Irish whiskey is hot--and these spirits will make you say Sláinte, any day of the year.

By Kelly Magyarics, DWS, CSX Editor-in-Chief

Every March, imbibers who ignore it the rest of the year order shots of Irish whiskey while decked out in leprechaun hats and shamrocks glasses. Such a shame to relegate this category to an holiday that’s more important in the United States than in the homeland it’s meant to celebrate. So, defintely drink Irish whiskey on St. Patrick’s Day, but why not add it to your home bar repertoire for the other 364 days of the year?

Myths About Irish Whiskey

All Irish whiskey is produced the same way
A lot of it might be made with unpeated barley and triple-distilled for smoothness, but others styles can be made with peated barley (like Coonemara), or double-distilled to retain more of the spirit’s character (like Redbreast.) In other words, there is no one-size-fits-all option for Irish whiskey, and it’s fun to taste and experiment to find your favorite.

Irish whiskey does not have the complexity of Scotch
While the triple-distilled stuff may be touted for its approachability and easy-drinking style, if complexity’s more your thing, try bottles like Green Spot or Yellow Spot.

The best way to drink Irish whiskey is to shoot it
Um, no. It’s easy to get caught up in Irish Car Bombs and other novelties, especially when you are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. But just like the other great whiskies of the world, Irish whiskey should be savored, not shot.

Irish whiskey is not as versatile in cocktails as other whiskey categories
Think rye and Bourbon is where it’s at behind the bar? Just tell that to Jack McGarry and Sean Muldoon, whose New York cocktail den The Dead Rabbit (which was named World’s Best Bar at last year’s Tales of the Cocktail), uses Irish whiskey in some amazing cocktails like the Thunderbolt, with ginger, banana and pimento dram, and the Downtowner, with absinthe, elderflower and jasmine.

Irish whiskey is a niche category
News flash: Irish whiskey is the fastest growing spirits category. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), Irish whiskey is up more than 460% since 2002. And the number of distilleries in Ireland is will double in the next ten years. So the quality, availability and selection is going to get better and better, to the delight of whiskey fans.

Bottles to Try:

Redbreast 12 Years Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Best for: Single malt fans who want to experience a true sipping Irish whiskey
This whiskey is a single pot spirit that's produced with unmalted and malted barley, double-distilled in copper pot stills and aged in casks that were previously used to mature Oloroso Sherry. This all translates to an expression that boasts complex spicy, fruit and wood aromas, a full-flavored palate with notes of Sherry, creamy, spice and toasty wood, a long and lingering finish and a comparison to fruitcake (in a good way.)

Jameson Black Barrel Select Reserve Irish Whiskey
Best for: A step up from the producer's flagship green bottle-packaged offering; sip it, or use it as a base for whiskey cocktails
This spirit is a triple-distilled blend of rich pot still and grain whiskeys that's aged in specially selected re-charred Bourbon barrels and toasted Sherry casks (hence the name "black barrel.") The result is a whiskey that's rich and full on the nose, with fruit aromas, a creamy, luscious mouth feel and flavors of vanilla, toasted wood and spice; the lingering finish has perfectly balanced fruit and wood spices. This could easily be your house whiskey.

Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Best for: Fans of truly unique, limited edition whiskeys
The "Spot" whiskeys are named for the old merchant tradition of marking different casks with dabs or spots of paint to identify them. Green Spot is comprised of spirits aged between seven and ten years, and matured in a combination of new and used Bourbon barrels and Sherry casks. It has enticing aromas of spice and orchard fruits, a full, spicy palate with cloves and green apples, and a finish of barley, oak and spice. The spirit is only produced in limited amounts of 6,000 bottles per year, so consider yourself having the luck of the Irish if you get your hands on a bottle.

Kelly Magyarics, DWS, is CSX's editor-in-chief. She can be reach by email at kelly@drinkCSX.com, or on Twitter and Instagram @kmagyarics.