Check Out This List Of The World’s Oldest Irish Whiskey

Last week, Dublin, Ireland’s own Teeling Whiskey announced the release of a 37-year-old single malt. It marks the most mature offering to date from the brand’s award-winning Vintage Reserve Collection. Truth be told, it’s actually among the oldest Irish whiskeys ever brought to market. Which is odd, when you think about the numbers brandished by their Scottish counterparts. The most senior malts across the North Channel routinely eclipse five decades in age. Until recently, a commercially available Irish bottle beyond 25 was rarely seen. But the times they are a-changing. Old age is suddenly encroaching upon whiskies of the Emerald Isle and the category is wearing it well.

For years, the crown for eldest Irish was actually owned by an American. Mark Edwin Andrews emigrated to the country in the early 1960s and immediately set out to find casks—and a castle in which to keep them. By 1966 he had landed in a 15th Century fortification in the small town of Knappogue. His whiskey took the shape of a 1951 vintage, distilled at the former Tullamore Distillery. Silently it sat for decades until finally the liquid made its way into the bottle at 36 years of age.

It was Andrews’ son who would make it commercially available in 1998, launching a label of Irish Whiskey to honor his father’s legacy: Knappogue Castle. Today the brand’s bottlings—renowned for their gentle, roundness—are quite different from that 1951 vintage, as they’re sourced from different distilleries. You can still find the original honey-hued classic, however, on auction occasionally. This one recently hauled in just under $1000, a veritable bargain for a bottle of history.

In 2018, Teeling turned heads with its 34-year-old Vintage Reserve. Aged exclusively in ex-bourbon casks it drew its stock from the legendary Cooley warehouses which the family had sold to Beam Suntory several years prior. Sadly, few enthusiasts had the opportunity to appreciate its floral complexities; only 38 bottles were produced—at $5,000 a pop.

Fans of extra-aged Irish whiskey would have to wait all the way until March of this year for an example that was made widely available. The distinction belonged to Redbreast 27 Year Old—a jammy 54.6%-ABV gem, matured exclusively in ruby Port barrels. It likely also owns the honor of the oldest commercially available single pot still. This particular style of whiskey, unique to Ireland, is distilled from a combination of malted and unmalted barley. Housed in a sandblasted burgundy bottle, the elegant expression retails for $500.

But as newsworthy as this particular release was, its impact was blunted by a concurrent announcement from its sister brand: Old Midleton Distillery. It achieved a new high watermark for age with the release of its Midleton Very Rare, a stunning 45-year-old single malt. With only enough sherry-influenced juice to fill 48 Waterford Crystal decanters, the one-off is also the most expensive Irish whiskey to hit the market—retailing at $40,000 per bottle.

Though the distillery that produced it was shuttered in 1975, enough reserve stock remains to accommodate a six year anthology. Parent company Pernod Ricard, intends to drop another edition annually, culminating in a 50-year expression in early 2025. That one will coincide with what would have been Midleton’s 200th anniversary.

Those lucky enough to secure the entire series will be holding onto a collection without equal, worth well over a quarter of a million dollars. It highlights a significant evolution within the category: As Irish whiskey enjoys increasingly impressive statements of age, the accompanying liquid is becoming more and more robust. So, too, are the investment opportunities.