The 15 Best Whiskeys for an Irish Coffee

1. Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey

Being by far the world leader in Irish whiskey sales, Jameson is truly a force to be reckoned with in the whiskey industry. The Black Barrel is double aged in heavily charred oak barrels giving it a richer taste than other Jameson’s.

This results in smooth, creamy bold flavors that go perfectly with your Irish coffee. With a flavor profile of nutmeg, honey, malt oak, and dried fruit, it leaves a nutty taste with the smooth sweetness of spice, toasted wood, and vanilla on the pallet.

It’s a whiskey that is perfect when served on the rocks and tastes great on its own. That’s probably why it also tastes great when mixed with coffee. If you wanted something a little cheaper, then regular Jameson’s is another wise choice, or if you like your coffee cold, try Jameson Cold Brew. 

2. The Busker Triple Cask Irish Whiskey

A newcomer to the scene, bringing a combination of quality and value is The Busker. With a blend of single grain, single malt, and single pot still, the result is a light and bright feeling whiskey with a smooth, creamy honey flavor.

Mixing it with your coffee effuses baking spices, vanilla, and dark chocolate aromas with subtle notes of cinnamon and toffee fudge, while the nose often leads off with tropical fruits.

Aging in three types of barrels – bourbon, marsala, and sherry casks – ensures you get the perfect experience out of your drink.

3. Writers' Tears Copper Pot Irish Whiskey

Made by the famous Walsh whiskey company, this single pot still and single malt whiskey is, as the name suggests, distilled in copper pots and matured in ex-bourbon casks. This results in beautiful honey and fruity notes.

It’s a little rough when drunk straight, which may put off casual whiskey drinkers. Combining it with a hot cup of your favorite coffee, a taste of honey develops on your palate with mellow notes of golden malt and vanilla with a hint of oak.

This leaves a sweet and long finish. It’s also used to create signature cocktails like the Tears Royale. Truly one of the most versatile whiskey brands on the list.

4. Paddy Irish Whiskey

This brand has a funny history. Legend has it that the name came from a man named Paddy who used to walk his famous whiskey from bar to bar having fun and indulging anyone who wanted to have a taste of his famous drink.

Everyone then started referring to it as Paddy’s whiskey. His spirit sure lives on to date. It’s made with all the three main styles of Irish whiskey: single malt, single grain, and single pot still.

In terms of taste, it’s sweet on the palate with a little vanilla, rosewater, and butterscotch notes. It also leaves the nose oily and fresh with floral and fruity notes. Another tasty whiskey for the perfect Irish coffee. If you love it spicy and dry with a little black pepper and oak finish, Paddy Irish Whiskey might just be your new favorite tipple. 

5. Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey

The company holds the record for the world’s oldest whiskey distillery and as we all know with age comes experience.

It’s also one of the most popular Irish whiskeys on the market, with Jameson being the only company surpassing it in terms of sales.

Bushmills owes its good reputation to its smooth taste and versatility brought about by maturing the single malt whiskey and a lighter grain whiskey in both bourbon and sherry casks using a recipe that has been perfected over centuries.

With the first sip, you will notice its richness and smooth taste with some apple skin fruitiness and cereal character that leaves your nose quite hot. It really is a perfect contender for making Irish coffee. It’s easy to drink and is great taken neat or over ice.

6. Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey

The brand is named after an award-winning bar located in downtown Manhattan.

Made of Irish malt and grain whiskey aged for five years in bourbon casks and then finished in virgin oak casks, it is sure to bring you an indescribable thrill which once experienced will leave you craving for more.

It’s loved for the cedar, toasted brown sugar, and apricot notes it leaves on your nose and the lingering tickle of black pepper and wild fruits.

In coffee, it leaves notes of milky coffee, nutmeg, and macadamia developing in the back with notes of vanilla and caramel upfront the palate.

7. The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Created by one of the few female blenders, Alex Thomas, Sexton is made from 100% malted barley that is triple distilled in copper stills for exceptional smoothness. It is then aged to perfection for four years in sherry casks conveying the perfect complexity and richness in flavor.

It is one of the best-selling Irish single malt in America. It is very distinctive because of its beautiful bottle design that is made of black glass and hexagonal in shape.

The taste on the nose is malty and fruity with sherry sweetness while notes of apricots, honeycomb sweetness, dried fruit, lemon, and malt are felt on the palate. If you like your Irish coffee super-smooth this is the perfect whiskey for you.

8. Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey

Another fairly new Irish whiskey producer, Teeling burst onto the scene in 2012 and has rapidly been gaining popularity and building a good reputation.

It is made of hand-picked casks of grain and malt whiskey that are aged in bourbon barrels then transferred to rum casks for up to 13 months, giving it a distinctive dried fruit profile. This unusual aging method produces a pale, straw-colored drink that produces all the perfect notes you love in your Irish coffee.

Enticing notes of vanilla and spice intertwine in your nose with hints of superbly aged rum. Your palate is not spared as green apple, vanilla, and lemon curd notes playfully tease it leaving you craving more.

9. Tullamore D.E.W. Original Irish Whiskey

Tullamore D.E.W. Original Irish Whiskey stands proud as the first triple blended triple distilled Irish Whiskey.

The triple blend gives it a unique rich taste with sweet flavors coming from grain whiskey, fruit flavors coming from malt whiskey, and spice flavors coming from the pot still whiskey.

The triple distillation makes it extremely smooth and warming. It sits well on the palate for an almost refreshing feel. This makes it excellent for those that want an introduction to Irish whiskeys. It also makes it an excellent Irish whiskey for an Irish coffee.

Tullamore D.E.W. has charred wood undertones that pair perfectly with coffee, and the whiskey’s overall rich flavor will add excitement to your cup of coffee. Its superb smoothness means that you can mix it with your coffee anytime.

10. Kilbeggan Single Grain Irish Whiskey

Kilbeggan Single Grain Irish Whiskey is a sweet spirit that is made of 94% corn and 6% malted barley. Aged in ex-bourbon and different fortified wine barrels, it comes out a punchy whiskey with a well-balanced spicy sweetness.

The icing sugar and apricot notes are very light when you nose the whiskey, but the palate is amazingly bold with vanilla and butter sweetness that mixes well with nutmeg spiciness. This rich combo is unusual for single grain whiskeys and adds to a somewhat tough finish that makes it come alive.

This whiskey is great however you take it. Being mellower than single malt whiskeys, it is perfect for making cocktails. Being light on the nose, you can add it to your cup and not lose the rich aroma of your caffeinated brew. Its spicy notes will also add savoury maturity to your coffee cup.

11. Connemara Original Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

This Connemara whiskey brings back the ancient tradition of whiskey making where the malted barley is dried over peat fires. It hypnotizes with an exciting peaty flavour and aroma.

The lightly golden whiskey does not frustrate with a one-dimensional smokiness. To the nose, the peat smoke is balanced by sweet floral notes with hints of honey and apple crumble. To the taste, it is warming and surrounded by notes of honey, cocoa, and malt. The finish is glorious, lingering with layers of peat smoke and honey heather.

However, it is not your average peat. Connemara bottles a unique peated whiskey experience. The taste is subtle and combined with some flowery goodness and honeyed sweetness

With its subtle peat and notes of cocoa, it will amplify the charred flavor and aroma of your coffee, making it one of the best whiskeys for an Irish coffee.

12. Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey

Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey is “pure passion for whiskey excellence” poured into a bottle. Not only is it triple distilled to make an amazing smooth whiskey, but it is also cut from the heart of the distillate to make sure the whiskey is the purest it can be. As a result, no other Irish whiskey tastes like this classic.

This classic whiskey ages well in selected American oak casks, and perfectly combines pot still and grain whiskeys for a bold punch. On the nose, Powers Gold Label Whiskey seduces with cinnamon, russet apples, and ripe pear notes.

A sip will excite you as crisp barley goodness is garnished with orchard fruity sweetness, tender nutmeg spiciness, and a little bit of chocolate and honey. The finish sees the spicy notes pronounced then slowly fade, leaving you with a lingering honey flavor.

You just can’t look beyond Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey when looking for pure whiskey for your Irish coffee. The addition of a wonderfully complex and honeyed taste to your coffee is a bonus.

13. Clontarf Irish Whiskey

Clontarf Irish Whiskey draws from the medieval battle of Clontarf where the Irish King (Brian Boru) led his men to victory against the Viking invaders. However, patriotic sentiment alone is not what sells Clontarf.

Like many fine whiskeys, it is triple distilled for smoothness. It derives a wonderful complexity from single malt and grain whiskeys. Being aged in bourbon barrels gives it amazing sweet flavors. Vanilla and light toffee are unmistakable both to the nose and palate. The finish is sweet and slightly spicy and lingers to the very end.

Feeling victorious? Clontarf Irish Whiskey is the bottle you should grab. Sip it straight-up, mix in cocktails, or add to your coffee.

14. Lambay Small Batch Irish Whiskey

Lambay Small Batch is produced from a fine blend of single malt and grain whiskeys. The grain spirit is triple distilled making it smooth and easy to sip, and it balances well with the complexity of the single malt spirit.

The whiskey is aged in bourbon casks and finished in French oak cognac casks. These touches give it spicy notes and sweet floral notes respectively. Nosing the whiskey, you’ll be enticed with aromas of citrus, malt, and hints of spice. A sip will deliver plenty of sweetness featuring flora, malt, almond, and cracked pepper.

Lambay Small Batch Blend is amazing to sip straight-up because of its floral sweetness. Also, its smoothness and spicy notes make it a perfect whiskey partner in cocktails or coffee.

15. Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old

Being a single malt whiskey, the Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old is made exclusively from barley. It is delicately triple distilled, after which it is aged in bourbon oak casks.

The whiskey comes with an age statement of 12 years, telling you its flavors and aromas are intense.

Triple distillation makes the whiskey exceptionally smooth, and the maturing in bourbon adds a distinctive flavor. The nose of the gold-colored whiskey is freshly baked cookies with hints of peppery spice. The taste dances with different fruity characteristics and delicate spices. The finish is smooth and subtly spicy.

Add this whiskey to your coffee and its intense flavors will always stand out, making it one of the best whiskeys for an Irish coffee.