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Terroir refers to the combination of environmental factors, such as climate, soil, and agricultural practices, that shape the characteristics of a crop, contributing to the unique qualities of the final product. The concept has been traditionally linked to wine, but some recent findings suggest that it also holds importance for distilled spirits. The expanding Irish distilling sector is shifting towards local raw materials such as wheat and rye, driven by regulatory changes, economic benefits, and consumer demand for sustainable local products. This research examines the effects of wheat variety, geographical location, and harvest year on grain composition and volatile composition of the new make spirit. For this study, twenty lab-scale wheat whiskey samples were produced from five different wheat varieties grown at two different locations in Ireland over two consecutive years. The wheat samples were analysed for grain composition and the volatile profiling of new make spirit samples by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of fifty-one volatile compounds were detected, with ethanol, ethyl acetate, phenyl ethyl alcohol, and 3-methyl-1-butanol being predominant. Principal component analysis revealed that both the harvest year and geographical location moderately influenced the volatile compound distribution of the new make spirit, which is explained by a 43.25% variance. ANOVA analysis revealed that grain composition was significantly influenced by harvest year, location, and wheat variety. The 2020 samples showed higher protein and β-glucan content, whereas samples from the location Tipperary had higher starch content. This study indicates that terroir—specifically seasons (year) and geography (location)—affects the characteristics of wheat-based Irish whiskey, highlighting opportunities for distillers to differentiate their products by leveraging local environmental factors.

The plays of Eugene O'Neill dramatize acts of loyalty and honesty among members of Irish American families, from the early works (The Straw and Beyond the Horizon) to the last plays (Long Day's Journey Into Night, A Touch of the Poet, and A Moon for the Misbegotten). These virtues were not only featured in O'Neill's canon but also lived in his personal relations with kith and kin. O'Neill's embrace of his Irish heritage developed and matured over the course of several decades, from his teen years until his mid-fifties. He befriended fellow Irish writers O'Casey and Yeats and became a staunch supporter of the Irish Free State and eventually the Republic of Ireland. Over this long life's journey, O'Neill came to understand and believe that those key character traits were passed on to him via his Irish heritage, thus, encouraging him to embrace his “Irishness” with a certain “clannish pride.”

This chapter contains sections titled: Scope Irish Whiskey The Whiskeys of America Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey American Rye and Corn Whiskies Whiskies from Other Countries References

Radical Irish nationalists attacked a musical farce, McFadden's Row of Flats, in 1902 and 1903, because of the green whiskers on the Irishman, the pigs in the Irish household, and the drunken, lascivious Irishwoman on stage. This play had been produced in Philadelphia, an Irish nationalist stronghold, for five years before Irish nationalists decided to stop the performances with direct confrontations in the theater. The timing of this decision and the style of the protest were based on competition among Irish nationalists, particularly the resurgence of Irish ethnocentrism and physical-force nationalism.

Irish whiskey has a long and eventful history that spans many hundreds of years and is interwoven into Irish social and political life. This chapter opens with an overview of the history and commercial development of Irish whiskey and then covers all aspects of Irish whiskey production, particularly at the Midleton Distillery in County Cork. The manufacture of traditional Irish pot still whiskey, including brewing, fermentation, distillation, and maturation, is covered in detail. Irish grain whiskey is also covered, with a discussion of both continuous brewing and continuous distillation operations. Also included is an explanation of Midleton’s strict wood policy and the use of palletized warehousing for whiskey maturation.