The Busker Single Pot Still

The Busker is the house range of Royal Oak Distillery in Co. Carlow, a modern site on the banks of the Barrow that runs pot and column stills under one roof. This Small Batch No. 1 bottling takes the range's single pot still expression, distilled from a mash of malted and unmalted barley in Ireland's own style, and presents it in limited small batch form for the European market.

Maturation splits between ex-Bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry butts, the first bringing vanilla and toasted coconut, the second dried fig and walnut, both wrapped around the peppery, gingery prickle and oily texture that unmalted barley gives the category. Bottled at 46.3%, it carries more weight than the standard release and finishes on clove, barley sugar and a late curl of orange peel.