It’s that time of year again, when St. Patrick’s Day approaches and the thoughts of beverage writers across the land turn to Irish whiskey. But for American spirits drinkers, Irish whiskey is clearly no longer a once-a-year fling.

Irish whiskey has been the fastest-growing spirit in the country, with sales soaring over the last 15 years. Consider that in 2002, just 434,000 cases were sold in the United States, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a trade group.

By 2016, that number had reached more than 3.8 million cases, growing by almost 19 percent in that year alone, an astounding growth rate that was nearly three times that of the next highest category, American whiskey, at 6.8 percent, according to the council.

I have to admit that the spirits panel may not have been paying close enough attention to this surge. It’s been more than 10 years since we last tasted Irish whiskeys, and though many of the whiskeys available now are familiar names, the selection has expanded greatly.