Single Pot Still

Single Pot StillIrish Whiskey

Made (so far) exclusively at the Midleton distillery, this is arguably the most distinctive expression of Irish whiskey. That ‘pot still’ character – all mouth-coating texture, rich fruit and tangy spice – is the product not so much of the vessel as the raw material.

Single pot still whiskey contains a varying proportion of unmalted barley, lending it a unique character. And yet this wasn’t down to a skilled distiller’s ‘eureka’ moment – distillers in the 1800s were so dismayed at the escalating taxes on their malted barley that they started using a bit of unmalted to save money.

Single pot still used to mean Redbreast – although you can taste it in blends such as Jameson and Powers – but there are now a growing number of examples on the market, from the precise and fresh Green Spot to the richly elegant Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy. Look out too for new age expressions of Redbreast – and its superlative 12-year-old Cask Strength.