Irish whiskey sales are dominated by popular brands like Jameson, the quintessential easy-drinking blend. But the Emerald Isle’s greatest contribution to whiskey is the single pot still style, and the best example of that category is Redbreast. The brand offers a range of expressions, all distilled from both malted and unmalted barley, a combination that gives single pot still whiskey its characteristic rich spice and full body.

Redbreast gets its name from the rosy hue imparted by aging in sherry casks, which are used across the lineup to varying degrees. Sherry is so critical to the brand’s identity that Redbreast partnered with Bodegas Lustau in Spain to develop a special Oloroso-seasoned cask intended only for finishing the brand's whiskey. Rebreast Lustau Edition is a paragon of the house style, though it’s easily rivaled by siblings like the 15-Year-Old and 12-Year-Old Cask Strength.

For centuries, single pot still was Irish whiskey’s crown jewel, but by the 1970s it had nearly died out. Redbreast itself disappeared for years until parent company Irish Distillers revived the brand in the 1990s. It’s currently made at Midleton Distillery, a powerhouse of single pot still whiskey where several other brands are also produced.

But Midleton is no longer the only single pot still whiskey maker in the country. These days, as Ireland rides a wave of investment in and excitement about whiskey, startup and craft distilleries are embracing the single pot still style. Many are still in the early stages, however—their releases are young and energetic, and often quite different in flavor from more traditional offerings as they incorporate additional grains and try out different maturation casks. These whiskeys are worth exploring, but if you’re looking for a bottle that’s similar to classic Redbreast, check out the list below.

Yellow Spot

Midleton’s Spot range, which is exclusively made up of single pot still whiskeys, runs from Green (7 to 10 years old, with bourbon and sherry cask maturation) to Red (15 years old, matured in bourbon, Oloroso sherry, and marsala casks), with a rainbow of other expressions in between. Each variant has its merits, but Yellow stands out as particularly special—it's matured for 12 years in bourbon, sherry, and Malaga (a sweet fortified wine, made with Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel grapes) casks. It’s the latter that gives the whiskey a rounded sweetness balanced by depth and a lengthy finish. Try this and you’ll realize just how high the bar for single pot still can be.

Teeling Single Pot Still

In the first few years after its founding in 2012, Teeling’s offerings were sourced from Cooley Distillery, which has only ever made single malt and grain whiskeys. But once Teeling’s own facility was up and running in Dublin, master distiller Alex Chasko began laying down casks of single pot still made from an even split of malted and unmalted barley. The whiskey, which was matured in a variety of cask types, is now part of Teeling’s core lineup and is a particular standout with delicate fruit notes offset by sweet nuttiness and gentle spice.

Powers John’s Lane

Despite Irish whiskey’s 21st-century renewal, Powers hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves, both for its long history and the high quality of its whiskey. The John’s Lane Distillery produced single pot still whiskey in Dublin from 1791 until it was folded into Irish Distillers in 1975 (it closed a year later and was demolished). Modern Powers whiskey is made at Midleton just outside of Cork, with most of its lineup on the affordable side. At 12 years old, John’s Lane is well worth the slight premium over its siblings, especially when you taste its velvety mix of spice and citrus, dusted with cocoa powder from its sherry cask maturation.

Writers’ Tears

Most of the expressions in the Writers’ Tears range are blends of single malt and single pot still whiskey, but this is the brand's first 100-percent pot still release. It was matured in bourbon, PX sherry, and marsala casks, a combination that yields generous sweetness to balance the massive spice inherent in the base spirit. This is a particularly chewy whiskey, the kind that responds well to a little water or aeration in the glass.

Kilbeggan Single Pot Still

This is a one-off that flew under the radar upon its release a few years ago, and thus is still pretty easy to find. It was made from a grain bill that included 2.5 percent oats, enough to inject additional creaminess into the mouthfeel and broaden the palate’s flavors of stone fruit, vanilla, and nutmeg into a deeply satisfying finish. An even more intriguing (and now much harder to find) pour is Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye, initially conceived as a single pot still but forced to be classified as “Irish whiskey” upon its release because of a change to the rules that occurred while it was aging.