Try These 5 Traditional Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys To Get In The St. Patrick's Day Spirit

In Ireland, the single pot still method is considered the most traditional way to make whiskey. By law, it must come from a single distiller and be made with at least 30% malted and unmalted barley. It can include up to 5% of other grains, such as rye, oats, and wheat (the law may be changing soon to allow up to 30% of other grains). Like other Irish whiskey styles, it's often triple distilled for smoothness — unlike Scottish whisky, which is traditionally distilled only twice. The resulting Irish whiskey is creamy, spicy, and full bodied.

It all started back in 1785, when the British crown began taxing malted barley and quick-thinking Irish distillers started adding unmalted barley into their mashbills to get around the new law. While there are some popular Irish brands, including Bushmills (which is often considered the oldest distillery in the world), and Tullamore D.E.W., that don't make a single pot still expression, there are plenty of others that do. Since St. Patrick's Day celebrates all things Irish, here are five whiskies made in this very Irish manner that are worth their weight in gold.

Boann is a family-owned distillery in County Meath, located in the eastern part of the Republic of Ireland. The distillery opened in 2019 and is dedicated to making traditional single pot still whiskey under its own name, along with its Whistler line that includes both single malt and blended whiskeys. Boann is named after the Irish goddess who created the nearby River Boyne, according to legend. The brand is rooted in sustainability, sources its ingredients locally, and has already managed to earn a number of awards.

Boann Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey P.X. Cask won Double Gold at the prestigious 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This whiskey was matured in oloroso sherry hogsheads and finished in Pedro Ximénez solera casks, including those made from chestnut, an advantage Irish whiskey distillers have over Scottish distillers since they can legally mature their whiskey in any type of wood. Another worthy Boann expression is the Madeira Cask matured in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in its namesake casks. It's well balanced, with notes on the palate of orchard fruit, walnuts, and herbs.

Midleton Distillery, in County Cork, the Republic of Ireland, is the home of such iconic brands as Jameson and Redbreast under the Irish Distillers banner (a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard). It's also where you find a wildly experimental micro-distillery that began in 2017 and is run by distiller Katherine Condon and apprentice distiller Eva O'Doherty. It's called Method and Madness, and it has put out some exceptional whiskeys, including a single pot still whiskey finished in French chestnut casks.

The liquid spends around three years maturing in American ex-bourbon barrels, ex-sherry casks, and is finished in the aforementioned French chestnut before being bottled at 46% ABV. The resulting whiskey has a rich mouthfeel, with nuts, toffee, cinnamon, and banana on the palate with a long finish featuring more nutty notes, along with wood and spice. Method and Madness is a brand that's rooted in tradition, but not afraid to push the boundaries, and this whiskey is a prime example of what the distillery is all about.

Teeling is another newer distillery (it opened in Dublin in 2015), but its founders, Jack and Stephen Teeling, come from a family with whiskey-making in its past — their ancestor, Walter Teeling, was a distiller in Dublin back in the 18th century. In the past decade or so, Teeling has managed to rack up a swath of awards for its various expressions, including its single pot still whiskey. Teeling starts with a mash bill of 50% malted and 50% unmalted barley and, from there, has played around with various woods to produce some extraordinary whiskies via its Wonders of Woods series. The first release, finished in chinquapin oak, earned the title of World's Best Single Pot Still in 2022 at the World Whiskey Awards.

Teeling's flagship expression of single pot still contains that same 50-50 mash bill and is matured in American virgin oak, ex-bourbon barrels, and ex-sherry casks. It comes in at around $50, a good price for what this whiskey delivers. It's bright and well-balanced, with notes of peach, biscuits, herbal spice, and oak on the palate. It's a worthy addition to this historically Irish style of whiskey.

At one time, pot still whiskey dominated Ireland's spirit production. By the 1980s, it had nearly vanished. Through it all, Redbreast stayed true to this homegrown style. The brand's roots stretch back to the 19th century (with a brief hiatus between 1985 and 1991). Today, under Irish Distillers, Redbreast remains dedicated to only producing single pot still whiskey, earning it the honor of being considered a definitive example of this whiskey style. 

A great place to start with Redbreast is with its flagship 12-year-old. This whiskey has a creamy mouthfeel and offers nuance and complexity, flavorwise. On the palate, you find notes of vanilla and toasted oak with a medium-long finish. With an ABV of 40% , the 12-year-old is a bit lighter than many of the other selections in this piece, which also plays into its subtleness. It's a prime example of what single pot still whiskey is all about.

The Shed Distillery, located in County Leitrim in the northwest of the Republic of Ireland, may be better known for its Drumshanbo gunpowder Irish gins, but this distillery also produces award-winning single pot still whiskey. PJ Rigney, who has been in the spirits world for decades, and his wife, Denise, opened the distillery in 2014 and introduced its whiskey about four years later. What sets Drumshanbo apart from other single pot styles is the addition of Irish barra oats to the mash bill, along with Irish malted and unmalted barley. The liquid is matured in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry oloroso casks.

The resulting whiskey has a creamy mouthfeel with notes of vanilla, citrus, milk chocolate, and black pepper on the palate. This whiskey won silver at the 2025 World Whiskey Awards, and its marsala cask expression (also definitely worth tasting) won gold. Pot still whiskey may have nearly died out, but, as you can see, distilleries both old and new have stepped up to keep this oh-so-Irish spirit alive and thriving. So, grab a dram of one, or all, of these brands and raise a glass to the Emerald Isle this St. Patrick's Day.