The 10 Best Irish Whiskeys In The World, According To The San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Fewer whiskey categories have experienced the meteoric level of growth as Irish. The brand is experiencing a renaissance and is considered the world’s fastest-growing liquor category year-over-year. In January, a 30-year-old Irish single malt from Craft Irish Whiskey broke a world record and sold for $2.8 million, making it the most expensive bottle of liquor ever sold. But how does one find the best Irish whiskeys? The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is an easy way to do just that.

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the booze-fueled version of the Academy Awards, the Olympics, the James Beard Awards — you name it. It’s the crème de la créme of spirits competitions and you can trust that any brand that places has been vetted.

The following 10 best Irish whiskeys achieved the very difficult feat of placing as finalists within the storied spirits competition and we’ve included their alcohol percentage and price.

Let’s take a look and see who made the cut.

Best Single Malt Irish Whiskey Finalists

best irish whiskeys

The finalists within the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for the Irish Single Malt Category (Photos: Katelyn Tucker)

Knappogue Castle 21 (46% ABV) $212.62

Knappogue Castle 14 (46% ABV) $96.67

Waterford Whiskey Peated Cuvée Fumo (50% ABV) $99.99

Glendalough Distillery 7 Year Old Irish Single Malt Mizunara Finish (46% ABV) $99

Bushmills Irish Whisky Causeway Collection 2010 Double Moscatel County Antrim Ireland (49.1% ABV) $140

Best Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey Finalists

best Irish whiskeys

The finalists within the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for the Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey Category.

Redbreast 27 Year Old (54.6% ABV) $599.77

Redbreast 12 Cask Strength (58.1% ABV) $107.81

Redbreast 21 Year Old (46% ABV) $230.47

Redbreast 18 Year Old (46% ABV) $230.47

Teeling Wonders of Wood Single Pot Still #3 Release (46% ABV) $99.99

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Cynthia Mersten is an Editor for Bottle Raiders and has worked in the Beverage Industry for eight years. She started her career in wine and spirits distribution and sold brands like Four Roses, High West and Compass Box to a variety of bars and restaurants in the city she calls home: Los Angeles. Cynthia is a lover of all things related to wine, spirits and story and holds a BA from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. Besides writing, her favorite pastimes are photography and watching movies with her husband.