Tony's Whisky Corner: Kilbeggan Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

photo courtesy Beam Suntory

What to know about the second whiskey release from the Kilbeggan distillery

Kilbeggan, located in the town of the same name, is the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland, dating back to 1757. But that’s not the most interesting part of the brand’s story. The distillery was shuttered from 1954 to 1989, when Irish whiskey went into such a tailspin that only one distillery was functioning in the entire country. The townspeople, however, renewed Kilbeggan’s license for 35 years until the brand was started up again. After a long renovation and years of production at the Cooley distillery, Kilbeggan started distilling whiskey on its own turf again, with brand new equipment—but the original pot still.

“Now, it’s important to note that the pot still is the oldest continuously operating pot still in the world,” says Michael Egan, Kilbeggan’s U.S. brand ambassador. “It’s certainly on its last legs—it won’t last forever—but it’s got so much history and heritage. Every drop of whiskey that runs through that is steeped in Irish whiskey history.”  The shape of that still, Egan explains, is what gives Kilbeggan its distinctive light, creamy flavor. “The neck is extremely narrow, extremely thin, meaning that the reflux in that pot still is huge. So it’s only the lightest spirit, the fruitiest spirit, that gets out.”

Kilbeggan relaunched its distillery with a back-to-the-future goal of reviving its vintage whiskey recipes found in the company’s archives. The first, Small Batch Rye, based on a late 19th century recipe with 30% rye in the mash bill, was introduced in 2018, it won Double Gold at the 2019 NY International Spirits Competition. The newly released Single Pot Still is the second. “Single pot still” is the classic style unique to Irish whiskey, dating back to the 18th century. It’s a whiskey distilled in a traditional pot still (rather than a modern column still) at a single distillery. It also refers to the mash bill, which is by law a combination of malted and unmalted barley, with up to 5% of a third grain permitted. In this case, it’s oats, which only make up 2.5% of the recipe but contribute an outsized amount of flavor.

The result is a light, sweet, creamy whiskey which gives off more than a hint of oatmeal—if you’re thinking of having whiskey for breakfast, this would be a pretty good bet. If you’re not feeling that decadent, a drizzle of it over a bowl of oatmeal sounds pretty delicious too. At 43% ABV, it’s soft, best suited for drinking neat or with a single ice cube, but it can also work well in a spirit-forward cocktail like an Old Fashioned.