Single Pot Still

What is a Single Pot Still whiskey?

We know the famous Single Malt, composed of only malted barley and the Single Grain only composed of unmalted barley. The Single Pot Still falls between these two kinds of whiskey as it is made from malted and unmalted barley.

Primarily produced in Ireland, the ratio of malted and unmalted barley in a Single Pot Still, also called Pure Pot Still, is around 50/50.

The production of Single Pot Still whiskey

To carry the designation Single Pot Still, a whiskey must meet 3 conditions. As with the Single Malt, it must be produced by the same distillery. It should be made from Irish malted and unmalted barley in equal proportions which the distillery sources from local crops. And finally, the Single Pot Still is also distinguished by its triple distillation in Pot Stills , a process characteristic of Irish distilleries.

Some Single Pot Still can also be produced with a part of cereals other than barley such as wheat or rye. This is particularly the case with the Breton distillery, the Menhirs distillery, which produces its range of Eddu whiskies made from black wheat.

The history of the Single Pot Still

There are traces of Single Pot Still production up to the early 18th century. The production of this type of whisky made it possible to pay less tax on the malt since it is made from half of unmalted barley.

Today, Single Pot Still are Irish whiskeys, mainly produced by the Midleton distillery, based in County Cork, which produces the famous Green Spot and Redbreast whiskeys.