of Dingle in Co. Kerry. It was Ireland’s first purpose built craft distillery for nearly a century. Their first whiskey was released in late-2016 and the brand has gone from strength to strength since. They produce both triple-distilled single malt and traditional single pot still whiskeys. They also make an award-winning gin and vodka on site. One can easily say that without Dingle there may not have been any Irish whiskey renaissance.
One To Try | Dingle Single Malt – this is the core product in the range and has seen maturation in both ex-bourbon (31%) and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks (69%). Expect an indulgent mix of milk chocolate, dark dried fruits and vanilla custard with a hint of praline.
Drumshanbo
The Shed Distillery in the town of Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim is home to the brand. The town sits on the shores of Lough Allen and the distillery began whiskey production in late 2014. At the time, they were one of the first of the current surge of craft and artisanal distilling across Ireland. The Shed was founded by PJ Rigney, the man who created Bailey’s cream liqueur in the 1980s. Their first whiskey release appeared in December 2019. Drumshanbo has since gone on to garner many plaudits with their modern take on the traditional pot still style.
One To Try | Drumshanbo Single Pot Still – this inaugural whiskey release from the Shed Distillery was extremely well received. Bourbon and sherry casks have been combined to create a youthful, vibrant and full-bodied dram with toffee, dried fruits and woody spices. Delightful.
Dunville’s
The Northern Irish brand of Dunville’s is back with a bang. Originally founded in 1808 in Belfast, the brand was revived in 2012 after nearly eight decades in the wilderness. Dunville’s home is now at the new Echlinville distillery in Co. Down and their range of whiskeys is multi award-winning. The portfolio features the Three Crowns blended range, plus a series of aged single malts. Many of these show exquisite use of ex-sherry casks in their maturation. Dunville’s is definitely a brand to watch and one we love.
One To Try | Dunville’s 10 Years Old PX Cask – this aged single malt has seen maturation in sweet ex-Pedro Ximenez casks sourced from southern Spain. It is rich, fruity and spicy, and feels like a real decadent treat. We also love the beautiful Victorian vibes of the packaging.
Teeling
The Teeling family is widely credited with kickstarting the renaissance of the Irish whiskey industry in the late 1980s when John Teeling founded Cooley distillery. In doing so, he resurrected several brands that had been lost to history. Fast forward three decades and John, along with sons Jack and Stephen, have brought whiskey distilling back to the centre of Dublin for the first time in decades. They now produce an innovative range of pot still, single malt, single grain and even some peated whiskey.
One To Try | Teeling Small Batch – this affordable blend of single malt and single grain whiskeys is the flagship product in the Teeling range. Initial maturation is in ex-bourbon casks before a finishing period in ex-rum barrels from Central America. Quirky and tasty.
Two Stacks
The brand that is making Irish blended whiskey cool again. For the last couple of years the guys at Two Stacks have been shaking up the category, and trying to bring new drinkers into it. This culminated in them being named Best Irish Whiskey Blender at the recent World Whisky Awards 2025. They gather whiskeys from around Ireland and marry them, before maturing in often unorthodox cask types. In addition, their whiskeys are available in 10cl cans as well as the more traditional 70cl bottles. True mavericks and innovators, and we love what they are doing.
One To Try | Two Stacks Apricot Fruit Brandy Cask – part of the Fruit Drops series, a trio of blended whiskeys matured in ex-fruit brandy casks from California. It is joined by siblings in apple and blackberry brandy casks. Funky, luscious and fruity. And delicious.
