poitin

harry Bailey esq

i haven't came across a bottle of poitin in years,is poitin making a dead art?

The Hill Billy

Cooley Distillery produce a legal version.

Please note that discussion of illegal distilling or where to obtain such drink is not permitted in this forum.

tHB

Staff Infection

The Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson Street sell poitin (link here)
Bit pricey though.

Technocentral

Someone I knew in the late 80s - early 90s used to get some in Donegal, tried it twice absolute gut rot. Like "Hooch" in America it was made by the poor for something to drink by and large, cheap booze and rising living standards pretty much wiped out the need for it surely, I'd imagine that Tescos value label vodka is its modern equivalent (if there is one)?

Glebee

A friend of mine from college back in the day used to know someone who made it. He used to bring back a bottle now and again. Christ it was pure rocket fuel. A few shots would have you spinning. Don't know how pure or safe it was but I suppose it didn't kill us. Have not seen any since and that must be nearly twenty years ago.

Lovely Bloke

Technocentral wrote: »

I'd imagine that Tescos value label vodka is its modern equivalent (if there is one)?

Technocentral

TheNinthGate wrote: »

I meant if there was an equivalent not if Tesco's Value Label Vodka existed, but thanks for the pic anyway.

davros

At the moment you can buy various poitíns legally: Bunratty, Knockeen Hills, Cooley, Teeling and Glendalough. There will likely be one or two more before the year is out.

There is no strict definition of what "poitín" means in law (it's just an Irish spirit), so these are made in various ways, from different base ingredients. The whiskey makers regard poitín as simply unaged whiskey spirit, ie made entirely from grain. Others are partly or wholly made from other ingredients.

This is definitely the moment to try out some native Irish white spirits. I hope the category takes off.

kaimera

Not a dead art by any means.

Have a bottle at home for these cold days

harry Bailey esq

the place on dawson street sounds promising,to buy it and keep it for a special occasion.last time i had poitin i would have been in my early 20s and my grandfather assured me it was the purest of the pure but ill never forget the hangover.have the commercial distilleries improved on this? has anyone tried it.and if so,does it taste like poitin should or would it be just a higher proof whiskey?

harry Bailey esq

Staff Infection wrote: »

The Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson Street sell poitin (link here)
Bit pricey though.

just seen stuff there called 'knockeen hills farmers strength' that would be worth buying just to have the empty bottle!

Staff Infection

Had one of the commercial poitins while I was in college one night but couldn't tell you much about the flavor as it was done in shots, warmed us up to no end though

rubadub

Technocentral wrote: »

Like "Hooch" in America it was made by the poor for something to drink by and large, cheap booze and rising living standards pretty much wiped out the need for it surely

In the US it was illegal, so they had no other option, and took what they were offered. An analogy would be the low grade cannabis products on sale here, while in countries with laxer laws & coffeeshops you can get high grade stuff, as the market demands it.

You get what you put into it, you can make a cheap & nasty version if you want, or a top quality one, no different to homebrew/wine beer really. Since beer & wine are readily available & cheap there is little incentive for people to sell homebrewed wine/beer, it is more a hobby. But I expect there is more demand for illicit spirits than illicit wine/beer in this country, as it is seen as a tradition and is easier to transport about. I still imagine it is more of a hobby, besides large illicit counterfeit operations, making vodka.

davros

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

have the commercial distilleries improved on this? has anyone tried it.and if so,does it taste like poitin should or would it be just a higher proof whiskey?

The commercial distilleries have certainly mastered the art of distilling out the less desirable products of fermentation, like fusel oils. Whether that makes a difference for hangovers, I don't know.

They really don't taste like whiskey because they don't get the maturation in oak for years that transforms whiskey. Spirit straight off the still has a far more challenging flavour. The Cooley poitín, I would guess, is the closest to what an amateur distiller might have made, being just malted and unmalted barley fermented, distilled in copper pots and bottled at the strength it comes off the still.

I have never tried "real" poitín though, so I can't compare. I imagine that stuff is often helped along at fermentation with bags of sugar or molasses. Less artisan, more practical, but not so interesting as a drink, perhaps.

the beer revolu

davros wrote: »

I have never tried "real" poitín though, so I can't compare. I imagine that stuff is often helped along at fermentation with bags of sugar or molasses. Less artisan, more practical, but not so interesting as a drink, perhaps.

I am of the strong opinion that the vast majority of 'real' poitín was/is made of sugar, water and yeast.
And don't start me on that whole potatoes myth!!

tentwenty

Some mistaken myths about Poitean, well Good Poitean.
Good poitean tastes wonderful, a truely iconic drink. The problem is that there are many people out there who make gut rot, some distilleries included.

Very few people know how to drink it.

This is how, first get some good poitean almost impossible to get.
Pour one measure into a glass, add some sugar, one or two spoons, then add boiling water, Stir well to melt the sugar, making sure to leave the spoon in the glass and let it cool slightly and drink.
Ive drank Poitean for over twenty years, have a normal life.
Any alcoholic drink can make you drunk if you drink enough of it, so always drink in moderation.
Real poitean is not that much stronger than whiskey maybe around 55% max. For the uninitiated the psychological impact of consuming Poitean tends to make people think they are more drunk than they actually are.

Any alcohol can give you a hangover, but if good poitean is consumed in moderation, it will leave no lasting hangover. Only bad poitean causes hangover due to the manufacturing process and bad proofing before bottling.


Its made with a combination of 5 ingredients. (No Potatoes)
Certain types of the products are required in exact combinations to make it. Leave it to the experts guys, and unless its passed on from generation to generation you are not likely to find anyone who makes good poitean.
It has to be inherited

Poitean
Please be aware Its illegal to make and should not be tried by anyone reading this forum

But if you do manage to find some smell the bottle when you open it, if there is any type of metalic smell dump it, its gut rot. Good poitean should smell sweet when you open the bottle.

Hope this helps dispel a few myths about Poitean