Micil Irish Poitin - Heritage Edition

Poitin, pronounced 'poe-cheen', is the original 'uisce beatha', the water of life. The pre-cursor and grandfather of Irish Whiskey, Irish Poitin has a long, sometimes illicit, history. Referred to by many as moonshine, un-aged whiskey, or mountain dew, Poitin has gone from un-licensed spirit to protected category in Ireland. After being banned for over 200 years, Irish Poitin received protected category status in 2016 under the Geographic Indication (GI) European regulations. 

As a protected category, to be called Irish Poitin, the spirit has to abide by rules much like Irish Whiskey. To make Irish Poitin, you must have a license to distill Poitin. It is not simply un-aged whiskey or new-make spirit. Not all Irish Distilleries can make poitin since they do not posses a license for the spirit category. Poitin must be identified as such when distilled (you cannot change your mind and declare distilled whiskey spirit as poitin after the fact). 

While sharing obvious similarities, there are a few important distinctions between poitin and whiskey. Tracing back to its rural roots, poitin can be made with grains, potatoes, beets, and other botanicals. It cannot rest in a barrel for more than 10 weeks. Maybe the biggest myth buster is the cut from the still. Horror stories of illegal moonshine causing blindness is due to improper cuts of heads and tails off the stills rather than the heart of the spirit. Today's legal Irish Poitin takes a much cleaner 'heart' cut from the still than whiskey. This is due to lack of cask aging. If such a clean heart cut was used for whiskey, the extended cask maturation would make for a very thin drink. In other words, spirit intended for whiskey has rougher edges compared to today's legal poitin. 

Founded in 2015, International Poitin Day is celebrated on November 18th each year. To celebrate this year we review one of the best versions of Irish Poitin on the market, the Heritage Edition from Micil Distillery. At the recently held Irish Whiskey Awards, the Micil Heritage Edition won best Irish Poitin for 2024.

Micil Irish Poitin is now made legally at their distillery in Salthill, Galway using traditional family recipes carried down for six generations. While originally made illegally in the hills of Connemara 175 years ago, the O'Griallais brothers are now producing several variations and limited edition poitins sold commercially. 

The Heritage Edition consists of 80% malted Irish barley and 20% malted Irish oats. The malted grains are dried using peat turf from the family's land in Inverin, Co. Galway, not far from the distillery. Spending no time in a cask, the liquid is bottled at 46% abv.

What a lovely spirit! The nose and taste of this Irish Poitin will have you questioning everything you've heard about "it's all about the wood" in terms of cask influence on whiskey. While the casks can significantly impact a whiskey, sometimes this is necessary to cover up a lacking liquid. This is not the case with the Heritage Edition poitin as you can appreciate the true character of the spirit right off the still, albeit cut down to 46% in this case.

The spirit is colorless from zero contact with wood. There is no alcohol burn on the nose or tongue. The aroma gives off a sweet melon and tart apple scent. The mouthfeel is creamy from the oats with a gentle spice likely enhanced from the addition of a local Connemara botanical called bogbean. The Connemara peat imparts a mild smoky quality that is sweet and herbal. It is not medicinal or ashy like some peat from Scotland. 

This one is a game-changer. For the uninitiated, the Micil Heritage Edition Poitin will change your perception of the spirit type in a good way. This expression is also a great way to introduce the qualities that peat drying can bring to the spirit. Those only experienced with the peats from Scotland will come to appreciate the nuanced sweetness that Connemara turf offers. Finally, the Heritage Edition also can help drinkers appreciate the cereal grain qualities without any masking from heavily sherried or other wine cask finishes. 

Do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle for your home bar. Available to purchase and ship from the Micil website or in Ireland duty free at the airports.