Among this year’s strong field of new single pot still releases, Kilbeggan bottled a gem of an Irish whiskey that sparkled brighter than them all. The already historic whiskey style achieves a powerful air of authenticity. First it’s distilled in the oldest working pot still in Ireland, and the 19th-century Locke family recipe incorporates 2.5% oats, a common addition at the time. Melon, candied peel, nutmeg, cinnamon, and honeysuckle aromas cascade into a palate made especially lush and creamy from the oats, with citrus peel, apricot, and roasted hazelnut flavors leading to a mellow, rounded finish, adeptly exhibiting a crisp articulation of pot still spiciness throughout. —Jonny McCormick