Irish whiskey is quietly filling the void of American bourbon | Canada Voices

In March, 2025, government liquor boards across Canada began emptying store shelves of American products. A year on, private retailers in Alberta and Saskatchewan have capitulated, while the rest of us continue to weather a moratorium that shows no sign of being rescinded.

So let us finally say out loud what bourbon lovers have known all along: There is no replacement.

Cue the curious uptick in sales of Irish whiskey here in Canada. “Bushmills had a great year in the face of the boycotts,” shares Peter Hottmann, general manager in Canada for Proximo Spirits, parent company of Ireland’s oldest distillery. “We’re up 12 per cent over this time last year, and the whole Irish whiskey category is up 5 per cent.”

How and why is Ireland quietly filling America’s void?

Certainly it doesn’t hurt that Irish whiskey can play many roles, from fulsome blends, to fruity single pot stills, to long-aged single malts that easily rival the best that Scotland has to offer.

Right now, however, it’s pulling up aces with its session whiskeys: blends that combine Irish single malt and single pot, with best-in-class, silky grain whiskey. The finish yields flavourful, mellow sippers that can comfortably mimic a bourbon, and are easy to sip, easy to appreciate and, crucially, easy on the wallet. Ireland consistently offers value for money, a welcome change for those accustomed to buying the spirit through lotteries, or paying premiums for allocated stock.

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Irish whiskey also boasts a similar sweetness to bourbon – and the truth is, people like sweet.

With an influx of new brands such as Two Stacks and Foxes Bow entering the Canadian market, drinkers are spoiled for choice in their quest for a bourbon understudy. Meanwhile, the timing couldn’t have been better for Irish whiskey makers to see their American counterparts temporarily sidelined.

“With bourbon and other U.S. whiskeys off the shelves, people have been discovering the joys of Irish whiskey, thanks to an expanded presence in stores and on back bars,” Hottmann says.

As cellar ambassador for Bacardi Canada and a former bartender, Lucas Twyman knows this landscape well. The ban has taken him from singing the praises of Angel’s Envy bourbon, to finding a place for Teeling Small Batch Irish whiskey in cocktails and bars, as both are part of Bacardi’s spirits portfolio. For the Kentucky native, the transition has been ironic, but it’s also given Twyman some insight into why bourbon and Irish whiskey are kith and kin.

“Nothing will replace bourbon, which is exclusively matured in barrels made of new charred oak,” says Twyman. “But instead of trying to find a replacement, drinkers should be seeking out alternatives where the oak and tannins come forward.”

Twyman explains that while the Canadian-made spirit is beautifully crafted, with many smaller producers offering a heavier, oakier product boasting an intensity similar to bourbon, it is usually distilled to a much higher proof than its American counterpart, resulting in a different flavour profile, particularly when matured in used barrels.

Author David Wondrich, editor-in-chief of The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, notes that northern-style blended spirits share similar ingredients and aging methods with American whiskeys. “But Irish whiskey – the single malts and single-pot stills – is like the U.S.: distilled to much lower proofs than what’s common in Canada,” he says. “It gives Irish whiskey a similar intensity of flavour, especially when diluted with ice or soda.”

Or mixed in a cocktail. Twyman notes that budding mixologists will also be pleasantly surprised at how well the Irish can cover for bourbon in classic recipes.

He points out that being bottled at 46 per cent ABV with a secondary finish in ex-rum casks gives Teeling Small Batch heavier tannins and more spice to shine in a cocktail. “A whiskey sour with Teeling in place of bourbon will be my own go-to as the weather warms up.” Twyman is also partial to an Irish whiskey in a black Manhattan, with amaro replacing the vermouth.

Like many bartenders, Twyman is also a romantic, and can’t help but ponder the question of terroir when he thinks of Irish whiskey, and how much he feels at home in Ireland. “I grew up in Bluegrass Country, and Ireland is the only other place where I’ve seen Kentucky’s rolling green hills. It can’t be a coincidence that I appreciate their whiskey as much as I appreciate my bourbon.”

Johanna Ngoh is the founder of Spirit of Toronto, Canada’s premier whisky show since 2004.

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Still pining for bourbon? Consider the following as possible substitutions.

Powers Gold Label

Jameson may be Ireland’s most notable ambassador, but historically Powers had been its whiskey of choice (and often served as a chaser to a pint of Murphy’s). It’s also become the stand-in for many a bourbon drinker, courtesy of a vanilla sweetness with cherry notes, underscored by its higher proof. Available in Ontario for $43.95, $46.75 in Quebec, $48.61 British Columbia and $44.59 in Nova Scotia.

Tullamore D.E.W.

Brimming with vanilla notes and the easygoing mien of many a midshelf bourbon, this triple-distilled Irish blend makes a truly sublime Manhattan, shaken 2:1 with red vermouth, Angostura bitters and two barspoons of syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries. Available in Ontario for $36.95, $41.75 in Quebec, $39.99 in British Columbia and $40.99 in Nova Scotia.

Bushmills Black Bush

Juicy, robust, mouth-watering: my go-to session whiskey for longer than I can remember. Black Bush is gripping, and has enough oak, vanilla and presence to take your mind off bourbon for another year. Available in Ontario for $40.95, $42.50 in Quebec, $41.99 in British Columbia and $45.99 in Nova Scotia.