Kristiane Sherry

Feb 25, 2025

Top five Irish whiskeys to sip for St Patrick’s Day 2025

If you’re celebrating all things Ireland on 17 March, these are the whiskeys you need to make your St Patrick’s Day delicious.

Paint the town green! St Patrick’s Day is on the horizon, and it’s time to get the drinks cabinet in order. If you’re looking for a new Irish whiskey for a toast on 17 March, you’re in luck. We’ve got a whole haul of top bottlings, from single malts and single grains to blends and beyond. If you’re planning a flavourful celebration, each of these comes highly recommended by our expert in-house team.

OUR TOP PICKS FOR ST PATRICK'S DAY 2025

The Whistler Imperial Stout Cask Finish

You know that Irish stout? Well, forget about splitting the G and instead imagine what delicious flavours an imperial stout cask finish might add to a whiskey. And once you’re done dreaming about it, snap up this stunningly rich, irresistibly chocolatey release from Boann Distillery. The team partnered with Lough Gill Brewing Co for something of a cask exchange, which ultimately saw The Whistler blended whiskey finished in ex-imperial stout barrels. The result is frankly sensational.

Clan Colla 7 Year Old Single Grain Rum Finish

Ahascragh holds the title of Ireland’s first zero-emissions distillery – this bottling doesn’t just taste good, it does good, too. Its Clan Colla series is the maker’s super premium whiskey line, and this seven-year-old expression is packed full of flavour. The distillery has taken single grain whiskey aged in ex-bourbon casks, and transferred it into Panamanian rum casks for a finishing period. It’s light and bright, and packed with buttery pastry and tasty cereal notes.

Cooley 19 Year Old Rum Finish Rare Find

Irish whiskey and rum casks are a match made in heaven it would seem. Here we have double-distilled whiskey from Cooley (Irish producers usually distil three times) which has been finished in a Caribbean rum cask. This was then snapped up by independent bottler Rare Find, who rated the juicy ripe fruit and confectionery-led profile of this well-aged whiskey. It’s all rooted in a spicy, nutty, earthy backdrop, which just adds extra detail to the intricate complexity.

Waterford Lacken 1.1

While pioneering distillery Waterford faces an uncertain future right now (the administrators have been called in) there’s no doubt that Lacken 1.1 is an extraordinary whiskey. This peated single malt was made from barley solely harvested from Lacken Farm and aged in the distillery’s signature combination of ex-Bourbon, new oak, Port, Marsala wood and French oak casks. It’s a fascinatingly bold whiskey that shows off the best of Waterford. We’re hoping for brighter times for the distillery.

Signature Blend Louise McGuane 32 Year Old Irish Whiskey The Last Drop

Is this the epitome of Irish whiskey luxury? Very possibly. This remarkable expression is the third in independent bottler The Last Drop’s Signature Creation series, which sees industry luminaries craft their own bottlings. This 32-year-old was masterfully created by Louise McGuane, who founded whiskey bonder JJ Corry. She drew from casks in her own warehouse, blended them, and then finished the results on an ex-Oloroso sherry butt. It’s an extraordinarily complex whiskey, with deep aromatic spices and dried fruits set in a delicate silken texture.

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