Irish Pubs

If there’s one thing that pops into peoples’ minds when they first think of Ireland, odds are, it’s the whiskey! While it is unfair to characterize all of Ireland by its drinking culture, it is fair to say that the Irish pubs are a lively and memorable place for visitors to relax at the end of a long day of touring, and are the center of Irish culture in many ways. Visitors usually find that pubs are great place to soak up a bit of the local culture that can’t be found in any museum.

Pubs are one of the Irish attractions that you do not have to travel to a large city to enjoy; they can be found in greater numbers there, of course, but even the smallest village is sure to have a local hostelry where you can stop in to ask directions or perhaps settle in for a pint and a sandwich following a hike through the hills. Pubs often have a very relaxed and informal atmosphere, and are a wonderful place to relax even at midday.

If you’re planning something a touch more extravagant, you might want to wait until the evening, or better yet look around to see if anything is planned to take place in one of the pubs. Pubs sometimes host celebrations such as ceilidhs, a traditional Irish party filled with music, dancing– and drinking, too! A ceilidh in a pub is an extremely memorable event, but whatever you do, don’t expect to be reduced to the role of spectator! Ceilidhs are very much an even for everybody present, and nobody sits out for very long.

It’s important for visitors to note that the legal drinking age in Ireland is 18, and if your age is in doubt –even if you think there’s no chance it will be!– you may be required to show proof.

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Irish Whiskey

Not just to be knocked back casually in a pub at the end of your exhausting day of hiking, shopping or golfing, Irish whiskey is of a reputation and quality that makes it well worth taking home with you even after you leave Ireland behind! It can also make a handsome gift for a friend, particularly if he or she has a taste for rare and fine whiskeys.

If you are not familiar with whiskey, it may be best to visit different distilleries and take a few tours to get a crash course in all that Ireland has to offer the true connoisseur. There are in fact four different types of whiskey that can be commonly found in Ireland, and before making a purchase, particularly for a friend with discriminating tastes, you will do well to understand the difference.

Single malt whiskey is made exclusively from malted barley distilled in a pot still, whereas grain whiskey is made from grains distilled in what is known as a column still. These distinctions mean little in regards to quality, per se, but it is important to know that they affect the flavour of the whiskey, and that grain whiskey is rarely bottled but rather used to blend with malt whiskey, producing the aforementioned blended type.

The other type of whiskey, pure pot still, is considered unique to Ireland, often made from unmalted or a mixture of malted and unmalted barley. The unmalted barley gives the whiskey a very distinct spiced flavour, which is often considered among connoisseurs to be a uniquely Irish flavour. For that reason if you want to take home a real “Irish” souvenir, pure pot still whiskey may be the best route to take; be sure to ask the distillery guides for advice if you are unsure as to quality or type.

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