It was a huge night for Pernod Ricard at the 2018 Irish Whiskey Awards, with Irish Distillers taking out the Best Irish Whiskey of the Year for Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength.
Irish Distillers also picked up medals for the Barry Crockett Legacy (Best Single Pot Still Whiskey), Jameson 18 Year Old Bow Street (Best Irish Blended Whiskey RRP of €60 or more) and several gold medals.
It’s been a huge month for the distillery, with its Redbreast Aged 12 Year Cask Strength also named ‘Irish Whiskey of the year’ and ‘Irish Pot Still of the Year’ on Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2019.
The awards were hosted last Thursday night at Slane Distillery in Meath, Ireland. Twenty different award categories were judged in blind tasting sessions by members of the Celtic Whiskey Club, Irish Whiskey Society, and Cork Whiskey Society. For the first time. Galway Whiskey Trail and Kilkenny Whiskey Guild participated this year.
The winners of the 2018 Irish Whiskey Awards are as follows:
Overall Winners
Best Irish Whiskey of the Year – Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year – Dick Mack’s, Dingle
Categories
Best Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey – Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy
Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (12 Years & Younger) – Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Port Finish
Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (13 Years & Older) – J.J. Corry The Flintloch 16 Year Old
Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of less than €60) – Teeling Small Batch
Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of €60 or more) – Jameson 18 Year Old Bow Street
Best Irish Single Cask Whiskey – The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Caribbean Cask Finish
Best Irish Cask Strength Whiskey – Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength
Best Irish Single Grain Whiskey – Kilbeggan Single Grain
Best New Irish Whiskey – Dingle Single Malt Batch 3
Best Irish Gin – Dingle Gin
Best Irish Vodka – Ballykeefe Artisan Irish Vodka
Best Irish Poitín – Bán Poitín
Best Irish Liqueur – The Dubliner Irish Whiskey & Honeycomb Liqueur
Best Irish Whiskey Barrel Aged Irish Craft Beer – Dingle Dark Star Ale
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Leinster) – The Dylan Whisky Bar, Kilkenny
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Munster) – Dick Mack’s, Dingle
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Connacht) – Garavan’s, Galway
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Ulster) – The Duke of York, Belfast
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (International) – The Dead Rabbit, New York
The Irish Whiskey Awards were founded by The Celtic Whiskey Shop, which runs the function to raise funds for the charity Mary’s Meals. Mary’s Meals feeds more than one million children everyday while ensuring they attend school.
