The 12-year-old, like all Redbreast expressions is a combination of malted and unmalted barley.

But it's the exposure of the spirit to copper and the contribution of the unmalted barley that creates desirable congeners.

Malt to be sold or exported must not be fraudulently mixed with unmalted grain to lower duties payable or else forfeit 5s.

Most Irish whisky is made from a mixture of about 40% malted and 60% unmalted barley.

The whiskey is made from barley but it's not a malt whiskey because it has the inclusion of unmalted barley as well as malted barley.