A glass apart

A GLASS APART

Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey

by Fionnán O’Connor Photography by Ove Grunnér

CONTENTS

PREFACE

6 What is Single Pot Still Whiskey?

8 Single Pot Still vs. Other Whiskey Styles

APPRECIATION

10 15 16 19 20 21 22 23

An Introduction to Whiskey Nosing Finding Your Balance The Flavours of Single Pot Still Single Pot Still Flavour Wheel Single Pot Still Texture Spectrum Trust Yourself Whiskey and Food Cooking with Whiskey

PRODUCTION 24 Basic Ingredients 26 So What Is Malted Barley?

27 Unmalted Barley: Peaches, Pears, and Everything Spice 28 Other Grains: Oats, Wheat, and Rye 29 Milling, Mashing, and Wort 30 The Single Pot Still Ratio 30 Fermentation 31 Congeners: The Flavours of Fermentation 32 Yeast: Whiskey’s Wild West 33 Pot Stills, Column Stills, and the Basics of Distillation 34 The Art of the Pot Still 35 Copper, Still Shape, and the Magic of Reflux 36 Still Irish: A Guide to the Island’s Tippled Geometry

40 Triple Distillation 42 The Midleton System 44 Maturation 45 The Craft of the Cask: Sherry Barrels 48 The Craft of the Cask: Bourbon Barrels 51 The Blending Lab 52 Epilogue: The Gremlins of Whiskey

THE POT STILL PROFILES 58 The New Midleton Distillery 60 Redbreast 72 Mitchell & Son: The Spot Pots 83 The Pot Still Powers 87 Commemorative Single Pot Stills 94 The Midleton Retailer Single Casks 101 Cooley Distillery 108 A Collector’s Catalogue: Rare Irish Pot Still

HISTORY: THE STORY OF A SPIRIT

A GUIDE TO THE REVIVAL

134 From the Ambix to the Annals: The Birth of the Pot Still 140 Aqua Vitae? Usquebaugh. (1405–1608) 150 That Accursed Spirit, Whiskey (1608–1755) 159 Against the Grain (1755–1804) 172 Spirituous Powers (1805–1863) 185 The Golden Years: A Story of the Fall (1863–1933) 202 By the Skin of Our Taste Buds (1933–2015)

222 224 226 228 230 234 236 248

The State of the Pot Still The Dingle Distillery The Dublin Whiskey Company The Teeling Whiskey Company Tullamore Dew Other New Irish Distilleries Irish Whiskey Pubs and Clubs The I.W.A. and Some Closing Thoughts

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INDEX

A Glass Apart

Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey

by Fionnán O’Connor Photography by Ove Grunnér Irish single pot still whiskey has a romantic mystique for many whiskey critics because of its tragic history as the ‘lost sister’ of single malt scotch.

Ireland’s history and politics resulted in the near-annihilation of the national drink and there’s an almost eerie beauty to the ‘silent’ distilleries that still dot the Irish countryside. These distilleries inform the aesthetic of the title and, indeed, there is visual poetry in the barrels, pot stills and photogenic amber spirits that convey the Irish whiskey world.

Although Irish whiskey is currently the fastest-growing global spirits category and Irish ‘pure pot still’ has long been a favourite drink among whiskey critics and connoisseurs, the existing literature is still surprisingly sparse. This book illustrates the production, history, and appreciation of Irish pot still whiskey and will introduce casual drinkers to the richness of these whiskeys as well as being a collectors’ item for established whiskey connoisseurs.

For publicity information contact Merry Lovell: merry@imagespublishing.com +61 3 9561 5544 Distributed in North America by ACC Distribution www.accdistribution.com To place an order contact ACC Distribution at +1 413 529 0861 or orders@antique-acc.com Distributed rest of world (excluding Australasia and Asia) by ACC Distribution www.accdistribution.com To place an order contact ACC Distribution at +44 (0) 1394 389 950 or sales@antique-acc.com Distributed in Australia by NewSouth Books To place an order contact +61 2 8778 9999 or orders@tldistribution.com.au Distributed in New Zealand by Bookreps NZ www.bookreps.co.nz To place an order contact Bookreps NZ at +64 9 419 2635 or sales@bookreps.co.nz Distributed in Asia by Azur Corporation www.azurbook.co.jp To place an order contact Azur Corporation at +81 3 3291 0725 or azur@galaxy.ocn.ne.jp Distributed in China by Beijing Designer Books www.designerbooks.com.cn To place an order contact Beijing Designer Books at +86 010 59626195 or import03@designerbooks.com.cn Distributed in Hong Kong by APD Hong Kong asiapubs.com.hk To place an order contact APD Hong Kong at edward_summerson@asiapubs.com.hk Distributed in South East Asia by APD Singapore www.apdsing.com To place an order contact APD Singapore at +65 6749 3551 or ian@apdsing.com