Single pot still whiskey

Single pot still whiskey
TypeWhiskey
Country of origin Ireland
Alcohol by volume Minimum 40%
ColourPale Gold to Dark Amber

Single pot still whiskey is a style of Irish whiskey made by a single distillery from a mixed mash of malted and unmalted barley distilled in a pot still.[1] Somewhat similar to single malt whiskey, the style is defined by its inclusion of unmalted raw barley in the mash in addition to malt. However, small amounts of raw oats or wheat may have been used at times.[2] This unmalted component is said to give the pot still whiskey a "spicier bristle" and "thicker texture" than the otherwise similar malt whiskeys.[2] If the whiskey is not distilled completely on the site of a single distillery, then it may be termed pot still whiskey but not single pot still whiskey.[3]

Once the most popular type of whiskey in the world,[2] this style of whiskey was historically referred to as pure pot still whiskey, Irish-style pot still whiskey, or – especially in Ireland – simply as pot still whiskey.[4] The term "single pot still" was only introduced in recent years to overcome the United States Tax and Trade Bureau's objections to the use of the term "pure" in the labelling of food and drink.[5] Some distilleries around the world have begun creating their own versions of the whiskey, following the Irish technical specifications, an example being Transportation Whiskey in Tasmania, Australia - which claims to be Australia's first Single Pot Still Whiskey.[6]

The term should not be confused with the theoretical concept of whiskey produced solely in a pot still (which would also apply to single malt whiskey as well as some examples of pot still bourbon and rye whiskey).

  1. ^ "Irish Whiskey Society Interview". Whisky Cast.
  2. ^ a b c O'Connor, Fionnán (2015). A Glass Apart: Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey. Images Publishing. ISBN 9781864705492.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Old Comber 30-year-old whiskey (bottled in 1980s)". The Whisky Exchange.
  5. ^ Hansell, John (26 January 2011). "Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey Is Now Single Pot Still". Whisky Advocate. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012.
  6. ^ "Transportation Whiskey - About". Transportation Whiskey.