Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye & Single Pot Still - Irish Whiskey Review - August 2026

Two important and seemingly unrelated events are converging as August 2026 comes to a close. The first is Frankenstein Day on August 30th commemmorating author Mary Shelley's birthday. The second is the end of the public review a few days later of the Irish Whiskey Technical File for the first time since its release in October 2014. Changing the controversial and oft criticized Tecnical File, the document dictating the standards for Irish Whiskey production, is considered overdue given the explosion of new distilleries and independent brands over the past dozen years. It is timely to revisit two core expressions from the Kilbeggan Distillery portfolio that link these two events.

The crux of the Technical File debate has been over the definition of single pot still, Ireland's signature whiskey style. The requirement of at least 30% malted and 30% unmalted barley with a hard cap of 5% other grains was borne from Irish Distiller's Midleton Distillery, the dominant industry voice and only producer of the style at the time. New craft distilleries and independent bonders/bottlers have argued that the strict limits stifle innovation and ignore traditional, historical Irish mash bills that commonly used higher percentages of wheat, oats, and rye.

Proponents of the current rule argue for protecting Irish whiskey identity and worry of tainting standards that plagued the product's reputation during the bootlegging days of US Prohibition. The Frankenstein argument seeks to prohibit the creation of monster mash bills loaded with excess corn or other ingredients. Art vs. science and pushing legal boundaries of creation are inherent themes in this debate as well as the Frankenstein story.

Kilbeggan, Ireland's oldest licensed distillery, has two core expression whiskeys that epitomize the Technical File/Frankenstein debate. Both were impacted by the standards established in 2014 and represent both sides of the argument.

Small Batch Rye

The Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye was released in 2018 and was the first modern Irish Whiskey to utilize the rye grain. Today, use of rye has had a renaissance, appearing in several brand expressions including the 2023 release of the Powers 100% Irish Rye. However, when the cask was filled from distilled spirit in Co. Westmeath in 2011, the intention was for it to be the first single pot still released outside of Midleton. The idea was that it would represent the first whiskey from the distillery that had been restored in 2010 while also reviving the historical, traditional Irish whiskey recipes due to making up 30% of the mash bill.

With the 2014 Technical File release, the rules changed mid-maturation, making the aging spirit suddenly non-compliant as a single pot still. Upon release in 2018, Kilbeggan renamed its first new expression from the restored distillery as Small Batch Rye. However, this is not a tragic, horror story akin to Frankenstein but a triumph of ingenuity.

Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye is double distilled and bottled at 43% abv. It is a non-age statement "blend" by 2014 standards containing 30% rye and 70% malted and unmalted barley. This wonderful creation is matured for 7-8 years exclusively in ex-bourbon casks.

Official Tasting Notes:

Nose: Soft green fruits combine with a rich creamy aroma and give way to white pepper, citrus and soft ginger spices

Taste: Beautiful warming mouthfeel of textured vanilla cream, floral spice, clove and forest sorrel, building to a crescendo of warm spice and biscuit dryness

Finish: Immensely long and nuanced, thick buttery coating with a return to the vanilla, but with candied jellies and hints of bubble-gum; spice and oil coating remain long after the finish

This whiskey should appeal to fans of both single pot still and traditional rye whiskeys. American and Canadian rye whiskey expressions contain higher percentages of rye typically so don't let the name color your expectations. Instead, enjoy the creamy fruitiness with vanilla and soft spice undertones that linger. Call it what you want, but this is a wonderful drink reminiscent of 19th century Irish whiskey styles, ironically paralleling the release of Mary Shelley's novel.

Single Pot Still

Two years after the release of the "non-compliant" pot still rye, Kilbeggan released in 2020 their Single Pot Still. This was the second whiskey to be 100% distilled at their restored location in the oldest working copper pot still in the world. In similar fashion, this release was double distilled, bottled at 43% abv, and matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks. However, this expression met the Technical File criteria to be called a single pot still whiskey by only containing 2.5% other grains. For this release, oats were added to the mash bill with the remaining consisting of malted and unmalted barley. 

The addition of 2.5% oats to the mashbill was reportedly to honor the 19th century recipe used by the Locke family, owners of the distillery up until the 1950's. This amount may be owed to the difficulty in using the grain in the production process. The amount seems oddly specific but in any case met the criteria of being less than the 5% cap standard established in 2014. Would more have been used if not for the limit?

Official Tasting Notes:

Nose: Fresh, crisp & fruity. Combined jasmine & hazelnut notes

Taste: Spicy with summer fruits & citrus. Fresh mint leaf flavour leading to a rich creamy mouthfeel

Finish: Spicy, soft, mellow, smooth & creamy. Oat influence brings dryness

The single pot still expression has an underlying minty taste along with more of a dry mouthfeel. The classic pot still spice is still there and more pronounced compared to the Small Batch Rye expression. The Single Pot Still has more grain and less fruit flavor compared to the Small Batch Rye.

Both expressions are very solid representations of the single pot still style (regardless of technical standards at time of this writing.) Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks are less available, particularly in their $30-$50 price range. Both are available across the USA. 

The looming collision course of Frankenstein Day and the review of the Technical File provided a perfect opportunity to revisit these two underrated whiskeys. If the limitations are loosened as expected, Irish whiskey makers will certainly be more liberated to innovate going forward. Craft distillers already producing expanded mashbill expressions will be freed from the category limbo they currently reside. Large producers may also experiment more as well. Irish Whiskey fans should be the big beneficiaries.

Since I can't wait for Technical File revisions, I innovated myself by combining the two Kilbeggan releases into a a blend that would make Dr. Frankenstein proud. We will have to wait for my review of the unofficial Kilbeggan Rye&Oats Monster Single Pot Still.

A.Dwyer-Aug2026