"Single pot still" is a term generally reserved for Irish whisky. Rather confusingly, it denotes a spirit made in a pot still using a combination of malted and unmalted barley. There is nothing special about the pot still because single-malt Scotches and many small-batch whiskies from elsewhere are made in pot stills. The key difference lies in the use of raw, unmalted barley, which – though tougher to ferment than malted barley – lends spicy verve and oily viscosity. Redbreast, until recently a brand scarcely found outside Ireland, has developed a strong following and better distribution. Powerful and luscious, it is aged in former sherry and bourbon casks, with notes of apple and honey, rising to a spicy, astringently oaky finish. If entry-level Jameson is a handshake, this is Jack Dempsey's left hook. $43.50 in Que., $50.98 in N.S.