St. Patrick’s Day 2026 may now be a distant memory, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy a drink or two, just like our friends over on the Emerald Isle.
Of course, when we think of boozy tipples from Ireland, there are likely two that instantly spring to mind. Guinness is probably the first, and Irish whiskey is the second. The two are synonymous with Ireland, with origins that can be traced back centuries.
On paper, the two couldn’t be more different from one another. Yet strip away the packaging, the creamy head, and that trademark triple-distilled silky smoothness, and at their core the two share a lot of similarities, namely the fact that they begin their lives as barley, water, and yeast. Of course, a lot changes during the production process, but with the two effectively being made from the same ingredients, you can understand why they’re often grouped together. Once you taste them, you can also understand exactly why they’re so popular too.
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READ THE STORYIf you’re fond of the black stuff and are partial to an Irish dram or two, below I’ve outlined 4 Irish whiskeys that I believe pair perfectly with a creamy pint of Guinness (as well as a few other stouts).
McConnell’s 5 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish Irish Whiskey
For those of you looking to pair a pint of Guinness with a lovely dram of Irish whiskey, ideally you want tasting notes that compliment the nutty, roasted coffee, malt, chocolate, and treacle notes you get in the Guinness. Speaking from past experience, I find that drams with caramel, toffee, fudge, vanilla, and golden syrup tend to work best. Just like those common with ex-bourbon barrels.
McConnell’s 5 Year Old Irish Whiskey ticks most of those boxes. The brand, which was originally established in Belfast back in 1776, disappeared into the ether in 1958, before being reawakened years later in 2020. This Irish whiskey, which was matured in American oak barrels, goes extremely well with a nice pint of Guinness. The two flavour profiles work together beautifully.
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Not only is it sweet and floral on the nose, but these notes carry over to the palate too. There’s a wonderful syrupy richness to it, with plenty of vanilla cream and a hint of wood spice. The finish lingers with plenty of dark treacle and Yorkshire parkin notes.
Jameson Black Barrel
For the ultimate boilermaker combining a shot of whiskey with a pint of beer, or stout, as the case may be, Jameson Black Barrel gets a lot of praise.
Having won multiple awards over the years, it’s one of Jameson’s most unique releases to date, and for me, is the ultimate Irish whiskey to pair with a fine stout.
Jameson Black Barrel takes that trademark Irish whiskey smoothness and turns the volume up to one hundred. It’s matured in double-charred first fill bourbon casks, known as black casks, to deliver smoother, richer, creamier, more complex malt notes. If you had to find the Irish whiskey equivalent of Guinness, I really think this would be it.
The whiskey offers up plenty of creamy vanilla and caramel notes, with hints of toasted coconut, buttery popcorn, pecan and maple syrup crunch cereal drenched in whole milk, sweet blackcurrant jam, and a touch of spice.
The Whistler Imperial Stout Cask Finish Irish Whiskey
Up next, we have an imperial stout cask-finished Irish whiskey, so you already know you’re onto a winner.
My next recommendation comes to you in the form of a fantastic collaboration between the Boann Distillery and its sister brewery Boyne Brewhouse. It’s an Irish whiskey that has taken on a lot of prominent stout notes, making it a great accompaniment to a lovely pint of Guinness.
To create this exquisite tipple, the Boyne Brewhouse took sherry hogsheads and filled them with their award-winning imperial stout, where it remained for six glorious months. Following this, the barrels were then emptied, and the imperial stout was replaced by Whistler Premium Blend Whiskey.
Having spent just six months in the sherry barrels, the stout hasn’t had a profound impact on the oak within. The changes are subtle, but they are there. This is a dram with prominent espresso coffee bean and rich dark chocolate and malt notes. There’s also a subtle hint of dried sherried fruits, burnt orange peel, sea salted caramel, cinnamon sugar, and tiramisu.
This is a dram that pairs amazingly well with a Guinness, and dare I say, a splash of blackcurrant (I’m sure I’ll get a lot of stick for that one).
Teeling Stout Cask Finish
And finally, another stout cask-finished whiskey, this time from Teeling, who have been doing some exceptional work over the years.
For a number of years now, Teeling has collaborated with the Galway Bay Brewery to help produce their 200 Fathoms Imperial Stout. This stout is matured in barrels which once held Teeling Small Batch Whiskey. Well, now the circle is complete with this stout cask-finished whiskey.
You see, the casks which once held Teeling whiskey, and then the 200 Fathoms Imperial Stout, are once again being used to finish this whiskey. It’s a relatively short finishing period of just three months, but make no mistake, the results are astounding. The whiskey has not only picked up a series of chocolate, roasted malt, and coffee notes associated with stout, but somehow, the sweet, lightly fruity, and creamy notes from before have also been amplified tenfold.
This is a dram offering up plenty of roasted coffee beans, dark and milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla sponge, honey, toasted oak, and a subtle winter baking spice finish. There’s also a whisper of ice cream and dark chocolate orange mousse right at the very end.
This is a whiskey perfect for sipping that compliments the dark, bold, and complex character of Guinness, and indeed, any stout for that matter, perfectly. Just no ‘splitting of the G’, please? I’m all for a fad, but Guinness, like whiskey, should be sipped on and savoured, not gulped for social media.
