Origin: Down (Northern Ireland)
Type: Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Strength: 55%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon, ex-Rum and ex-Sherry PX
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Killowen Distillery
Average price: € 65.00
Official website: www.killowendistillery.com
Vote: 85/100
Ireland’s smallest distillery was established in 2019 at the behest of Brendan Carty, a lover of Irish whiskey and of the history of the distillate, with a clear vision of what should end up in the bottle and, above all, of production transparency.
Completely artisanal workmanship, with equipment made by hand or repurposed (the mash tun is a milk churn where they mix by hand using wooden oars), long fermentation during which the tun is initially left in the open to allow ‘contamination’ with the environment, very small stills with an open flame.
There is nothing about this distillery that is not peculiar and that doesn’t exude the passion (and eccentricity) of its founder, a convinced advocate of the need to be able to play with cereal recipes, with one eye on tradition and the other on the tastes of the public, in full dispute even with the current rules on pot still composition.
On transparency, Brendan also struggles with the imposed regulations, as he wants the consumer to be able to know every single detail of the production of the whiskey he’s about to drink.
As is customary for young distilleries, at the moment the releases are (admittedly) third-party whiskeys, with ageing taking place in their very small warehouse, and they also produce gin, poitín and a (obviously) very special rum.
Second version of this small batch (660 0.50cl bottles) released in mid-2021, which after five years of ageing in ex-Bourbon casks (from a distillery in the same county) was matured at the distillery by dividing it between casks that had contained their own dark rum and ex-Sherry Pedro Ximénez casks, bottled at cask strength and without adulteration.
Tasting notes
Plenty of nutmeg and molasses at first olfactory approach, soon joined by dried figs, sultanas (as the name promises!), dates, apple, malt, muscovado sugar, macadamia nut and candied orange peel. Warm, pungent aromas, to which a growing impression of chocolate coffee lends even more depth. Slight veining of pine needles along the length. Full-bodied.
Creamy on the palate, where the ageing influences return with a rough and spicy sweetness declined in macerated red fruits, dried figs and dates, rennet apple, leather, brown sugar and dark chocolate. Nutmeg and paprika tingle the palate, while a vegetal and at times balsamic note appears along the length, lightening the dark charge of flavours. Perfectly balanced alcohol content, which backs it up without overflowing.
The finish is quite long and spicy, in which the vegetal vein imbues dried fruit (also tropical), cocoa, almonds, muscovado and malt.
The finishing seems to have eaten away at the initial ageing, after all with such young maturation and such loaded casks it’s difficult to happen otherwise. The end result, however, is more balanced than one might have imagined, with a few surprises along the way: immature, but with personality.