Irish single pot still whiskey has garnered great attention in the Irish whiskey renaissance of recent years, as a signature style of the country’s distilling tradition and a key element in the Irish revival. Some of Ireland’s newer distillers have been seeing their single pot still stock reach maturity and hit the market.
Clonakilty Distillery, founded in 2016, released its first Irish single pot still expression in the U.S. late last year, while fellow Irish whiskey maker Boann Distillery, founded in 2019, offered its first single pot still expression in early 2023 and returned late last year with two wine cask finished single pot still whiskeys, reviewed here. The Busker, whose whiskeys first came to market in 2020, is from Royal Oak Distillery, which was founded as Walsh Whiskey Distillery in 2016 before being acquired and renamed by Italy’s Illva Saronno in 2019.
Veteran single pot still label Redbreast offered its Missouri Oak and its highly touted 18 year old, while sister labels Method and Madness and Gold Spot also added to their single pot still repertoire with new wine cask-finished expressions.
10 High-Scoring Irish Single Pot Still Whiskeys To Try
94 points - Redbreast 18 year old, 46%, $250
The nose is luxuriously appealing, with milk chocolate, maraschino cherry, bramble, black currant, Nutella, baked citrus, apricot, mango, oak spices, toasted nuts, and cinnamon bark. Smooth and polished on the palate, the complex cask regime serves up flavors of milk chocolate, licorice, black grape, sultana, date, ginger root, currants, and clove. The finish serves up dried fruit and licorice, with hints of leather and coffee bean.
93 points - Boann P.X. Cask, 47%, $60
On the nose, raspberry, red apple, plum jam, currants, and Seville orange marmalade sit on a base of caramel and gentle spice. Warm and fruity on the palate, reminiscent of apples baked in brown sugar and golden syrup, then a darker phase of chocolate praline, clove, licorice, plum, and prune, where it resides in its wonderfully dark, plummy depths for the duration of the finish, remaining actively spicy for quite some time.
93 points - Redbreast Missouri Oak, 50.5%, $200
Red apple, honey, almost caramel-like on the nose, with oak and pot still spices, sweet cinnamon, cocoa powder, and maraschino cherry. It’s curiously oaky at first, then opens up with red apple, chocolate, baking spices, black tea, and cinnamon bark, with a mouth-coating texture on the finish that revels in wood spices. This is a robust pot still whiskey, and one that’s bursting with flavor.
93 points - Teeling Wonders of Wood Virgin Swedish Oak, 50%, $100
The third edition in the series opens with an appealing mix of aromas: caramel, ginger root, toasted almonds, Stroopwafel, orange taffy, mandarin zest, and summer flowers. This is the most attractive of the series to date, with the new oak profile complementing its single pot still character. Flavors of caramel chocolate bars, gingersnap, vanilla, ice cream wafer, ground almond, and nutmeg. This is best sipped without water added.
92 points - Boann Marsala Cask, 47%, $60
Aromas of white grape, pear, apple juice, ripe melon, lime mousse, dewy lawns, and floral bouquets, with a pleasing underlying creaminess and a hint of five spice. The Sicilian marsala cask-finish has produced a big, brooding whiskey with flavors of orange marmalade, cinnamon stick, gingersnap, oak spices, clove, stewed fruits, and dark chocolate. The finish has burnt caramel, cinnamon, clove, and ground ginger.
92 points - Clonakilty, 46%, $50
Vanilla, soft fruit, honey, and a distinct coastal freshness, with toasted oak, lime zest, and green melon, verging on kiwi aromas. It’s well-structured, with an excellent flow of flavors from coconut macaroon, orchard fruit, milk chocolate, and pot still spices to dark toffee and caramel. The finish offers Ferrero Rocher with a hint of maritime saltiness. An excellent debut pot still whiskey made from 100% Irish barley.
92 points - Gold Spot 13 year old Generations Edition, 46%, $165
The second release in the series, matured in sherry casks and finished 16 months in Recioto della Valpolicella casks. This is deliciously oily on the nose with cooked dark fruit, red grape, apple, peppercorn, cinnamon bark, and dusty oak. Thick and full-bodied with red apple, citrus peel, and pot still spices, supported by toasted oak leading to brown sugar, roasted nuts, and a superb pot still oiliness on the palate. The finish has sweet dried apple, oak, and lingering spices.
91 points - Boann Madeira Cask, 47%, $60
Spice-forward on a nose of finely ground aromatic spices, jasmine, zested lemon on vanilla cheesecake, blossom honey, ripe stone fruits, and creamy panna cotta. Flavors of vanilla, peach, and apricot are backed by peppery spices, then walnut, chocolate orange, Oreo cookies, wood spices, and cacao notes. The finish is drying, with spiced nuts.
89 points - The Busker Small Batch, 46.3%, $50
Very fruity and inviting on the nose, showing stewed apple, blackberry, blueberry pancakes, plum, marzipan, allspice, and much more pot still character than the standard Busker pot still expression. Stewed fruits, apple, and pot still spices on the palate, with black cherry, dark chocolate muffins, bramble, ginger, and cinnamon. Young and spirited, but a good step forward in flavor and quality.
89 points - Method and Madness Finished in Virgin Garryana Oak Barrels, 46%, $80
Honey, vanilla, golden sultana, baked pastries, shortbread, lightly toasted oak, and lemon frosting on the nose. It’s very sweet on the palate, with golden syrup on porridge, citrus peel, clove, and oak. It’s mouth drawing and feels much higher strength than 46%, then finishes with honeycomb and toffee apple notes.
