Last Updated on: 22nd April 2024, 05:18 pm
J Highland
J Highland is a certified sommelier with 30 years in the liquor industry, owning a pub, a liquor store, and moonlighting as a spirits distiller.
Discover the top Irish whiskeys under $50 that won’t break the bank selected with the assistance of Irish Whiskey expert Neil Coleman and customer input.
My top 10 list includes options for every taste. Sláinte!
Written by: J Highland
Choosing a Good Irish Whiskey under $100
Fruity & Sweet:
- Lambay Small Batch Blend: Offers a unique fruity and mineral profile with notes of banana, honey, mint, and oak.
- The Quiet Man 8 Year: A celebration of green apple with notes of honey and caramel.
Classic & Bold:
- Writers’ Tears Copper Pot: Full-bodied with honey, apple, vanilla, and caramel flavors. A robust flavor profile that goes beyond typical Irish whiskeys.
Smooth & Easy-Drinking:
- Claddagh: Smooth and uncomplicated with notes of vanilla, cherry, caramel, and oak. A great choice for a relaxing nightcap.
- Bushmills 10: Easy-drinking with honey, ripe fruit, cinnamon, and oak flavors. Perfect for sipping neat or in cocktails.
For the Adventurous:
- Hinch: A blend of single malt and grain whiskeys delivering a complex and enjoyable experience with notes of vanilla, baking spice, roasted nuts, and oak.
- Connemara Peated Single Malt: Subtly smoky with pear, apple, dried fruit, honey, and a touch of peat. Great for those curious about smoky whiskeys but prefer a more approachable dram.
- Kilbeggan 8 Single Malt: A unique twist with nuts, dried fruit, oak, baking spice, caramel, and a subtle peat note. Bridges the gap between Irish and Scotch flavors.
Value for Money:
- Teeling Small Batch: Smooth and sweet with a rum twist (honey, ginger, cinnamon). A good value whiskey that outshines many competitors in its price range.
- Bushmills 10: Affordable and easy-drinking with honey, ripe fruit, cinnamon, and oak flavors.
Award-Winning:
- The Irishman Single Malt: Approachable with notes of caramel, vanilla, toasted almond, vanilla ice cream, cookie dough, honey, and oak.
Remember, these are just suggestions! The best way to find your favorite Irish whiskey is to try a few and see what you like best.
Quick Note: Running a pub and liquor store provides me ample access to various spirits, in addition, I moonlight as a spirits distiller. I assess them using customer feedback, expert opinions and online research.
Quick Look at the Best Irish Whiskeys under $50
Prices are approximate and stated in USD:
Lambay Small Batch Blend: A Fruity & Spicy Irish Delight
- Nose: Banana, honey, mint, oak
- Palate: Baking spice, vanilla, honey, coconut
- Finish: Mint, milk chocolate
- Alcohol content: 80 proof (40% ABV)
- How to drink: Neat
Lambay Small Batch Blend offers a sweet and fruity nose with banana, honey, and a touch of mint. The taste is spicy with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a hint of coconut, balanced by subtle salt and oak. The finish is long with lingering mint, chocolate, and oak spice.
This approachable blend boasts unique fruity and mineral notes thanks to its cognac cask finish, making it a standout in its price range according to Irish whiskey expert Neil Coleman.
Writers’ Tears Copper Pot: Classic Irish with Bold Flavor
- Nose: Honey, caramel, malt, apple
- Palate: Honey, apple, vanilla, caramel
- Finish: Caramel and oak spice
- Alcohol content: 80 proof (40% ABV)
- How to drink: Rocks
Writers’ Tears Copper Pot dives into sweetness with a honey and caramel nose accented by apple. The taste is full-bodied, mirroring the nose with honey, apple, vanilla, and a touch of oak. The finish is satisfyingly long with a slight dryness, balanced oak spice, and a touch of heat.
Enjoy it neat for the full experience, or add ice for a smoother dram. This pot distilled whiskey offers a robust flavor profile that goes beyond typical Irish whiskeys, making it a great value and a classic addition to any collection.
Claddagh: Smooth & Uncomplicated Irish Nightcap
- Nose: Vanilla, apple, pear, oak, ethanol
- Palate: Vanilla, cherry, caramel, oak
- Finish: Vanilla, pear, oak
- Alcohol content: 92 proof (46% ABV)
- How to drink: Add water
Claddagh boasts a delicate nose with vanilla, fruit, and a hint of oak. The taste is smooth and oily, offering vanilla, cherry, caramel, and oak. The finish is medium-length with lingering notes of vanilla, pear, and oak.
This Irish whiskey prioritizes a pleasant and uncomplicated experience over bold flavors. Despite its moderate alcohol content, it goes down smoothly, making it a great choice for a relaxing nightcap.
Hinch: A Blend of Complexity and Smoothness
- Nose: Vanilla, baking spice, nail polish
- Palate: Roasted nuts, baking spice, oak spice
- Finish: Walnuts, baking spice, oak spice
- Alcohol content: 86 proof (43% ABV)
- How to drink: Neat
Hinch Irish Whiskey defies expectations. The nose starts with a surprising hint of nail polish, but evolves into vanilla, baking spice, and caramel. The taste is equally intriguing, with roasted nuts, spice, caramel, and oak, all wrapped in a smooth, oily mouthfeel. The long finish continues the theme with walnuts, prominent spice, and a touch of oaky bite.
Despite a unique initial note, this blend of single malt and grain whiskeys delivers a complex and enjoyable experience, making it a great choice for those who appreciate a unique dram.
Quiet Man 8 Year: A Celebration of Green Apple
- Nose: Green apple, honey, caramel
- Palate: Caramel, green apple, pear, vanilla
- Finish: Oak, ginger
- Alcohol content: 80 proof (40% ABV)
- How to drink: Neat
The Quiet Man opens with a refreshing nose of green apple, honey, and caramel. The taste echoes the nose with green apple and caramel at the forefront, followed by pear, vanilla, and a touch of oak. The finish is gentle with lingering oak, a hint of ginger, and minimal heat.
This whiskey is perfect for those who enjoy a crisp green apple flavor.
The Irishman Single Malt: Award-Winning & Approachable
- Nose: Caramel, vanilla, toasted almond
- Palate: Vanilla ice cream, cookie dough, honey, oak
- Finish: Apple, cherry, oak
- Alcohol content: 80 proof (40% ABV)
- How to drink: Neat
The Irishman Single Malt entices with a rich nose of caramel, vanilla, and toasted almonds. The taste is delightful, reminiscent of vanilla ice cream and cookie dough with a touch of oaky spice. Baked apple, cherry, and oak notes linger in the finish.
This sourced whiskey, matured in bourbon and sherry casks, has garnered awards like Best Spirit of the Year at the 2018 London Spirits Competition. While I view awards with some reservation, I find this Irishman to be a satisfying and approachable dram.
Teeling Small Batch: Smooth & Sweet with a Rum Twist
- Nose: Honey, cinnamon, apple
- Palate: Honey, ginger, cinnamon, malt
- Finish: Ripe fruit, bitter
- Alcohol content: 92 proof (46% ABV)
- How to drink: Add water
Teeling Small Batch offers a sweet and inviting nose with honey, cinnamon, and apple. The taste is smooth and medium-bodied, featuring honey, ginger, cinnamon, and a touch of oak. The finish is slightly dry with lingering rum-like sweetness and bitterness.
Easy-drinking and enjoyable neat, this blend showcases a subtle grain character with a hint of Central American influence from its rum cask finish. While not outstanding, Teeling Small Batch is a good value whiskey that outshines many competitors in its price range.
Connemara Peated Single Malt: Subtle Smoke for the Peating Curious
- Nose: Smoke, pear, apple, dried fruit
- Palate: Honey, malt, peach, plums
- Finish: Short, peat, caramel
- Alcohol content: 80 proof (40% ABV)
- How to drink: Add water, cocktails
Connemara Peated Single Malt isn’t your typical smoky dram. The nose starts with a whisper of smoke, followed by fruity hints of pear, apple, and dried fruit. The taste is smooth and sweet with honey, stone fruit, and a gentle touch of peat. The finish is short with lingering peat and caramel, offering minimal heat.
Unlike overpowering Islay scotches, Connemara showcases balanced smoke, allowing other flavors to star. This easy-drinking peated malt is a great choice for those curious about smoky whiskeys but prefer a more approachable experience.
Kilbeggan 8 Single Malt: A Touch of Scotland in Irish Whiskey
- Nose: Pecans, date, raisins, oak
- Palate: Charred oak, baking spice, caramel, peat
- Finish: Caramel, pear, chocolate
- Alcohol content: 92 proof (46% ABV)
- How to drink: Add water, cocktails
Kilbeggan 8 Single Malt offers a unique twist on Irish whiskey. The nose is rich with nuts, dried fruit, and a hint of oak. The taste is initially oaky, followed by baking spice, caramel, and a subtle, unexpected peat note. The medium-length finish showcases caramel, pear, chocolate, and a gentle warmth.
This unfiltered blend uses single malts aged in bourbon, sherry, and peated sherry casks, giving it a complex profile. The inclusion of peated malt adds a touch of Scotch-like smokiness without overpowering the classic Irish sweetness.
This intriguing whiskey bridges the gap between Irish and Scotch flavors, making it a great choice for adventurous whiskey drinkers.
Bushmills 10: Smooth & Affordable Irish Whiskey
- Nose: Honey, ripe fruit, baking spice
- Palate: Banana, honey, cinnamon, clove
- Finish: Medium, milk chocolate, oak spice
- Alcohol content: 80 proof (40% ABV)
- How to drink: Neat
Bushmills 10 offers a pleasant nose of honey, fruit, and a touch of spice. The taste is smooth with honey, ripe fruit, cinnamon, and oak. The finish is moderate with milk chocolate and oak spice. While not complex, this easy-drinking whiskey is perfect for sipping neat or in cocktails. Its affordable price makes it a great value for Irish whiskey enthusiasts.
For a deeper dive into Irish whiskey, check out my recommendations for the Top Irish Whiskeys under $100 or the best cheap whiskeys from Ireland.
Frequently Asked Questions
A quick FAQ to address your inquiries:
What exactly is Irish whiskey?
Irish whiskey is a distilled spirit crafted in Ireland from fermented grains, typically barley.
It’s renowned for its smooth character and the unique process of triple distillation it undergoes.
How does it distinguish itself from other types of whiskey?
Notably, Irish whiskey often undergoes triple distillation for a smoother taste, whereas Scotch is usually subjected to double distillation.
Furthermore, Irish whiskey tends to be unpeated, contributing to a lighter flavor profile compared to the smokier notes present in certain Scotches.
Could you explain the concept of “pot still” style?
Pot still whiskey is created using a combination of malted and unmalted barley, distilled within traditional copper pot stills.
This approach imparts a distinctive complexity and character to the resulting whiskey.
Does Irish whiskey adhere to specific legal guidelines?
Certainly. Irish whiskey must conform to stringent regulations, including being produced within Ireland, aged for a minimum duration, and meeting specified quality criteria.
What distinguishes “single malt” from “blended” Irish whiskey?
Single malt whiskey is crafted exclusively from malted barley and distilled at a single distillery.
In contrast, blended whiskey combines various types of whiskey from multiple distilleries to achieve a harmonious flavor profile.
Is there a specific aging requirement for Irish whiskey?
Yes, Irish whiskey must be aged for a minimum of three years in wooden casks to attain the legal classification of whiskey.
How should I enjoy Irish whiskey?
You can savor it neat, over ice, or as a base for cocktails such as the iconic Irish Coffee or the classic Whiskey Sour.