Mourne Dew Distillery strikes gold for whiskey
Multi-award winning Mourne Dew Distillery in Warrenpoint, Co Down, maker of the successful and award winning Kilbroney and Rostrevor gins and the Pooka range of poitins, has won gold for its single malt whiskey.
The small distillery gained the influential recognition for its unique whiskey in the prestigious International Wines and Spirits Competition, an annual celebration of the world’s best spirits.
The company, the first legal distillery in the Mourne Mountains for centuries, produces its single malt and blended whiskeys using barley, wheat and rye spirits matured in a combination of virgin oak and bourbon oak casks.
Head distiller and blender Donal Farrell, says: “We are thrilled to receive this recognition for premium quality in the prestigious awards. The release of our first two Mourne Dew whiskeys represented 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 five years, the research and development behind our products started back in 2014. We have spent years working on flavour 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.
The company, a Food NI member, has a triple distilled Irish whiskey, blended 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,” he adds.
The single malt Irish whiskey 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.
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Winner: Mourne Dew’s Single Malt Irish Whiskey from Warrenpoint
