New whiskeys launched by Mourne Dew Distillery
Multi-award winning Mourne Dew Distillery in Warrenpoint, county Down, maker of the successful and award winning Kilbroney and Rostrevor gins and the Pooka range of poitins, is launching two new whiskeys.
The company, the first legal distillery in the Mournes for centuries, has just released a blended Irish whiskey, made from a blend of barley, wheat and rye spirits matured in a combination of virgin oak and bourbon oak casks and hot on its heels, a beautiful single malt whiskey.
Last February it secured a listing for its products in Sainsburys in Northern Ireland.
Head distiller and blender Donal Farrell, commenting on the new whiskeys, says: ”The release of our first two Mourne Dew whiskeys represents the culmination of over six years of research into flavour development and maturation techniques for both poitins and whiskeys.
“Whilst our distillery has only been in operation for three years, the research and development behind our products started back in 2014. We have spent years working on flavor development methods and have also invested heavily in vacuum distillation processes which allow us to produce a whole range of delicate flavours not achievable with conventional methods. We are working with Queen’s University Belfast on deepening our knowledge and expertise in these areas and we hope that this work will bear fruit in the coming years.
“Our gold medal poitins and gins have been recognised as superlative drinks in their own right but now the launch of our whiskeys sees the Mourne Dew Distillery product range expand into exciting new areas.
“We are offering a triple distilled blended Irish whiskey, made from malted barley and grain spirit. The spirit has been matured in a mixture of virgin oak and bourbon casks and contains a small percentage of rye and peated malt to give added complexity and richness to the liquor.
“It has a soft mellow flavour with notes of vanilla, toffee and a berries and just a hint of peat. It is very soft and pleasant on the palate,” he adds.
The second whiskey is a single malt Irish whiskey which has been matured in bourbon casks and finished in IPA casks. “This whiskey is exceptionally round and smooth with a well-balanced peaty flavour. It has a rich malty flavour that lingers on the palate in a most excellent way,” Mr Farrell continues.
“It is a bit of an understatement to say that everyone involved in this project is excited to see the result of six years of research, work and investment come to fruition.
“We think our whiskeys are superb, however we now await the final stamp of approval for our efforts, namely what our customers think of our them,” he adds.
The company has been supported with financial assistance from Invest Northern Ireland towards research and development and promotion of its products in export markets. Said Mr Farrell: “We are currently seeking suitable distributors for our products in a range of major export markets and the assistance of Invest NI in this area is proving invaluable.”