[Red Badger]

Not being a whisky connoisseur, what is the difference between Irish whisky and American whisky?.............

[mylife]

The Irish is much smoother IMO

[KobraKai]

Irish whiskey is made from potatoes I think. I prefer Canadian whiskey.

[Wilderness Conservative]

The Irish and Brits make incredible spirits. Japanese have picked up the craft too. American whiskey has more ballz imho. A bit hotter and harder hitting. A tour of the Jack Daniels or Jim Beam is worthwhile if you’re in whiskey country.

[Charles Martel]

Irish is similar to scotch, in that barley is the primary ingredient. Where scotch uses malted barley (malting is a process that dampens the grain to artificially start the germination process, to bring natural sugars to the outside - then dries the grain to halt the process), Irish whiskey historically uses both malted and un-malted barley. Irish whiskey is often triple-distilled, which can result in a lighter flavor than scotch. IIRC, most of the cask aging is done using refilled (used) casks previously used for bourbon.

Most American whiskies are of the bourbon or rye varieties, with certain requirements as to the percentage of corn or rye in the respective types. Bourbon must be 51% corn, IIRC - the remainder is some combination of rye, barley or wheat. Bourbon must be aged in a newly-made American oak cask with a charred interior.

The big difference is the blend of grains used, as well as the types of casks used to age it.