7 Irish Whiskeys You Can Basically Only Get in Ireland
7 Irish whiskeys to get in Ireland
In a complicated landscape for spirits, Irish whiskey has demonstrated resilience worldwide, exhibiting growth where most other spirit categories have flatlined or declined. Despite being a well-established and popular category in the United States since before Prohibition, the craft Irish whiskey industry is still fairly young, with most distilleries entering the game in the last few decades.
On American retail shelves and backbars of late, there’s depth to the Irish whiskey category beyond Jameson and Bushmills, with myriad options available for enthusiasts to explore the category. Dublin’s storied Celtic Whiskey Shop and online store Master of Malt make a deep selection of Irish whiskeys available to US consumers via their willingness to pay tariff prices and for international shipping, so there are few bottles that are technically not at all available in the States, at least for home consumption.
When it comes to sipping whiskey on the Emerald Isle itself, though, you have the best opportunity to try brands or bottlings that you can’t get back home — at least not in most retail or bar settings. Even bestselling brands in the U.S. such as Jameson and Tullamore D.E.W. have distillery or bespoke blends that can only be bought or sampled at the source, and beyond those well-known labels, there is still much to explore for the intrepid Irish whiskey fan around the country. From limited release or special edition whiskeys to those from small or new producers that aren’t (yet) in the business of export to whiskeys bottled specifically by or for an Irish bar, these are seven, harder-to-come-by Irish whiskeys that you should seek out when you’re in Ireland.
Ballina Single Malt Irish Whiskey photo credit Ballina Whiskey
A rebranding of the previously released Connaught label, Ballina (emphasis on the “na” in the Irish language) is brand new even to the Irish market, having been released in November 2025. For terroir enthusiasts, it’s an Irish whiskey that emphasizes a sense of place in as many ways possible, including its packaging. To start, Ballina is the town where the whiskey is produced. Its former name — Connaught — referred to the broader province. The bottles and labels for the new brand are also meant to evoke the River Moy, which runs through the town of Ballina. The distillery, which was the first in County Mayo in over 150 years when it opened in 2015, currently offers two single malts using Irish barley: light, lively Dύbailte and rich, meditative Triarach. (“Double” and “Triple,” respectively, referring to their methods of distillation.)
Micil Irish Whiskey photo credit Micil Distiller
Micil is the effort of two brothers, Pádraic and Jimín Ó Griallais, to revive the unique tradition of whiskey-making in Ireland’s western capital of Galway. (PSA: note the Irish spelling of “Pádraic,” from which we get Paddy, not Patty, as in St. Paddy’s Day.) As a Western port city, Galway had access to wine and spirit casks from throughout Europe, which were broken down into smaller casks for whiskey aging, and which greatly influenced the seasoning and flavor profiles of historical whiskeys from Galway and the broader coastal region of Connemara. Representing Ireland’s oldest unbroken lineage of distillers, and named for the founders’ great-great-great grandfather, Micil had been mainly a poitín brand that began making whiskey in 2020. Its range of sought-after whiskeys are primarily peated, using a blend of used casks such as Bordeaux, Pedro Ximinez, Bourbon, Madeira, and small poitín octaves for maturation.
Sean’s Irish Whiskey photo credit Sean’s Bar
Halfway between Dublin and Galway, in the city of Athlone, sits Sean’s Bar, believed to be the oldest bar in Ireland, as a pub has existed on the site for over 1100 years. (It is possibly the oldest existing bar in the world, though there is no official designation yet to support that claim.) A bucket list destination for tavern lovers and Hibernophiles, it also sports a couple of custom whiskeys that are certainly worth a dram. Current owner Timmy Donovan worked with various distillers to use products and processes that would have also existed at the bar’s origin, resulting in two bespoke bottlings for the bar: the blended Luain’s Edition, named for the pub’s first innkeeper, and single malt Clonmacnoise, named for an ancient monastic site in tribute to the monasteries whose role in distillation is foundational.
Redacted Whiskey photo credit Redacted Independent Bottlers
Redacted, founded by Michael Cowman and Ronan Collins with help from Two Stacks, isn’t an Irish whiskey producer, but rather an independent Irish whiskey bottler that aims to shine a light on the Irish whiskey category as a whole. The brand seeks out rare or interesting casks throughout Ireland and complements each release with a funky art label. The name Redacted is ironic: the point is to give the consumer as much information as possible on the label, though its label design includes an unmistakable strike-through motif. According to their website: “Whether that’s a tiny craft distillery on a mountain edge run by a kindly goblin or one of the world’s mega distilleries who are also producing great spirit, we aim to tell you precisely what’s in the bottle.” The occasional use of “naggins,” which are 200 ml whiskey bottles, are an effort to make certain whiskeys accessible to more people. Available releases currently include a 20-year-old Cooley Distillery single grain Barolo wine cask finish naggin, and a Blackwater Distillery 5-Irish-grain blend with a Bourbon barrel finish.
The Palace Bar Whiskey photo credit The Palace Bar
Similar to Dublin’s The Long Hall, Toners, or Kehoes, The Palace Bar is a classic pub that transports you back in time: its aesthetics are from another century, and barmen still wear vests and ties. In addition to the storied bar itself, considered a must for whiskey lovers for its impressive collection, The Palace Bar is also a whiskey merchant, peddling rare and special finds, including its own label. Eleven-, 12-, and 13-year single malts, plus a 12-year Literary Tribute Batch are made by iconic Irish distillers and selected by the pub’s proprietor; each is a limited release of only 1000 bottles, but you can also buy them by the pour at the pub.
Soraghan Irish Whiskey photo credit Soraghan Irish Whiskey
Hailing from Ireland’s northeast coast, Soraghan Irish Whiskey is a lockdown-inspired project designed to support County Louth’s oldest bar. In the absence of a beloved community gathering spot during the pandemic, Stephen Soraghan sought to preserve the pub’s 300-year history with a project that would ensure its return to the community when restrictions were lifted. Master Blenders at Great Northern Distillery — Ireland’s largest distillery, which is also responsible for helping to craft many small-project whiskeys — worked with Soraghan to create custom blends. Soraghan has two whiskeys under its label: 3 Year Old Premium Blend, and 7 Year Old Triple Distilled Single Malt - Jamaican Rum Cask.
May-Lóag Irish Whiskey photo credit Old Carrick Mill Distillery
Sporting a decanter-style bottle and a unique stopper designed to look like the horns of a ram in tribute to local lore, May-Lóag definitely lives up to its name: “one that stands out from the crowd.” These whiskeys are produced by Old Carrick Mill, an artisan distillery on the site of a 300-year old flour mill that was founded in 2014 by American-trained distiller and Irish spirits enthusiast Steven Murphy. (Like many small distillers profiled here, Old Carrick Mill was the first distillery to open in its county since before Prohibition.) Current May-Lóag releases include both single malts and blends, with a variety of cask treatments, including the Diamond 10 Year Old, a “sherry bomb” blend with an entirely sherry cask finish. Look for May-Lóag in bars in Co. Monaghan, or visit the distillery.