Our first series explores how local chefs, restaurateurs, artisans, brewers and distillers are crafting some of the best food and drink you may or may not have heard of, furthering Northern Ireland’s culinary scene and adapting to serve local communities over the pandemic period.
I want to be surrounded by people drinking whiskey, enjoying their lives and listening to good music.
Anthony Bourdain
We recently visited the Killowen Distillery, nestled along the shores of Carlingford Lough. Its Master Distiller, Breandán O’Carthaigh, treated us to some of the finest spirits this island has to offer.
By steadfastly keeping to tradition and utilising recipes long lost, Killowen is revolutionising the very concept of ‘Irish whiskey’. It could be said it is Ireland’s most traditional, yet most innovative distillery at the same time – it’s a unicorn. And after embarking on a tour of their grounds and being surrounded by the myth and legend of the majestic Mourne’s, you’ll start to understand that Killowen is more than just a distillery – it’s metaphor for the whole of Ulster, a land that not only has become accustomed to its share of ‘unicorns’, but fully embraces them.
After being served a healthy dose of Killowen’s spirits provided by Breandán and his County Down hospitality, it’s surprising we even remember being there.
He did the talking, we did the drinking…
Why did you get into this business?
I wanted to drink whiskey that doesn’t exist anymore. I’ve always loved whiskey. I’m an architect by trade and moved to Australia during the recession. I was in Tasmania tasting this two year-old whiskey which, somehow, was just as good as some of the best 20 year old whiskeys I’ve had around the world.
I asked myself, “How is this possible?!”
Peter Bignell, the Master Distiller at Belgrove Distillery, was the one telling me about Irish whiskey traditions and how we used to use rye, wheat and oats and that this tradition was lost. I tasted more than I should of their small batch whiskeys made in this traditional way and it just did something to me. I knew then that this is what I wanted to do. I quit my job the very next day.
What makes Killowen unique?
We own and operate Ireland’s smallest distillery. A vital component of the distilling process for us is producing our own mash bills – an art that is rare to find in modern Ireland.
Irish whiskey used to be comprised of 30% oats, rye and wheat – we are vehement about keeping to this standard. Nowadays those ingredients only make up 5% of your average whiskey and, unfortunately, this art has been lost and it reflects in the quality of a lot of what’s being produced across the island. This is how traditional, pot still Irish whiskey was always supposed to be made and the fact that is been lost is a result of corrupted legal requirements surrounding pot still whiskey.
Tell us about your ingredients…
We use the land around us to our advantage. We pick our own heather and elderberries in the mountains around us. What we don’t forage for, we grow ourselves, including our own juniper berries, elderflower, wild mint and other ingredients for our gins and liqueurs. We always prefer to use what the mountains give us.
We smoke our own oats for our whiskeys with local peat. Even the turf from the mountains around us is incorporated into our process. The quality of the malt elevates everything we do.
Tell us about the local area and its folklore…
We’re located within the Mourne Mountains under the shadow of Knockshee, which is known as the hill of the ferries. We’re fed by the Cassy Water, a mountain stream which separates Kilkeel from Rostrevor and was said to be blessed by St Patrick’s sandal, providing a barrier between the pagans at this side, who were always raiding the recent converts on the other. So we’re making pagan Poitín and whiskey with water blessed by St Patrick – how’s that for an oxymoron?
We have the Kilfeaghan Dolmen nearby and from the summit of Knockshee you can see from Belfast all the way down to the Wicklow Mountains. No doubt, the mythology we grew up with permeates the crafting of our spirits today.
What exactly is ‘pot still’ whiskey?
At the moment, the ‘industry definition’ of what makes a whiskey ‘pot still’ is governed by the European Union’s Geographical Indication (GI) and supported by the government of the Republic of Ireland, which is designed to suit the monopolies of the industry. They’ll tell you that a traditional Irish pot still whiskey is made with 5% oats, rye and wheat. History tells us differently, however.
Many of today’s pot still whiskeys are made in pot stills – they’ve got that right – but they’re not made with the traditional ingredients. We started to study how pot still whiskey was traditionally made in centuries prior. By looking back at old mash bill recipes across the island, records show unanimously that traditional recipes used roughly 30% oats, rye and wheat. It also must be made in copper stills – nothing else suffices.
This is why we’ve gotten into the business in the first place – to resurrect and preserve this legacy.
On misconceptions and bureaucracy…
People think that to make quality single malt whisky in pot stills that you need to use an archetype still and for it to be distilled in the traditional regions of Scotland. That’s fine, but that’s not the case with Irish whiskey – it never had this rigidity and, where the ‘powers-that-be’ have made rules, they’ve implemented them incorrectly to suit their personal interests.
To illustrate some of our frustrations with the industry, we’ve had to cross out our some of our information on the back of our bottles to keep these people happy. Our goal is transparency in everything we do. Their goal is to prevent the rules surrounding Irish whiskey from shifting, in which our presence is now seen as a bit of a pain to the industry definition. Ultimately, all that matters is that we have the respect of people that are into whiskey for the right reasons.
What makes your whiskeys stand out?
Whenever you use more malted barley and more oat, you’re creating spice and oil on your palate. Oat is like the ‘fatty food’ of the grain world – it just tastes better and it holds onto flavour longer.
Today, many of us love spicy and oily foods. It’s the same with our whiskey. Oil comes from the oats and holds onto those spicy notes through the distillation process. That is compounded by adding rye and our own malted barley. We always use a combination of both malted and un-malted barley, which is a technique rarely used.
We let our mash bills breathe to allow natural elements from the mountain air and sea breeze to infuse with our products, giving it additional wild components. Everything that goes into our whiskeys is found within a few square miles of our location.
Tell us about your ‘tasting room’…
This is where we do our best ‘research’. After a tour, we’ll certainly treat you to a dram or two. It feels like what a country pub should be.
What about your Poitín?
Poitín means ‘little pot’ in Irish. Incredibly, our stuff tastes like a 12 year-old scotch without having to age, mixed with the mellowness of a premium Polish vodka. It packs an unbelievable amount of flavour not found in most Poitíns.
What is the Killowen Bonded Experimental Series?
We are collaborating with other established, small batch distilleries, creating blends and ageing them in different casks. It’s a chance for us to try new things while working with other distilleries making top notch products. Right now, we have a blend of three different whiskeys ageing in Mexican tequila, virgin Hungarian oak, stout and port casks. Each cask produces a unique flavour that is immensely popular with whiskey enthusiasts. We’re now cask ageing gin and will be releasing a rum in September, so look out for that.
Tell us about your Gin…
Gin is taking off across Ireland and we very much wanted to be a part of this. Our gin is made with juniper, fuchsia flower, lemon zest, rose hip, mint leaf, elderberry, elderflower and meadow sweet. Most these ingredients are either foraged locally or grown onsite.
Our gin is very light. Perhaps our most unique ingredient used is meadow sweet, which grows in glens across Ireland. It’s very soothing. Our gin is balanced despite packing a punch at 43% alcohol. Everything we do is high percentage, to be fair – I’m not sure what that says about us.
How have you adapted to Covid-19?
Charity was already a big part of our ethos.
During the pandemic, we felt a moral responsibility to help out the NHS, businesses and other services, so we started to make hand sanitiser. We began making it purely for charitable reasons, but were then asked by bigger businesses to produce it in bulk. We were very happy to be able to serve the community and we’re bloody happy the virus has started to subside.
Spirit sales completely died out over the pandemic. It’s starting to pick up again now. Generally speaking, there were no new whiskeys created during the pandemic across the island. I guess we were sort of trend setters, as we released two whiskeys over the pandemic period and got sort of a cult following out of this – other distilleries then followed suit. There was nothing else to talk about in those days, so people really gravitated towards us. We sold out in a matter of hours.
Do you feel you are part of an emerging ‘local’ food and drink culture in NI?
It’s not a stretch to say NI is the most monopolised food and drink industry in Europe. One or two companies controls everything. They strong arm and incentivise publicans to keep the ‘little guys’ out. The culture is slowly changing and people are getting sick of the same old shite.
Spending time abroad I think is instrumental. It gives you an open mind to try new things. You can then bring that open-mindedness back to make this a better place. This is something we take immense pride in as a distillery. We should be proud of this place.
How have locals taken to what you’re doing?
They thought I was crazy. There was a tree growing through the property and we had no roof. There were briars, blackberry bushes and farm animals all about the place.
Everybody asked, “What are you doing?”
“I’m puttin’ in a distillery.”
“What the fuck do you need a distillery for?”
“I’m gonna make Poitín.”
“You don’t need a distillery to make Poitín!”
They didn’t know what to think. We put on a big opening night party for everyone on this road and we all went bananas – Everyone buys into it now, thankfully, as the local farmers are a massive help to us and we are very grateful for their support.
What’s your favourite of your products?
My favourite of our whiskeys is any of our peated, pot still varieties. On the palate, it is a perfect blend between an Islay Scotch and a traditional Irish whiskey. At 62%, you shouldn’t be able to drink it. But, because of our oats, it’s mellow. In most things, I’m quite sheepish, but I am fully confident in this whiskey. We want this to be the best spirit in Ireland. This stuff will make you change your career – I’m living proof!
What’s your message for the community at this time?
Come join us for a socially distanced tour and explore the Mournes!
Connect with Killowen Distillery
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