Ireland’s own style — spicy, creamy and pot-distilled
Single pot still whiskey is made in Ireland from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, distilled in copper pot stills. The raw barley gives it a creamy texture and a peppery spice found nowhere else.
Malted and unmalted barley, distilled in copper pot stills
Single pot still whiskey is an Irish whiskey made at a single distillery from a mash of malted and unmalted (raw) barley, distilled in copper pot stills. The mash must contain at least 30% malted barley and at least 30% unmalted barley, and may include up to 5% other unmalted cereals, such as oats or rye. It must be aged for at least three years in wooden casks in Ireland.
The unmalted barley is what sets it apart. It gives single pot still a creamy, oily texture and a spicy, peppery character that you do not find in single malt. It is the style behind historic Irish names such as Redbreast, Green Spot and Powers John’s Lane.
Single pot still and Irish single malt: the same country, two different mashes
Older bottles may say “pure pot still”. Today “single pot still” is the usual name for the style, and some labels also say “pot still whiskey”. They describe the same thing.
From a tax loophole to a global revival
Malt tax. A tax on malted barley leads Irish distillers to replace part of the malt with cheaper raw barley. The practice shapes the style that follows.
Dublin and Cork lead. Distilleries such as Jameson, Power’s and Bow Street in Dublin make pot still whiskey that sells widely around the world. Irish whiskey becomes one of the world’s best-known spirits.
Decline. War, Prohibition in the United States, trade disputes and the rise of blended Scotch hurt the Irish industry. By the 1960s only a handful of distilleries remain.
Irish Distillers and Midleton. Jameson, Power’s and Cork Distilleries merge in 1966 to form Irish Distillers, and a new distillery opens at Midleton in 1975. Pot still whiskey production continues there.
The revival. Redbreast, Green Spot and Yellow Spot win new fans, the style is formally defined, and new distilleries in Dublin, Kerry and elsewhere begin making their own.
Why single pot still tastes so distinctive
Spice and texture from two kinds of barley
Malted barley has been sprouted and dried, which creates the enzymes needed to turn starch into sugar. Unmalted barley has not. Mixing the two gives a mash with both the enzymes and the raw, grainy, spicy character of unmalted barley. The mash is fermented and distilled in large copper pot stills, traditionally three times, then aged in ex-bourbon and sherry casks.
Green Spot and Yellow Spot are named after the coloured paint marks that Dublin wine merchants Mitchell & Son used to tell their casks apart. Redbreast was originally a bottling by another wine merchant. Both are now made by Irish Distillers at Midleton.
Not all Irish whiskey is pot still. Most Irish whiskey sold is blended. Jameson Original, for example, blends pot still whiskey with grain whiskey. Single pot still bottles are a smaller, special part of the category, so look for “single pot still” on the label.
From a bright introduction to a collector’s bottle
Younger and brighter, with green apple, pepper and cream. Green Spot and Redbreast 12 are the reference points, and craft pot still releases sit here too.
ExamplesMore age brings sherry, dried fruit and deeper spice. Yellow Spot 12, Redbreast 15 and Powers John’s Lane Release show the style at its richest.
ExamplesRare, older releases from Midleton and the Redbreast range. Deep, polished and complex, and often bought to keep as much as to drink.
ExamplesThe distilleries making single pot still
Ireland’s largest distillery and the home of Redbreast, Green Spot, Yellow Spot and Powers John’s Lane. Much of the world’s single pot still whiskey is made here.
Known forA Dublin distillery that opened in 2015 in the Liberties, the first new distillery in the city in over a century. It makes a single pot still alongside single malt and blends.
Known forA historic distillery with a long pot still tradition. Its modern releases include a single pot still alongside blends and grain whiskey.
Known forA small craft distillery on the Dingle peninsula, opened in 2012. Alongside its single malt it has released single pot still bottlings.
Known forWhich single pot still is right for you?
Start with Green Spot or Redbreast 12. Green Spot is brighter and fruitier, Redbreast 12 richer and sherried, and both show off the creamy, spicy pot still character without being heavy.
TryRedbreast 15 and Redbreast 12 Cask Strength add dried fruit, spice and weight from sherry casks. Yellow Spot 12 brings a Malaga and Bourbon cask influence for a rounder style.
TryNew distilleries are building their own pot still styles. Teeling, Kilbeggan and Dingle each offer a single pot still with a different balance of spice, fruit and cream.
TrySingle pot still reviews on Caskable
All reviews →Single pot still: quick answers
What is single pot still whiskey?
It is an Irish whiskey made at a single distillery from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, distilled in pot stills, and aged for at least three years in wooden casks in Ireland. The unmalted barley gives it a creamy texture and a spicy, peppery character.
What is the difference between single pot still and single malt?
Single malt is made from malted barley only. Single pot still uses a mix of malted and unmalted barley, with at least 30% of each. The result is a creamier, spicier whiskey, where single malt tends to be fruitier and softer.
Why do Irish distillers use unmalted barley?
It began as a way to avoid a tax on malted barley in the 1700s. Distillers found that raw barley added a distinctive spicy, oily character, and the style has been kept for its flavour ever since.
Is Jameson a single pot still whiskey?
Jameson Original is a blend of pot still and grain whiskey, so it is not sold as single pot still. Jameson’s distillery at Midleton also produces single pot still whiskeys, such as Redbreast and Green Spot.
Can single pot still be made outside Ireland?
No. Single pot still is a category of Irish whiskey, so it must be made and aged in Ireland. Other countries make whiskey in pot stills, but it is not sold under this name.
Irish whiskey must also be bottled at 40% ABV or more
