National symbols of Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with Jameson Irish Whiskey and Tullamore Dew the main whiskey brands. Poitín, made from potatoes and with an alcohol content of up to 90% ABV, is the traditional Irish moonshine, brewed illegally since 1661, when a duty was placed on whiskey and other spirits were made illegal. According to one guidebook, ""If you see a product labelled "poteen" in an airport or a bar, it's simply a white duty-paid Irish schnapps. By definition, poteen is illegal and can't be sold."" Stout, a dark beer made using roasted oats or barley, is the national beer, with Guinness heavily promoted as a
Green Spot (whiskey) per annum. Green Spot has received high scores at several international spirit ratings competitions. For instance, Jim Murray, author of the "Whisky Bible", rated Green Spot as 94.5/100 in the 2014 edition of the "Whisky Bible". In addition, Murray has stated that Green Spot is:"“...to the true Irish whiskey drinker what the Irish Round Tower is to the archaeologist...Unquestionably one of the world’s great whiskies.”"More recently, the Green Spot Château Léoville Barton was awarded "Best single pot still whiskey" at the 2016 World Whiskies Awards. Both Green Spot and Yellow Spot are among a handful of single pot still whiskeys