Politics of Irish Whiskey redefines peace process

THE politics of whiskey production perplexed several government departments in 1979 and 1980, as they struggled for a legal definition of Irish Whiskey that would not heighten tensions over Northern Ireland.

The EEC was planning tighter appellation controls and the legal advice to the Government was that products would not be able to brand themselves as Irish if there wasn’t legislation to prove they were eligible to be classified as such.

A law was in place since 1957 which defined Irish Whiskey as whiskey produced within the State, but a problem was looming for Bushmills Irish Whiskey which had been taken over by Irish Distillers but was produced in the North.