ARTICLE:It appears American's are taking a shining to the Ireland's famous brew; sales of whiskey have gone up 400% since 2002, becoming the fastest growing spirit in the nation. When Irish immigrants brought over whiskey it wasn't widely consumed, and when Prohibition and the Temperance movement in Ireland began the whiskey industry was severely battered. But in the early 2000s there was a renaissance of craft cocktails, using prime ingredients--and alcohols--to make the perfect drink. Antiquated recipes became popular, many of which featured whiskey; some call it the Mad Men effect, bringing to attention some previously underrated cocktails like the Old Fashioned. American's, especially the younger ones, are shifting to drinking brown liquors instead of clear spirits, and while vodka is still the most popular, it's been losing share every year to whiskey. This has resulted in a boom for premium whiskeys, as well as more attention to local Irish distilleries and whiskey crafting.
SITE: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/10/were-bringing-whiskey-back/280767/
