If there’s one thing the Irish are great at (other than producing exceptionally smooth and delicious whiskey of course), it’s spinning a good yarn. 

Ireland is a very superstitious country, steeped in history and tradition, with a rich whiskey-making heritage that goes back centuries. It’s also one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with the friendliest locals you’ll ever meet. Whenever I’m there for work or pleasure, I enjoy nothing more than finding a pub, getting my feet up by the fire, and sharing a few whiskey stories with the locals. 

Regular readers of the blog here at GreatDrams, may remember a year or so back, how I took a look at Scotch whisky folklore and superstitions.  That post was very popular, so I thought I’d go with a similar theme today, only this time focusing on Irish whiskey instead. 

So, grab your favourite glass, get comfy, pour yourself a dram of your favourite Irish whiskey, and prepare to learn more about Irish whisky myths and folklore. 

The Drowning of the Whiskey

Irish folklore is filled with all manner of mythical creatures, including faeries. Our first story is a prime example. 

In Ireland, there is said to be a custom known as ‘The Drowning of the Whiskey’. The legend goes that, should anybody spill a drop of whiskey while pouring a dram, they must immediately find the nearest body of water, and pour away the entire contents of the bottle. 

To many, that may seem like an awful waste and a great way to get the local fish drunk, but it is a tradition steeped in superstition. The act of pouring the whiskey into the water is said to be a gesture to appease the water faeries living within. Failing to do so will anger the faeries, who will punish what they perceive to be wasteful behaviour and bring bad luck upon those who first spilled the whiskey. 

Púca and Poteen Offerings

Another creature from Irish folklore is one known as the Púca, also known as the Puka or Pooka. 

Puka are mischievous shapeshifting faeries that often take on the form of black horses, as well as other local wildlife, always with jet black fur. They’re said to bring misfortune to those they encounter, though some may prove helpful and bring good luck in rare cases. 

Mostly, those they encounter are said to be inebriated, which over the centuries, caused some people to assume that they had a particularly strong affinity for booze, namely whiskey or Poteen. 

Púca were believed to plague farmers and cause crops to fail. To appease them, farmers would leave offerings for them out at night, in the form of food. This became known as the ‘Púca’s Share’. Keeping these mischievous entities happy was believed to be key to a good harvest. 

In illicit Poteen (also spelled Poitin) distilleries, a similar principle was laid out. Poteen, also known as ‘Irish Moonshine’, is one of the oldest spirits in the world and was a precursor to Irish whiskey. Púca were said to be particularly fond of the spirit and would break into distilleries late at night and help themselves to the booze within. To stop the sprites from pinching all their alcohol, poteen distillers would take a page out of the farmer’s books and leave a cask of the spirit out at night for the beings to help themselves to.

Ireland’s Greatest Whiskey Salesman

Our next tale highlights one of Ireland’s most successful salesmen, the legendary Paddy O’Flaherty. 

In the early 1880s, the Cork Distillers Company was said to be struggling to sell its rather clumsily named ‘Cork Distilleries Company Old Irish Whiskey’ (imagine trying to order one of those when you’re half cut?) and decided to hire Paddy O’Flaherty – the finest salesman in all of Ireland!

The company tasked Paddy with the job of boosting sales of its whiskey. Paddy, ever the professional, rose to the challenge and was said to have visited every bar and pub in all of Ireland. Now, Paddy had a very unique sales technique which involved offering customers free rounds of whiskey. Turns out people loved being given free whiskey and it worked a treat (who would’ve guessed?) Customers couldn’t get enough of his whiskey, and it soon became the talk of the Emerald Isle. 

As demand for the whiskey grew, publicans struggled to keep up and quickly ran out. When they would ring up the brewery to order new stock, rather than referring to the whiskey as Cork Distilleries Company Old Irish Whisky, they would instead order cases of ‘Paddy Flaherty’s Whiskey’ and later just ‘Paddy’s Whiskey.’ 

By 1912, sales were through the roof and Paddy’s name had become synonymous with the brand. To commemorate him, the distillery would officially rename the whiskey, calling it ‘Paddy Irish Whiskey’ in his honour. 

The Grey Lady of Bushmills

Finally, as we’re closing in on Halloween, how about a spooky tale from one of Ireland’s most famous distilleries? 

Not too far from the legendary Giant’s Causeway, you’ll find the Northern Irish distillery of Bushmills. Not only is the distillery home to fantastic whiskey, it’s also said to be home to the ghost of a woman. 

The story goes that the ghost, who has become known as the ‘Grey Lady of Bushmills’ haunts the distillery in search of her husband, who mysteriously vanished one day, after taking the family dog for a walk. She is said to be heard wailing in the darkness and has even opened locked windows and been seen wandering the distillery’s grounds before vanishing into thin air. 

Legend has it that the woman searched high and low for her husband, until the time of her death. She is said to haunt the distillery as Bushmills was her husband’s favourite whiskey, and he would often visit the distillery. 

If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or simply treat yourself to a dram or two in the process, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at the diverse selection of unique whiskies we currently have in stock.

With an impressive selection of limited-edition, rare, and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for any whisky lovers out there.