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Customer Service What is Irish Pot Still Whiskey?
Richly textured with intense fruity notes and a distinctive earthiness, single pot still is unique in the world of whiskey. Though it shares similarities with single malt, its use of both malt and unmalted grain makes for a different, complex character. It was this style that made Irish whiskey famous around the world, but by the 20th century it had all but disappeared, making any long-aged examples available today truly exceptional things.
This is the story of this remarkable spirit, from its early history to its modern revival.
Made in Ireland
We can’t say for certain where the first whiskies were made, but we do know that Ireland was early to the party. In the 14th century, Irish distillers worked with the materials they had available, likely combining different grains and flavouring their spirits with herbs and honey. Their work laid the stage for the innovation and refinement that earned Irish spirits acclaim the world over. By the 18th century, Ireland was home to some of the largest and most advanced distilleries in the world, including John Jameson on Dublin’s Bow Street and Powers Johns Lane.
The Birth of Pot Still Whiskey
Like many great inventions, this one was born of necessity. In 1785, the British parliament imposed a malt tax on Irish distillers which drove them to rediscover the mixed grain recipes of their forebears. They fermented malted and unmalted barley together, sometimes with a proportion of other grains like oats or wheat, skirting the new levies and inventing one of the world’s great whiskies in the process. For more than a hundred years, Irish pot still whiskey was the preferred style internationally, eclipsing both Scotch and bourbon. But sadly, the good times were not to last.
The Hard Years
The 20th century brought serious challenges to the Irish distillers. The struggle for independence, the loss of the crucial US market during prohibition, and competition from blended Scottish whiskies all took their toll. Distilleries fell silent across the island and by the mid-1970s only two remained in operation – Bushmills in the north and Midleton in County Cork. Famous brands like Powers and Jameson were reinvented as blends. Green Spot, made in small quantities at Midleton, was the only pot still whiskey that remained on shelves. For a time it appeared this traditional spirit might be lost to history.
A New Dawn
The 1990s brought renewed interest in Irish whiskey, as brands like Jameson and Bushmills began to find new audiences around the world. By the 2010s, new distilleries were coming online around Ireland. Some of these – including Teeling in Dublin – are rediscovering pot still whiskey. While the future promises a greater range of pot still whiskies than we’ve seen in living memory, well-aged casks of this uniquely Irish spirit remain exceptionally special. At The Whisky Exchange, we are proud to offer a selection of exclusive bottlings that showcase the very best of Irish whiskey, including small batch and single cask bottlings from Midleton.
