Saturday 7 May 2011

Single Pot Still from Cooley

In the same week that Irish Distillers launched their new Single Pot Still (SPS) whiskeys comes the news from Cooley that they have distilled their first SPS spirit at the Kilbeggan distillery.

This has been the plan for a long time. It's the old Locke's mashbill of 60% malted barley, 35% unmalted barley and 5% oats. Yes, oats! We haven't had oats in Irish whiskey for decades. They were once useful when draining the wort from the mashtun since the heavier oat grains would sink to the bottom and help to filter the sugary liquid. But they must have had an influence on taste too so it's exciting to be able to experience their contribution once again.