https___agriculture.ec.europa.eu_farming_geographical-indications-and-quality-schemes_geographical-indications-food-and-drink_irish-whiskey-gi_ga_1.xml
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Smooth, soft and mellow, Irish Whiskey GI is famed for having a light and silky mouthfeel. One of the world’s oldest spirits, Irish Whiskey GI has been distilled in Ireland since the 6th Century. The spirit ranges in colour from pale gold to dark amber and drinkers can taste a range of flavours, from fruit to flowers, wood to honey. Origins When Irish monks introduced distilled spirits to Ireland, they began a process that would not only give the world one of its most famous examples of whiskey, but even the name itself. ‘Uisce Beatha’ - meaning ‘water of life’ - was originally a name for any form of distilled spirits, even those used for perfumes or medicine, but it eventually became synonymous with the drink we know today. Originally a home-based industry, often hidden to avoid paying a hefty tax rate, Irish whiskey production was traditionally highly localised and small scale. However, the 19th century saw a huge increase in the level of whiskey produced. The pace of industrialisation was so rapid that the number of stills operating in Ireland doubled in the years between 1827 and 1840! However, where the 19th century had been kind, the early part of the 20th century proved to be a cruel time for Irish distilling. The economic disruption caused by WW1, the Easter rising and the Irish civil war severely damaged the industry. Irish whiskey suffered another blow following the 18th amendment of the US constitution, which banned the sale of alcohol in the USA (the prohibition). This ended the largest export market for Irish whiskey overnight, further damaging the already fragile industry. Despite these setbacks, Irish whiskey survived and has been enjoying a steady resurgence since the 1980s, and by the 1990s a number of international agreements had been signed which recognised the unique nature of Irish whiskey, including the EU-US agreement of 1994 which restricted the use of the name to whiskey distilled on the island of Ireland. By 2013, more than 6.2 million 9 litre cases had been exported across the globe – a clear indication of the high esteem in which Irish whiskey is held all across the world. Production The production process begins with whole cereals, 100% barley in malt whiskey and no less than 30% in grain whiskey, which are milled and then mixed with local water. The resulting mash is heated to extract the sugars from the grain and the remaining ‘wort’ is ready for fermentation. Yeast is added, which converts sugars in the wort to alcohol. This fermented liquid, termed the ‘wash’, is now ready for distillation. Two separate processes are used in the distillation of Irish whiskey: the older pot still method and the column still method. The pot still method creates a more fully flavoured profile for the whiskey, whereas the column still gives a lighter spirit. During distillation, the wash goes through a process of being heated, separated out and condensed. The process differs between column stills and pot stills and on whether the whiskey is double or triple distilled but, regardless of the method, considerable artistry is needed to select the correct alcohol compounds. This is know as making the ‘cut’ and is a key process in the making of a quality whiskey. Finally, the whiskey is matured in warehouses on the island of Ireland for a period of at least three years. The prohibition on maturing the product outside of Ireland is so strict that whiskey cannot be exported in its barrel, but instead has to be bottle or placed in an inert container before leaving the island. More information Irish Whiskey GI – legal specifications
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Séimh, bog agus mín, tá clú agus cáil ar Uisce Beatha Éireannach as bheith éadrom agus síodúil i do bhéal. Tá uisce beatha Éireannach ar na biotáillí is sine ar domhan agus tá sé á dhéanamh in Éirinn ó bhí an 6ú hAois ann. Bíonn réimse dathanna air, ó gheal-órga go dubh-ómrach, agus bíonn blasanna éagsúla air freisin, torthaí, bláthanna, adhmad agus mil ina measc. Stair agus bunús na dí Nuair a thug manaigh na hÉireann biotáillí driogtha isteach sa tír, cuireadh tús le próiseas a thug ceann de na samplaí is cáiliúla ar domhan d’uisce beatha dúinn, chomh maith le hainm an dí féin. Ar dtús tugadh ‘Uisce Beatha’ ar aon sórt biotáille driogtha, fiú na cinn a úsáideadh le haghaidh cumhrán agus leighis, ach de réir a chéile rinneadh nasc dobhriste idir an t-ainm sin agus an deoch atá ann inniu. Tionscal baile a bhí i dtáirgeadh uisce beatha ar dtús. Rinneadh go háitiúil agus ar mhionscála é, agus ba mhinic a dhriogtaí an deoch faoi rún chun an ráta ard cánach a bhain léi a sheachaint. Sa 19ú hAois, áfach, tháinig méadú ollmhór ar mhéid an uisce beatha a táirgeadh. Tharla an tionsclú chomh tapa sin go raibh a dhá oiread stileanna ag feidhmiú in Éirinn sa bhliain 1840 ná mar a bhí in 1827! Mar sin féin, cé go raibh rath ar an driogadh in Éirinn sa 19ú hAois, tháinig meath mór ar an tionscal i rith luathbhlianta an 20ú hAois. An suaitheadh eacnamaíoch a tháinig chun cinn mar gheall ar an gCéad Chogadh Domhanda, ar Éirí Amach na Cásca agus ar Chogadh na gCarad in Éirinn, rinne sé sin an-dochar don tionscal. Buaileadh tionscal an uisce beatha Éireannaigh arís tar éis an 18ú leasú ar Bhunreacht SAM, rud a chuir cosc ar alcól a dhíol i Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá. Leis sin, cuireadh deireadh láithreach leis an margadh easpórtála is mó a bhí ag an uisce beatha Éireannach, rud a rinne tuilleadh dochair fós don earnáil leochaileach. In ainneoin na mbuillí siar sin, tháinig tionscal an uisce beatha Éireannaigh slán as agus tá borradh seasta faoi ó na 1980idí, agus faoi na 1990idí bhí roinnt comhaontuithe idirnáisiúnta sínithe a d'aithin tréith uathúil an uisce beatha Éireannaigh, ina measc sin bhí an Comhaontú idir an tAontas agus na Stáit Aontaithe in 1994 inar leagadh síos nach féidir 'uisce beatha Éireannach' a thabhairt ar aon táirge ach amháin uisce beatha a driogadh ar oileán na hÉireann. Faoi 2013 easpórtáladh níos mó ná 6.2 milliún cás 9 lítear ar fud an domhain. Is léir ón méid sin go bhfuil ardmheas ar uisce beatha Éireannach ar fud na cruinne. An próiseas táirgthe Cuirtear tús leis an bpróiseas le lánghránaigh - in uisce beatha braice is den eorna a thagann 100% de na gránaigh sin agus in uisce beatha gráin ní mór 30% ar a laghad teacht den eorna - a mhuilleáiltear agus a mheasctar ansin le huisce áitiúil. Is é an toradh air sin ná maistreán a dhéantar a théamh chun na siúcraí a bhaint as an ngrán agus ansin tá an “bhraichlis” atá fágtha réidh le coipeadh. Cuirtear giosta leis, rud a thiontaíonn siúcraí na braichlise ina n-alcól. Tá an leacht coipthe sin, a dtugtar “triosclach” air, réidh anois le driogadh. Úsáidtear dhá phróiseas ar leith chun uisce beatha Éireannach a dhriogadh: modh na stile pota, atá níos sine, agus modh na stile colúin. Fágann modh na stile pota blas níos láidre ar an uisce beatha agus faightear biotáille níos éadroime leis an stil cholúin. Le linn an driogtha, déantar an triosclach a théamh, a dheighilt ó chéile agus a chomhdhlúthú. Bíonn an próiseas sin difriúil i stileanna colúin agus stileanna pota, agus i gcás na n-uiscí beatha a dhriogtar faoi dhó nó faoi thrí ach, gan beann ar an modh, bíonn bua na ceirde de dhíth chun an chomhdhúil alcóil cheart a shocrú. Tugtar déanamh an “ghearrtha” air sin agus is próiseas barrthábhachtach é agus uisce beatha ar ardchaighdeán á dhéanamh. Ag an deireadh ar fad, tagann an t-uisce beatha in aibíocht i stórtha ar oileán na hÉireann ar feadh tréimhse trí bliana ar a laghad. Tá cosc dian ar an táirge a aibiú lasmuigh d’Éirinn, rud a fhágann nach bhfuil cead an t-uisce beatha a easpórtáil sa bhairille agus go gcaithfear é a chur i mbuidéil nó i gcoimeádáin thámha sula bhfágfaidh sé an t-oileán. Tuilleadh eolais Tásc Geografach an Uisce Beatha Éireannaigh - ionstraim dlí