Poitín is the traditional Irish distilled beverage. It is essentially Irish moonshine, an unaged small single pot still whiskey. The name itself comes from the Irish word for pot – pota.
As it was illegal to produce, it was usually made in remote areas, far from the eyes of the law. The stills were often set up right on land boundaries so, if discovered, the ownership could be disputed. Prior to bottled gas the still was heated by burning peat, so windy weather was chosen to hide the smoke. Like many moonshines around the world, the quality was highly variable, depending on the equipment and the skill of the distiller. Reputations were built on this and families became known for their expertise, where a single bad batch could put someone out of business. Appropriately póit happens to mean a hangover, a reasonably common result of drinking Poitín.
Today Irish Poitín has its own Geographical Indicative status from the EU, with strict guidelines for materials and production. In homage to this authentic Irish spirit, the Teeling Whiskey Company has released a contemporary bottling of Poitín to help bring this unique Irish product out of the shadows.
The ‘Spirit of Dublin’ Premium Irish Poitín is produced at Newmarket Dublin 8, the first new distillery in Dublin for over 125yrs. When it opened in 2015 this marked the return of the Teeling family to their ancestral distilling home of the Liberties in the heart of the city.
The Spirit of Dublin Irish Poitín is triple distilled in the distillery’s three copper pot stills and made from a traditional Dublin Pot Still recipe of 50/50 unmalted and malted Irish barley, giving it a distinctively sweet cereal taste. Bottled straight from the still at 52.5% with no maturation process, the newest addition to the Teeling range is a surprisingly smooth spirit which can be enjoyed neat, or with water. Great as an after-dinner drink alongside a coffee, but even better in your favourite whiskey cocktail where the relatively high strength will shine through. Even better, this won’t give you the particularly bad Irish hangover, traditionally associated with the home-made variety.
