Hard Chaw turned to an ancient Irish spirit to enliven Irish cream, and to honor the grit of the world’s greatest island
We wanted potcheen in Hard Chaw from the beginning. After all, we aimed to make the world’s first bold Irish cream, and potcheen embodies strength and vigor unlike any other Irish spirit.
No other Irish cream on the market (until Hard Chaw) takes advantage of potcheen, and for good reason. The alcohol content in them never surpasses 17 percent. Port, sherry and even a glass of strong Zinfandel often punch with more power than a splash of traditional Irish cream.
We combined classic Irish whiskey with potcheen to offer Hard Chaw, the first Irish cream with muscle, brawn and plenty of grace as well.
The story behind potcheen, and why it’s in Hard Chaw
But you might be wondering, what on earth is potcheen?
It’s a common question for many people outside of the Emerald Isle. It’s so unusual here in the states that when we visited one of the largest liquor stores along Colorado’s Front Range, we found only one brand (the photo above shows the bottle we scored. It’s a good potcheen). Surrounding it were multitudes of Irish whiskeys.
You’ll find it with three spellings: potcheen, poteen and poitin. It’s pronounced Po-CHEEN. Both potcheen and Irish whiskey are also known as uisce beatha, or “water of life.” And in Gaelic potcheen means “little pot,” or pota, because a single pot is used in the distillation process.
The clear spirit is Irish moonshine.
Monks who learned about distilling in the Middle East transported the science to Ireland. Their first product was potcheen, making it the oldest spirit on the Emerald Isle.
Potcheen is ancient. Research dates it as far back as the 6th century, when monks who learned the science behind distillation in the Middle East introduced it to Ireland.
They used barley to essentially create beer, which they then ran through heated pots. At a certain temperature, the alcohol in the “beer” evaporated and rose from the pot of liquid. The monks captured the evaporated alcohol, and cooled it down until it condensed and once again turned into liquid. That captured liquid was potcheen.
The same process takes place today in pots (and is a rough description of the science of distillation in general), although contemporary single-pot stills don’t rely upon open fires for heat, and leverage centuries of distilling technology and savvy to turn lightly alcoholic, beer-like grain mashes into beautiful craft spirits.
Potcheen is a classic farm spirit. For centuries, it was made entirely from barley. But as agriculture diversified, farmers across the largely rural island have turned potatoes, beets, cereals and other starchy vegetables into potcheen.
Artisans used barley to make potcheen for centuries, but as agriculture diversified and agriculture expanded, farmers used other crops, including beets, to make their spirits.
In 1661 the Irish government outlawed potcheen. Tax-happy politicians sought to wrest income from all alcoholic products, but were finding it hard to tax potcheen, as it normally was homemade on people’s farms. To prevent imbibers from drinking without paying up, they made potcheen illegal.
The law didn’t have much effect on potcheen production. Farmers kept on making it, and villagers never stopped sipping it.
Finally, in 1997, the Irish government gave potcheen the official stamp of approval. And Ireland being a land of entrepreneurs, it didn’t take long for people to start launching brands and selling bottles in liquor stores and bars across the country.
Potcheen gets recognized by the EU for its unique qualities
Potcheen was illegal in Ireland until 1997. Now, it’s available in pubs and shops across the country.
It even received its own EU-recognized Geographical Indicative, a status enjoyed by select products across Europe, including Champagne or Parma ham in Italy. The status means that to use the word potcheen, the product must be produced and sold in Ireland. The EU grants Irish cream the same status.
Either way, the homemade stuff persists. Some potcheen-sippers still prefer the booze crafted by Uncle Sean in his backyard shed, or by the O’Sullivan brothers on the family farm.
Potcheen remains exotic in the United States, but its roots run deep. Irish and Scottish immigrants in Kentucky, for example, get credit for applying their potcheen-making skills to the miles of corn sprouting across the Bluegrass State. With corn, stills and know-how, they made moonshine.
And after awhile, that moonshine became today’s Bourbon.
Team Hard Chaw hunted for potcheen in Colorado liquor stores, and found just one brand. The Irish spirit remains rare in the United States.
The difference between something like Bourbon, Scotch or Irish Whiskey and moonshine revolves in part around barrels.
All spirits, regardless of whether they are distilled from barley, corn, agave plants or sugar cane, emerge from the still as clear as Irish spring water.
It’s the barrels, usually oak, that impart dark colors and complex flavors to crystalline moonshine.
Hard Chaw experiments sealed the deal for potcheen
As soon as we figured out how to make high-proof Irish cream, we began experimenting with Hard Chaw recipes. And with every test batch, we preferred the ones that included a bit of potcheen. It adds kick, fire and zip to the blend.
Our final blend of potcheen, Irish whiskey and majestic dairy cream from the nation’s celebrated cows honors our favorite island with a spirit as dashing and gutsy as the people who call Ireland home.
And a lot of credit goes to potcheen, Ireland’s first spirit.
Sláinte!
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