What we’re drinking: Keeper’s Heart American Pot Still Whiskey
Where it’s from: Hailing from O’Shaughnessy Distilling Co. in Minneapolis, Keeper’s Heart is a purposeful hybrid of Irish and American distilling traditions. The distillery was founded by cousins Patrick and Michael O’Shaughnessy and is overseen by Master Distiller Brian Nation (formerly of Jameson, Redbreast and Midleton). You can read our story from the 2021 Keeper’s Heart launch here.
Why we’re drinking this: As a fan of both American and Irish whiskey, I’ve been curious to see how Keeper’s Heart would combine the two processes. “These are classic American whiskeys, being done in the triple copper pot distillation process, to create a different taste profile,” Nation says. “It’s [that combination] that sets us apart.”
Interestingly, American whiskeys used to be exclusively pot still, as the more efficient column still was only invented in the 19th century. So part of this hybrid creation is actually returning domestic whiskey to its roots. The distillery does a really nice job explaining the difference between column and pot-still whiskey — you’ll get volume and consistency with the former but much more flavor and character with the latter process.
Keeper’s Heart Marks the Debut of a New Style of Whiskey
The first release from the Minnesota-based O’Shaugnessy Distilling Co. showcases the best of American and Irish whiskeys, all for just $30While triple distillation is more associated with Irish whiskey, it’s the barrel usage that makes Keeper Heart unique. This expression marks the first time Nation was maturing whiskey in virgin American oak barrels instead of the refill barrels that shape Irish whiskey (a barrel that hasn’t seen liquid before is going to alter a spirit in an oak-forward way).
“One of the scariest moments was dealing with those virgin American oak barrels,” Nation says. “The first couple of years, the whiskey was a wood bomb. In Ireland, you’re dealing with refill barrels, so the character of the whiskey stays alive. But thankfully, after two years in the virgin oak, the distillate’s character starts to peek through and the wood settles down. There ended up being a beautiful level of complexity that you don’t get with a regular pot-still whiskey. In the end, the virgin oak enhanced the flavor in a lot of ways I didn’t expect.”
American Pot Still also marks the first self-distilled expression from Keeper’s. Add the use of Midwestern-sourced grains, and you have something that takes equally from two whiskey worlds. Let’s test it out.
How it tastes: Featuring a mash bill of malted and unmalted barley (50% each) and triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills, the four-year-old American Pot Still comes in at a solid 92 proof. The whiskey was aged in warehouses that were temperature-controlled in the wintertime so they wouldn’t be affected by Minnesota’s extreme seasonal cold.
On the nose, there’s a lot of warm baking spices, honey and orchard fruit. On the palate, it’s oily and full of caramel, apple, pears, cinnamon and malt. There’s also a modest but noticeable barrel presence — the oak provides some backbone and spice that you normally don’t find in an Irish whiskey. Overall, the whiskey delivers on being something rooted in both American and Irish styles but also offers something new, which I believe we’ll see more of in the next two KH releases.
Fun fact: A triple pot distilled Keeper’s Heart American Rye is set to follow in 2027, and a triple pot distilled American Bourbon is launching in 2028.
Where to buy: Keeper’s Heart American Pot Still is available nationwide now for $50.
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