As St Patrick's Day approaches, my thoughts have turned the Irish whiskey scene and how it's developing.

The regulations around making whiskey in Ireland differ from those in Scotland, including key factors like the frequent use of triple distillation in Ireland instead of double distillation and also being allowed to use different wood types, not just oak which is the case for Scotch.

Most of the whiskey you will try from Ireland comes from Midleton Distillery in County Cork and Bushmills Distillery located near the north coast of Northern Ireland.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Midleton Distillery Experience (@midletondistilleryexperience)

A post shared by Midleton Distillery Experience (@midletondistilleryexperience)

These two were the only surviving distilleries after the decline of Irish whiskey in the 20th century which means........

© Herald Scotland