Compare and Buy Poteen Online at Comparethedrinks. Chose by Brand/Producer such as Knockeen Hills and others. Made in Ireland since the early 17th Century, poteen or poitin translates as 'little pot' a term referring to the small, home-made stills in which it is usually produced. Traditionally made from either potatoes or grain, the production of poteen was outlawed in 1661, and remained illegal until the late 1990s.
Poteen is made from barley which was soaked for a day in a large barrel of water. The grain was spread on the floor near the fire to dry and ripen. When it first began to bud, it wad dried and ground, and put into the mash (or wash) barrel. Some brewers would add yeast, while others would let the natural yeasts do the work. After two to four weeks, the batch was ready for the still. The heady liquid was siphoned off and put into the pot. The fire was built up and the water was started running on the condenser coil. The first bit to come over contained all the fusel oils, which are highly toxic. For this reason, the first "noggin" was always dumped out on the ground… for the Fairy Folk, or so it was claimed. The remainder of the batch was tapped off into bottles and tightly corked. These were then hidden, hopefully in spots the tax assessors were not going to look.
After the potato was introduced into Ireland, it was discovered that the starchy vegetable could also be used to make Poteen. More recently, poteen has been made from plain sugar. Many say that these modern recipes do not have the flavor of the "real ould stuff". The good stuff has a slight smokey tang from the turf fire and a subtly sweet aftertaste. Since Poteen is now able to be licensed and produced legally there are two companies that are officially licensed to produce Poteen; Knockeen Hills, and Bunratty Winery in Co. Clair. Both are outstanding and have won many awards and prizes in competition.
Although poteen can now be made legally, there are still many an Irish man who hold on to this old tradition of moonshining. The legal stuff is a nice representation of the "real ould stuff", but it usually doesn't have the kick and the heart that a true drop of the pure poteen has. Bunratty Poteen comes in 2 varieties, 80 proof poteen, is the poteen sold in the republic of Ireland, and 90 proof poteen is the poteen marked for export. Likewise, Knockeen hills sells their poteen in 3 strengths, 120 proof poteen, 140 proof poteen,and the hold onto your Irish flat caps, 180 proof poteen!
