🥃 Irish Mist
Irish Mist is an Irish whiskey liqueur with heather and clover honey and herbs, created in 1947 in Tullamore, County Offaly. It is 35% ABV and has belonged to Heaven Hill Brands since 2017.
If you know Irish whiskey and wonder what Irish Mist is, it is a liqueur built on it: Irish whiskey flavoured with heather and clover honey and herbs. It was created in 1947 in Tullamore, County Offaly, and today has an ABV of 35%. Since 2017 the brand has belonged to the American company Heaven Hill Brands, although it was previously owned by Irish and Scottish producers.
History. The liqueur was invented by Desmond Williams, grandson of Daniel E. Williams, whose initials gave Tullamore D.E.W. its name. According to Tasting Table, this happened in 1947, partly as a way to sell surplus Irish whiskey. Available data says Cantrell & Cochrane acquired the brand in 1985, and William Grant & Sons and Campari in 2010. Since 2017 it has belonged to Heaven Hill. Production was later moved to Abbeyleix, County Laois. The strength was once 40% ABV.
How it's made. According to Tasting Table, the base is Irish whiskey distilled three times and aged four years in oak, blended with other Irish spirits, spices, herbs, honey, sugar and water. Caramel colouring keeps the shade consistent, and the liqueur is filtered.
The recipe story. The brand links the taste to an ancient Irish heather wine, and the manuscript is said to have been lost for 250 years. Sources present this as a legend, not a verified fact.
Why this matters to you. This is a liqueur, not a whiskey: in the EU a liqueur must be at least 15% ABV. The protected name "Irish Whiskey" applies to whiskey, not to this liqueur. Sugar and honey make it sweeter than whiskey. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1947, Desmond Williams (Tullamore, Offaly) |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Reg. (EU) 2019/787, liqueur (minimum 15% ABV); the protected name “Irish Whiskey” applies only to whiskey |
| EU category | 32 — liqueur |
| Raw material | Irish whiskey and other Irish spirits, heather and clover honey, herbs, spices, sugar, water |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 35% ABV (formerly 40%) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Irish Mist → kind of → 🍸 Liqueurs → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 Heaven Hill Brands
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Irish Whiskey
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🍸 Liqueurs
- Similar and different
- 🍯 Honey spirit drinks, 🥃 Irish Cream, 🥃 Baileys, 🥃 Sheridan's, 🥃 Sheridan's, 🥃 Pisang Ambon, 🥃 Pisang Ambon, 🥃 Honey liqueur
Frequently asked questions
Who makes and owns Irish Mist?
It was created in 1947 in Tullamore, County Offaly, and has belonged to Heaven Hill Brands since 2017. Production was later moved to Abbeyleix, County Laois.
How strong is Irish Mist, and what is that in proof?
It is 35% ABV, shown as 70 proof on US labels. It used to be 40% ABV.
Is Irish Mist a whiskey, and where do UK and US shops shelve it?
No, it is a liqueur with an Irish whiskey base, honey and herbs, so shops normally put it with the liqueurs rather than with the whiskies.
Can an Irish Mist label say Irish Whiskey?
Only to describe the base. The protected name belongs to whiskey itself, and the liqueur is sold as a liqueur under the EU spirit drinks rules.
How do you serve Irish Mist at home?
On ice in a short tumbler, or in a heatproof glass for hot coffee and tea drinks.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden vessel made of oak staves in which wine matures, picks up new aromas and slowly takes in air.
- 🥃 Irish Cream — Liqueur of fresh Irish cream, alcohol and Irish whiskey: at least 15% ABV and 10% milk fat; a protected name for the island of Ireland since 1989.
- 🍯 Honey spirit drinks — Honey spirit drinks in the EU: honey spirit is distilled honey mash from 35% ABV, honey nectar from 22%. Ordinary mead is fermented honey and is usually not a spirit drink.
Similar
🥃 Hpnotiq · 🥃 Luxardo · 🥃 RumChata · 🥃 Cherry Heering · 🥃 Glayva · 🥃 Pisang Ambon
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Difford's Guide: Irish Mist Liqueur (35 %; Irish whiskey, heather, clover honey, herbs; Heaven Hill; Tullamore)
- Tasting Table: Irish Mist Honey Liqueur, the ultimate bottle guide (1947, Desmond Williams, Tullamore; production later moved to Abbeyleix; Heaven Hill since 2017)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Annex I: categories of spirit drinks
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)