Retrieving The Past And Defining The Future
It's quite fitting that some of Ireland's newest highways have shortened the trip to the Kilbeggan Distillery in Co. Westmeath. Those 120 kmh/70 mph divided motorways speed you out of cosmopolitan Dublin and into a rural Ireland that's both firmly connected to centuries-old traditions and thoroughly modern. That's exactly the combination you'll find by making the one-hour journey west of Dublin to a facility that's simultaneously preserving the history of the former Locke's Distillery and moving deliberately ahead toward the future of whiskey making.
I can't fully describe in a brief blog entry my conversations with Distillery managers Brian and Bernadette Quinn and my tour of the very recently revitalized distillery and the well-known museum with it's iconic whitewashed stone building and waterwheel. I'll describe those in detail later. For now I leave you with the advice to be sure to include a trip to Kilbeggan to get a full understanding of the degree of innovation in Irish whiskey making today.
Cooley Distillery re-started whiskey making at Kilbeggan three years ago; the first three-year-old Kilbeggan Distillery Reserve was just issued this year. Previously the buildings were used to house the Locke's museum and to warehouse casks aging whiskey distilled at the main Cooley distillery in Co. Louth. It also is hosting historic pot stills recovered from the former Tullamore distillery, and some soon-to-be-installed column stills. Those are not yet operational, though they are good indicators of Cooley's intent. The mix of modern and legacy equipment, traditional and state-of-the-art Irish whiskey making practices, plus the flexibility inherent in a smaller facility expands the company's ability to create new and hand-crafted whiskeys.
For now, here are some pictures that will give you an initial idea of what you can see at Kilbeggan:
The malted barley hopper and grain lift
The steaming hot water and malted barley entering the mash tun at the start of the distilling process.
Your whiskey starts out as a "porridge" or a slurry of water and malted barley
Whiskey being decanted and vatted. Yes, that reddish liquid reflecting the light off of the stainless still under the barrels is whiskey.
The soon-to-be-installed column or Coffey stills
Future plans include bringing these recovered historic pot stills back into operation. The green patina of the copper kettles is glistening from the rain of a gray day.
Brian Quinn with Cooley's branded whiskeys
Don't forget to do the typical American tourist routine and ask all the distillery managers for tee shirts and key chains. Seriously though, good post and hope you're enjoying your trip in the Emerald Isle.
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Really enjoyed reading your post about the new equipment in Kilbeggan, which I haven't had the chance to see yet! Fantastic to see so much new life back into that beautiful old distillery. And to think it was used as a piggery after it closed... Your blog is really informative, am going to post a link from my website immediately. Would really appreciate if you would post one from yours for the Ireland Whiskey Trail! www.irelandwhiskeytrail.com - The free touring guide to Ireland's distilleries, best whiskey pubs, bars and shops.
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