Single Pot Still Irish

Where it started

Ireland's technical file calls the practice of using both unmalted and malted barley unique among whiskies, and names unmalted barley as an essential ingredient.¹ The style's heyday was Dublin's golden era, when six large distilleries dominated the world stage and the United States, the biggest whiskey market in the world, was the largest export market for pot still Irish whiskey.¹ The 1919 Volstead Act closed that market overnight, and pot still whiskey nearly disappeared with it; by 1966 the number of Irish distillers had dropped to four, and a merger in 1973 left one company.¹

Where and how it's made

The technical file defines Pot Still Irish Whiskey as a spirit distilled from a mash of a combination of malted barley, unmalted barley and other unmalted cereals, where the mash must contain a minimum of 30 percent malted barley and a minimum of 30 percent unmalted barley.¹ It must be saccharified by the diastase of the malt, fermented by yeast, and distilled in pot stills so that the distillate keeps the aroma and taste of its materials.¹ The malt used is currently non-peated.¹ It is usually distilled in large pot stills, and the traditional practice is to triple distil, though not every distillery does.¹ Like all Irish whiskey it matures at least three years on the island of Ireland in wooden casks of no more than 700 liters.¹

The word "single" may only be applied when all the whiskey in the product was distilled at a single distillery and belongs to one variety.¹ "Pot Still Irish Whiskey" and "Irish Pot Still Whiskey" are both permitted spellings.¹

How to taste it

Tulip glass, neat, and pay attention to texture before flavor: pot still whiskey coats the mouth. Then look for green apple, pepper, honey and a floral note. A few drops of water tame the spice. Pairings: a sharp Irish cheddar, smoked salmon on brown bread, a slice of apple tart.