It is the time of year where we welcome to the results of the Irish Whiskey Awards once again. The Irish Whiskey Awards are one of the most important awards ceremonies for Irish Whiskey companies and it is certainly the only awards ceremony that sees the majority of the Irish Whiskey brands in attendance.
So what makes these awards so special compared to others? Well for one, unlike most other awards these are a voluntary, free to enter and it is a community judged whiskey awards that donates any profits of the events to their chosen charities.
The judging process is one of the fantastic things that make this competition so unique. It is a community judging process that sees all samples judged blind, in their categories. Judging took place through July and August with members of the Celtic Whiskey Club, Irish Whiskey Society, Irish Whiskey Society Dingle Chapter, Kilkenny Whiskey Guild & Cork Whiskey Society as well as two new participating societies; Waterford Whiskey Society and Belfast Whiskey Club. Overseas members of the Celtic Whiskey Club also had the opportunity to purchase sample packs without having to travel to Ireland. Whilst members of the bar trade were responsible for blind judging the white spirits, liqueurs and barrel-aged beer categories.
The 7th and most recent Irish Whiskey Awards Ceremony took place on October 17th in the Dingle Distilery in County Kerry. Emerging and established Irish whiskey producers and bars were honoured on the night with keynote speaker, Colum Egan, Master Distiller for Bushmills Distillery presenting the awards.
Walsh Whiskey won the coveted Best Irish Whiskey of the Year prize for the Irishman 17 Year Old as well as picking up a gold medal for their newly released Writers’ Tears Copper Pot Japanese Mizunara Oak Finish.

Irish Distillers did exceptionally well and won awards for their Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy (Best Irish Single Pot Still), Jameson Black Barrel (Best Irish Blended Whiskey RRP of €60 or less) Jameson 18 Year Old Bow Street (Best Irish Blended Whiskey RRP of €60 of more), Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength (Best Irish Cask Strength) and Method & Madness Single Grain Virgin Spanish Oak Finish (Best Irish Single Grain).
In the malt categories, Dunville’s PX Cask 12 Year Old — crafted by the Echlinville Distillery — were awarded Best Irish Single Malt 12 Years & Younger and the Teeling Whiskey Company in Dublin won Best Irish Single Malt 13 Years & Older for the Teeling Brabazon Volume 1.
For the bar categories, it was Bowe’s Bar in Dublin that won the top accolade of Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year, after many years of picking up a gold medal for Best Whiskey Bar in Leinster.
Commenting on the awards, organiser Ally Alpine — Managing Director of Celtic Whiskey Shop and organiser of Whiskey Live Dublin — said “The Irish Whiskey Awards celebrate the excellence and innovation in the Irish Whiskey industry whilst raising funds for our incredible charity partner Mary’s Meals. Tonight’s event will feed 702 pupils every day for a year.”
Overall Winners
Best Irish Whiskey of the Year – The Irishman 17 Year Old
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year – Bowe’s, Dublin
Categories
Best Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey – Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy
Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (12 Years & Younger) – Dunville’s PX Cask 12 Year Old
Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (13 Years & Older) – Teeling Brabazon Volume 1
Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of less than €60) – Jameson Black Barrel
Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of €60 or more) – Jameson 18 Year Old Bow Street
Best Irish Single Cask Whiskey – The Irishman 17 Year Old
Best Irish Cask Strength Whiskey – Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength
Best Irish Single Grain Whiskey – Method & Madness Single Grain Virgin Spanish Oak Finish
Best New Irish Whiskey – Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye
Best Irish Gin – Beara Ocean Gin
Best Irish Vodka – Lough Ree Zesty Vodka
Best Irish Poitín – Mad March Hare Poitín
Best Irish Liqueur – DV8 Gold Cream Liqueur
Best Irish Whiskey Barrel Aged Irish Craft Beer – Dingle Celebration Stout
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Leinster) – Bowe’s, Dublin
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
Full List of Irish Whiskey Awards & Gold Medal 2019 Winners:
Best Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey
- Winner: Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy
- Gold Medal: Redbreast 15 Year Old
- Gold Medal: Green Spot
Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (12 Years & Younger)
- Winner: Dunville’s PX Cask 12 Year Old
- Gold Medal: Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Port Finish
- Gold Medal: Tyrconnell Single Malt
Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (13 Years & Older)
- Winner: Teeling Brabazon Volume 1
- Gold Medal: Dublin Liberties Keeper’s Coin
- Gold Medal: Knappogue Castle 16 Year Old
Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of less than €60)
- Winner: Jameson Black Barrel
- Gold Medal: Slane Triple Casked Irish Whiskey
- Gold Medal: Tullamore D.E.W 12 Year Old Special Reserve
Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of €60 or more)
- Winner: Jameson 18 Year Old Bow Street
- Gold Medal: J.J. Corry AN FA
- Gold Medal: Writers’ Tears Copper Pot Japanese Mizunara Finish
Best Irish Single Cask Whiskey
- Winner: The Irishman 17 Year Old
- Gold Medal: Sonny Molloys Redbreast 16 Year Old
- Gold Medal: Celtic Cask 27
Best Irish Cask Strength Whiskey
- Winner: Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength
- Gold Medal: The Whistler 7 Year Old Cask Strength
- Gold Medal: Writers’ Tears Cask Strength 2019 Release
Best Irish Single Grain Whiskey
- Winner: Method & Madness Single Grain Virgin Spanish Oak Finish
- Gold Medal: Glendalough Triple Barrel
- Gold Medal: Kilbeggan Single Grain
Best New Irish Whiskey
- Winner: Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye
- Gold Medal: Dingle Single Malt Batch 4
- Gold Medal: Teeling Single Pot Still Batch 3
Best Irish Gin
- Winner: Beara Ocean Gin
- Gold Medal: Echlinville Single Estate Irish Pot Still Gin
- Gold Medal: Dingle Gin
Best Irish Vodka
- Winner: Lough Ree Zesty Vodka
- Gold Medal: Assaranca Vodka
- Gold Medal: Loch Measc Vodca
Best Irish Poitín
- Winner: Mad March Hare Poitín
- Gold Medal: Straw Boys Poitín
- Gold Medal: Bán Poitín
Best Irish Liqueur
- Winner: DV8 Gold Cream Liqueur
- Gold Medal: Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur
- Gold Medal: Coole Swan
Best Irish Whiskey Barrel Aged Irish Craft Beer
- Winner: Dingle Celebration Stout
- Gold Medal: Crann Beatha Imperial Stout
- Gold Medal: DOT Brew Easy Malt Dipa
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Leinster)
- Winner: Bowe’s, Dublin
- Gold Medal: The Palace Bar, Dublin
- Gold Medal: The Sky & The Ground, Wexford
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Munster)
- Winner: Dick Mack’s, Dingle
- Gold Medal: The Shelbourne Bar, Cork
- Gold Medal: The Folk House, Kinsale
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Connacht)
- Winner: Garavan’s, Galway
- Gold Medal: Sonny Molloy’s, Galway
- Gold Medal: Sean’s Bar, Athlone
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Ulster)
- Winner: The Duke of York, Belfast
- Gold Medal: Bittle’s Bar, Belfast
- Gold Medal: Madden’s, Belfast
Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (International)
- Winner: The Dead Rabbit, New York
- Gold Medal: Milroy’s of Soho, London
- Gold Medal: The Dillon, Iceland
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