potheen
Preserved but no longer current.
Whisky made in an illicit still, once a favourite drink in Ireland, now almost unattainable. People resident in England who read of the charms of POTHEEN would be rather astonished if they were to taste it. It is real "fire-water" flavoured with peat-smoke.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “potheen” mean?
Whisky made in an illicit still, once a favourite drink in Ireland, now almost unattainable. People resident in England who read of the charms of POTHEEN would be rather astonished if they were to taste it. It is real "fire-water" flavoured with peat-smoke.
Is “potheen” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.