In the wider world, Scotch is king, and while the Irish have a marketing machine that is second to none and a smooth, easy to drink variety of whiskey, for connoisseurs much of the real quality and character can be found among the whiskys, even if they haven't learned to spell the word properly.

That is not to say that some Irish distillers have not learned from their scotch counterparts, and begun to produce a whiskey which has both character and depth. And coupled with the Irish tradition, there is no reason why our niche whiskeys cannot find a market among the finest drinks in the world. It is just a question of educating the Irish palate.

"The type of whiskey traditionally produced in Ireland has been blended whiskey . . .

grain and malted barley, " explained Jack Teeling of Cooley Whiskey, which has been producing a range of quality spirits from its distillery since 1987. "This produces a smooth, sweet tasting whiskey that is easy to drink but which lacks character. But the driving force behind Scotch Whisky has been single malt drinks, which have a lot more taste and personality."

Much of the decline in Irish whiskey has been due to image and tradition. In the North, they drink Bushmills. In Dublin, they drink Powers. In the South, they drink Paddy. This loyalty is commendable, but it has led to whiskey being seen as something of an old man's drink . . . although that image is turning around at the moment.

"Take the example of the bourbons from America, " said Teeling. "That is becoming very popular with a younger generation. In Ireland, the trend across spirits in general has been towards premiumisation, which is a lifestyle choice, and people want to be seen to be doing something different. Single malt whiskeys have prestige attached to them, and people like to be able to order their choice of single malt. It is the same with wine, where people like to appear knowledgeable . . . by knowing what you like in whiskey, you can tell your friends that you have a better palate."

Of course, if it was merely about one-upmanship, then quality Irish whiskey would merely be a fad. But the quality of the Cooley range is such that it can easily slip into the pantheon of quality whiskeys and whiskys.

There are a number of core brands within the Cooley range, beginning with Kilbeggan, which is a blended whiskey. Tyrconnell is the entry-level single malt, and is non-peated, while Connemara is the only peated single malt Irish whiskey . . . and is sure to become a favourite among the whiskey connoisseurs.

"The difference between Tyrconnell and Connemara is in the distillation process, " explained Teeling. "Smoke stops the fermentation of the malted barley, so it still has the smooth character, but also comes with the personality of the single malt . . . indeed, it has been described as an "Islay whisky from Scotland meets Ireland".

For something a little different again, Cooley also produces a single grain whiskey, called Greenore, which utilises the grain which gives blended whiskey its smoothness, and matures the spirit in bourbon casks to impart something of the vanilla flavour associated with bourbon whiskeys. There are also a number of other speciality products, such as Connemara 12-yearold, but these come at a premium . . . a premium which many whiskey drinkers might not see the worth in.

"Some whiskey drinkers don't know anything about what they are drinking, " said Teeling. "We see this as both a challenge and an opportunity. We want to get people tasting our products, and as Cooley is 20 years old next year, we will try to organise educational nights similar to wine tastings around the country. Because single malt whiskeys lend themselves to certain types of food as well as being enjoyed on their own."