Tasting

The first impression when tasting is usually smoothness, not smoke. Triple distillation and the absence of peat make Dublin and Leinster whiskeys rounder and more approachable than many of their Scottish counterparts.

Single Pot Still Whiskeys add a spicy, slightly oily note from the unmalted barley: pepper, green apple, sometimes a hint of linseed oil on the finish. This sets them clearly apart from pure single malts.

Three very different bottlings serve well as flavor examples. Teeling Single Pot Still brings fruit and spice. The milder Kilbeggan shows honey and vanilla notes from the bourbon cask. Tullamore D.E.W., a blend of pot still, malt, and grain, is the most approachable of the three.

It's best tasted from a tulip-shaped nosing glass, which concentrates the aromas, at room temperature, with a drop of still water to tame the alcohol's bite and reveal subtler notes. Anyone who swallows straight away instead of nosing first misses half the experience.

A pause between sips helps: the nose adjusts quickly, and tasting too fast in succession leaves you noticing only alcohol rather than aroma.

The color often already hints at the cask: pale gold usually points to pure bourbon casks, while deeper amber suggests a share of sherry cask. Taste several whiskeys from the region side by side, and the difference becomes obvious fast. Pot still, malt, and blend all come across quite differently despite sharing the same origin.