Ireland is widely regarded as the birthplace of whiskey. For much of the 20th century, though, Scotland overtook it as the dominant force in global whisky production. That balance is beginning to shift again.
Irish whiskey is in the middle of a strong resurgence. New distilleries continue to open. Tourism initiatives such as the Irish Whiskey Trail are bringing visitors closer to the source. At the same time, the category is gaining recognition on the global stage through competitions like the World Whiskies Awards.
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The results from the Ireland round in 2026 reflect that momentum. These are the overall category winners, each one the best in its style and age bracket. What follows is a closer look at how they are made, who produces them, and why they stood out this year.
Jameson 18 Years Old
Medal: Gold, Category Champion
Category: Irish Blended
Style: 13 To 20 Years
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Tasting Notes: Aromatic oils, wood, spicy toffee, leather, nuttiness, vanilla
Find Your Next Bottle: $165
Jameson is one of the biggest names in Irish whiskey, so it comes as no surprise that the often-lauded 18 year old has scooped yet another award.
Jameson 18 Years Old reflects the scale and precision of Irish Distillers, produced at Midleton Distillery in Cork. It is built from a blend of pot still and grain whiskeys, a structure that has defined the Jameson house style for generations.
The whiskey matures for nearly two decades in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks. It then undergoes a final marrying period in fresh American oak barrels, which helps integrate the components and refine the texture.
Founded by John Jameson in Dublin in 1780, Jameson has become one of the most popular Irish whiskeys in the world.
Hinch Irish Whiskey 15 Years Old Sherry Cask Finish
Medal: Gold, Category Champion
Category: Irish Blended Limited Release
Style: 13 To 20 Years
Tasting Notes: Charred oak, pear drops, dried fruits, wood spice, candied orange, berry sweetness, black pepper
Find Your Next Bottle: $75
This is a whiskey where the blending details are unusually transparent. Hinch Distillery combines two distinct components, each treated differently to build complexity.
The malt element was distilled in 2003, matured in ex-bourbon casks, then finished for one year in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. The grain component, distilled in 2008, spent its full maturation in bourbon wood before receiving a longer two-year finish in Oloroso hogsheads.
That staggered approach to finishing is what defines the whiskey. It allows the richer sherry influence to develop in layers rather than dominate the blend.
It is bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered, and presented as a limited batch release.
Hinch Distillery is located in County Down, and was officially founded in 2016.
The Whistler “The Good, The Bad and the Smoky”
Medal: Gold, Category Champion
Category: Irish Blended Malt
Style: No Age Statement
Tasting Notes: Campfire smoke, vanilla toffee, orchard fruit, herbs, coastal salinity, smoke, cereal sweetness, dry spice
Find Your Next Bottle: $75
Rather than building smoke into the distillation itself, this whiskey introduces it at the maturation stage. Produced by Boann Distillery, it is a blended malt, meaning it contains only single malts with no grain whiskey.
The component whiskeys are first matured in ex-bourbon barrels. They are then married and transferred into smaller peated quarter casks for a finishing period of at least 10 months. The smaller cask size increases wood contact, which accelerates the integration of smoky character.
This approach gives the whiskey a controlled, layered smoke profile rather than a dominant peat style. It is bottled at 48% ABV, non-chill filtered, with natural color.
Fercullen 15 Years Old
Medal: Gold, Category Champion
Category: Irish Grain
Style: 13 To 20 Years
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, fudge, honeyed almonds, dried apricots, mango, hot buttered popcorn, orange and lime marmalade, dry oak spice, creamy vanilla fudge with candied orange and lime peels
Find Your Next Bottle: $92
Grain whiskey rarely takes center stage, which makes this release from Powerscourt Distillery particularly interesting. It is built on a mash bill of corn and malted barley, designed to create a lighter, sweeter spirit that can carry long maturation.
The whiskey is aged for 15 years in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, where it develops structure and vanilla-led sweetness. A portion is then finished in second-fill Madeira casks, adding depth without overwhelming the underlying grain character.
Powerscourt began distilling in 2018, so older releases like this come from carefully selected stocks. That balance between sourced maturity and in-house production is a defining part of the brand’s approach today.
Copeland Distillery Double Distilled Chocolate Malt
Medal: Gold, Category Champion
Category: Irish New Make
Style: New Make
Tasting Notes: N/A
Find Your Next Bottle: N/A
New make spirit strips whiskey back to its essentials. There is no cask influence yet, so everything comes from the mash bill and distillation. That is what makes this release from Copeland Distillery so interesting.
The mash bill uses 90% malted barley and 10% chocolate malt, a darker roasted grain more often seen in brewing. Copeland also uses double distillation rather than the more typical triple distillation, which can create a heavier, more textured spirit.
There is some ambiguity around the exact bottling entered here. The only widely available version of this spirit appears as a 5-year-old release. However, the same chocolate malt new make has been recognised in this category before, including as a category winner in 2025.
That context suggests the award reflects the distillery’s underlying spirit character rather than a specific aged bottling.
Red Spot
Medal: Gold
Category: Irish Pot Still
Style: 13 To 20 Years
Tasting Notes: Cooked fruit, baked apple, mango, black cherry, hazelnut, leather, oak, fruit sweetness, red pepper, cracked black pepper, barley
Find Your Next Bottle: $147
Red Spot Whiskey is part of the Spot range, originally created by Mitchell & Son in the early 1900s, and produced today at Midleton Distillery.
This is a single pot still whiskey, made from a mix of malted and unmalted barley and triple distilled in copper pot stills. Single pot still is a uniquely Irish style, known for its fuller texture and a distinctive spice that comes from the use of unmalted barley.
Maturation is central to its identity. Red Spot spends at least 15 years in a mix of bourbon, Oloroso sherry, and Marsala casks. The Marsala influence is not a short finish but a long secondary maturation, which adds depth while preserving the structure of the spirit.
Powers Irish Rye
Medal: Gold
Category: Irish Rye
Style: No Age Statement
Tasting Notes: Burnt orange, maraschino cherries, toffee banana, freshly baked rye bread, buttered croissants, charred oak, clove, white pepper, ginger, sweet vanilla, orange peel, peppermint, caramelized apples with brown sugar, sweet cereal, red liquorice, chili oil, honey glazed fruits
Find Your Next Bottle: $35
Irish whiskey has rarely focused on rye, which makes this release from Irish Distillers stand out.
Powers Irish Rye is made from a 100% Irish-grown rye mash bill. That alone sets it apart, as most Irish whiskey relies heavily on barley. Rye is more difficult to work with, so production required longer fermentation and adjustments in the brewhouse.
The whiskey is distilled at Midleton Distillery and matured in a mix of virgin oak, first-fill, and refill bourbon casks. This combination balances rye’s natural spice with a softer sweetness from the wood.
It represents a deliberate shift in Irish whiskey, showing how producers are expanding beyond traditional styles.
McConnell’s Irish Whisky 20 Years Old Old Cromac Collection
Medal: Gold
Category: Irish Single Cask Single Malt
Style: 13 To 20 Years
Tasting Notes: Creamy white chocolate, dried strawberry, rice pudding, red apple, plum, spicy white pepper, kiwi, grapefruit
Find Your Next Bottle: $375
This is a whiskey built around scarcity and precision. McConnell’s Old Cromac Collection focuses on single cask releases, and this 20-year-old expression is drawn from just one cask rather than a wider batch.
The whiskey was matured for 19 years in ex-bourbon casks before spending a final year in Tawny Port casks. That extended finishing period is long enough to shape the profile without masking the underlying spirit.
The brand itself is part of Belfast’s whiskey revival and is closely linked to the redevelopment of Crumlin Road Gaol, where a new distillery and visitor experience have been established.
With only a small number of casks released each year, this sits firmly in the limited, collector-focused end of the category.
Dunville’s Irish Whiskey PX 24 Years Old Single Malt
Medal: Gold
Category: Irish Single Malt
Style: 21 Years & Over
Tasting Notes: Honeyed dried fruits, toasted almonds, Christmas spices, leather, dark chocolate, candied orange peel, raisins, vanilla, oak, subtle smoke
Find Your Next Bottle: Coming soon
Long-aged Irish single malt is still relatively rare, which makes this 24-year-old release from The Echlinville Distillery stand out. It reflects both the revival of the Dunville’s brand and the depth of aged stock now coming to market.
The whiskey is matured for over two decades, with a strong influence from Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. PX casks are known for their rich, sweet character, and here they play a central role in shaping the final profile rather than acting as a short finish.
Dunville’s traces its origins back to 1808, and its modern revival has focused on releasing well-aged, cask-driven single malts. This bottling sits at the top end of that range, both in age and intent.
Hinch Irish Whiskey Single Malt
Medal: Gold
Category: Irish Small Batch Single Malt
Style: No Age Statement
Tasting Notes: Orange, ginger, honey, toffee apple, peach syrup, biscuit
Find Your Next Bottle: $40
This release offers a clear look at the house style being developed at Hinch Distillery. Unlike some of the older winners on this list, it focuses on balance and accessibility rather than extended aging.
The whiskey is triple distilled from 100% malted barley, in line with traditional Irish single malt production. It is matured in a combination of ex-bourbon American oak casks and Oloroso sherry casks, which provide structure and a layer of dried fruit character.
As a small batch release, it reflects careful cask selection rather than large-scale blending. That approach allows the distillery to shape a consistent style while still working with relatively young stocks as its own spirit continues to mature.
