killowen distillery

Killowen Coconut Rum and Raisin Inspired 5yr Single Malt 55% ABV

This special release of Killowen’s Rum and Raisin Inspired Single Malt gets a Caribbean twist with the addition of a limited coconut rum barrel in place of Brendan’s own rum barrels. Just like the regular version, the coconut rum barrel gets Pedro Ximénez sherry butts affixed in order to impart raisin like complexity and complement its bourbon barrel aged single malt. Buttery flavors of coconut and vanilla intermingle with sea salt and figs, making this limited cask strength Irish single malt one for the books.

Killowen Barántúil Cognac Cask 3yr Single Pot Irish Whiskey 61% ABV

Meaning authentic or trustworthy, the Gaelic term Barántúil sums up Killowen’s ethos perfectly. Taking the “practice what you preach” approach, this tiny distillery creates complex Irish whiskies with integrity and transparency. This Single Pot Irish Whisky aged in a single cognac cask made of American Oak is an exclusive release for the U.S. and was a favorite among the distillery owners. The grains that comprise this mash bill were measured by the sack just like they used to be. 91.7% of which is sourced locally while the Marris Otter Barley was imported from England. At 3 years of age this cask strength whiskies aromas leap from the glass with white grape, vanilla, and fresh flowers. Waves of vanilla bean, marzipan, pastry cream, and lemon cake follow with rich complexity.

VIRGIN HUNGARIAN OAK CASK 52.5% ABV

KILLOWEN BONDED EXPERIMENTAL SERIES 10-YEAR-OLD WHISKEY

The blend itself includes whiskeys that are ten to twelve years old from different distilleries all across Ireland, 2 single malts and one grain. Throughout this time, we also hunted the globe for the finest casks to complement certain flavour notes in these blends, this cask in particular found its way to us thanks to a well-known Hungarian, Irish-whiskey enthusiast.
The cask itself is the most beautiful to enter the Killowen bond. It is hand made from start to finish, the original oak trees are assessed and felled by hand in Hungary, then dried for years under tin lean-to roofs, before being sized and cut into staves by eye, hand and traditional tools. The unique, chunky detail of the croze and chime display a craftmanship that stands out from other international high-quality casks we have in stock. Even the oversized, chunky bung hung hole stopper is crafted and detailed with love.
Amongst the vibrant blended whiskey culture in Ireland, the Killowen Bonded Experimental Series stands out with her unique ratio of malts and grain whiskeys, the blend is then finished with a dominant yet balanced cask influence. One aim of the series is to empower the consumer so they may enjoy an educative experience while drinking thanks to our extensive production transparency on the bottle label, regarding sourcing, blend ratio and finish. Some unaware consumers are yet to understand that this information is not just forthcoming, but in-fact avant-garde. As the infamous ‘sharpie – Culture’ proves, Killowen’s disclosure is evidence of pushing the legal boundaries of transparency and therefore consumer empowerment.
The fact that it is not ‘Killowen distilled’ spirit but rather, as the names suggests, a blended/ bonded spirit - is clearly set out, providing the consumer with a deeper understanding of the flavour breakdown.

10 year old blend

tasting notes

NOSE: Honey-suckle and floral aromas intensified by the grain component but far from overpowering.
A wood spice reminiscent of star anise along with a lemon zest. These notes are on a canvas of vegetal fragrance reminiscent of early September’s rural, laneway, Hedgerow cutting.

PALATE: The wood spice is clearly clove at this stage with plenty of finely ground white pepper. The stone fruits are evident from the Single malt but this is not as forthcoming as the abundance of soft dark-brown sugar. Out on it’s own there is a hint of wild evergreen Ivy, known to gardeners when tending to their craft in late winter.

FINISH: On the backdrop of caramelised demerara sugar sweetness, there is an explosion of raw clove buds. Finishing off with thick cut orange rind, like that found in rind found in a hearty marmalade.
Nothing Short of a juicy mouth-watering spice bomb!

drinking suggestions

While tasting, add half tea spoons of un-chilled water until the consumers ‘sweet spot’ is found

PINOT NOIR CASK BURGUNDY 52.5% ABV

KILLOWEN BONDED EXPERIMENTAL SERIES 10-YEAR-OLD WHISKEY

When Killowen initially hoped to release this the cask was over powered by the rich European Oak tannin and its inherent red wine berry notes. They then spent the best part of a year trying to rescue it, firstly by removing half its contents and adding in new whiskey of the same vintage and proportion, luckily the initial cask shock had already been absorbed into the whiskey and allowed them to spend the rest of the time letting the spirit become part of the cask once again.
The biggest challenge with this range is maintaining the very high standard of previous releases while making a very different expression. Thankfully the same successful and unique Killowen blend has been introduced to a very different cask and created another top-class expression.
From the outset, we at Killowen Distillery have been carefully sourcing whiskeys 12, 11 and 10 years old from different distilleries all across Ireland. We also hunted the globe for the finest casks to complement certain flavour notes in the blends, this time we have gone to the famous burgundy region of France.
It has been Killowen's prerogative that a consumer may enjoy an educational experience while drinking, consumption is then enhanced by extensive production transparency info on the bottle's label. Unfortunately, this time we have been prohibited from doing so, eventually under the GI via EU law. We won't bore you with the details or paper trail, but basically, Killowen have been asked to remove the dates of the different blend components as they are deemed to be misleading for consumers. We thank you for your support regarding this issue and can only apologise for the vandalism to our back labels as a result. We all understand that misleading the consumer is not on Killowen's agenda.
Killowen hopes to be an exemplar for industry progression, these integrity bottlings have quality, spirit and transparency as core values. We believe a bottles packaging should provide the consumer with all details regarding sourcing, blend ratio and finish. The fact that it is not Killowen distilled spirit but rather, as the names suggest, a blended/bonded spirit - is clearly set out. Providing the consumer with all of this information allows a deeper understanding of the flavour breakdown.
This whiskey is the fifth in a set of different whiskeys that will be released over a two-year period. The creators have advised the whiskey can be slightly diluted to suit the consumer, as this is a wine cask, you are unlikely to find any char in your bottle, but we will make up for it in our next, penultimate release. This Pinot Noir Burgundy cask was specifically chosen for its freshness and vibrancy, creating a unique small-batch spirit with a full-bodied experience as follows:

10 year old blend with transparency and integrity at its core

tasting notes

NOSE: Red apple and wild riverside mint, Honey suckle and Nutmeg alongside freshly cut living wood with Leon peel towards the end.

PALATE: A generous serve of blackberry conserve on top of creamy Lemon Cheese Cake with drying woodiness to balance it out the sweetless.

FINISH: Broken Caramac bar at first, followed by a long freshly cut barn yard wood. A tiny kiss of pine needle amongst blackberries of varying ripeness found while blackberry picking in hedgerows.

drinking suggestions

While tasting, do try with one then two teaspoons of un-chilled water.

PEATED MALT CASK IRELAND 52.5% ABV

KILLOWEN BONDED EXPERIMENTAL SERIES 10-YEAR-OLD WHISKEY

Unlike the rest of our range with large gestures of cask influence, this cask opts for only a little smokiness and peat, mainly on the late palate and finish. At Killowen we understand that many whiskey drinkers prefer not to drink peated whiskeys and therefore this expression offers just a small peated kiss that will satisfy 'peat heads' while welcoming those 'Non-Peat-Heads' into the fold. The biggest challenge with this range is maintaining the very high standard of previous releases while making a very different expression. Thankfully the same successful and unique Killowen blend has been introduced to a very different cask and created another top-class expression.
From the outset, we at Killowen Distillery have been carefully sourcing whiskeys 12, 11 and 10 years old from different distilleries all across Ireland. We also hunted the globe for the finest casks to complement certain flavour notes in the blends, this time we have gone much closer to home, a mere stone's throw away to a place inextricably linked to Ireland, in all thing’s whiskey and culture - Islay. This small trip has packed a big punch.
Amongst the vibrant blended whiskey culture in Ireland, the Killowen series stands out with its unique ratio of malts and grain whiskeys, the blend is then finished with a dominant yet balanced cask influence. This allows the consumer to enjoy an educational experience while drinking, the experience is then enhanced by extensive production transparency info on the bottle's label.
Killowen hopes to be an exemplar for industry progression, these integrity bottlings have quality spirit and transparency as core values. The packaging provides the consumer with all details regarding sourcing, blend ratio and finish.
The fact that it is not Killowen distilled spirit but rather, as the names suggest, a blended/ bonded spirit - is clearly set out. Providing the consumer with all of this information allows a deeper understanding of the flavor breakdown.
The creators have advised the whiskey can be slightly diluted to suit the consumer, as usual if you find any char in your bottle...you're welcome. This peated Islay cask was specifically chosen for its old wood and potency, creating a unique small-batch spirit with a full-bodied experience as follows:

10 year old blend with transparency and integrity at its core

tasting notes

NOSE: A Gentle sea breeze on the nose, with slight notes of cereal and lemon travel sweets, some ripe pear and fig with a subtle vanilla spice

PALATE: A combination of apricot and orchard fruits, slight petroleum with rubber on one hand with a marriage of demerara sugar, cinnamon and clove on the other.

FINISH: A soothing sweet peat & smoke balanced with clove & vanilla. long after notes of orange peal and workshop leather.

drinking suggestions

While tasting, do try with one then two teaspoons of un-chilled water.

Tequila Cask MEXICO 52.5% ABV

KILLOWEN BONDED EXPERIMENTAL SERIES 10-YEAR-OLD WHISKEY

From the outset, the challenge was to push the boundaries of cask finishing as far as possible and in this release the relationship of wood and spirit creates a more balanced flavor profile where ripe fruits meet nuts, herbs and earthiness with a tiny kiss of smoke.
Killowen have sourced 10-year-old Irish whiskey and also hunted the globe for the finest casks to complement certain flavour notes in the blends.
Amongst the vibrant blended whiskey culture in Ireland, the Killowen series stands out with its unique ratio of malts and grain whiskeys, the blend is then finished with a dominant yet balanced cask influence. This allows the consumer to enjoy an educative experience while drinking. This experience is then enhanced by extensive production transparency info on the bottle’s label. Killowen hopes to be an exemplar for industry progression, with these integrity bottlings having quality spirit and transparency as core values. The packaging provides the consumer with all details regarding sourcing, blend ratio and finish.
The fact that it is not Killowen distilled spirit but rather, as the names suggest, a blended/bonded spirit – is clearly set out. By providing the consumer with all the information allowing a deeper understanding of the flavor breakdown. This whiskey is the third in a set of different whiskeys. The Mexican Tequila Cask was specifically chosen for its old wood and potency, creating a unique small-batch spirit with a full-bodied experience.

10 year old blend with transparency and integrity at its core

tasting notes

NOSE: A balanced strong arrival on the nose, with slight notes of white fruits, like ripe pear and fig with a subtle herbal tone and earthiness

PALATE: A mixture of almonds, apple wild herbs and tobacco on one hand with dark chocolate and walnut on the other, married together with consistent wood spice.

FINISH: A long wood-spice finish with subtle smokiness along with fig and ripe apple reoccurring afterwards.

drinking suggestions

While tasting, some might want to add half a teaspoon of un-chilled water.

RUM & RAISIN 5 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT 55% ABV

KILLOWEN SIGNATURE BLEND

A vatting of single malts from different casks: Killowen Dark Rum & PX sherry casks.
Killowen Dark Rum offers notes of rich molasses and tropical fruits where-as the rich PX serry casks provide abundant raisin and dried fruits amidst the backdrop of the famous apples and pears often found in the sourced distillate.
The playful name is a nod to the cask choices and the beginning of a signature release that will be replicated in varying forms.
This is another proudly sourced whiskey release from Killowen, having selected a handful of casks from a distillery in the neighboring County of Louth, which is clearly mentioned on the bottle. Killowen have now launched themselves into the single malt scene after extensively exploring blending and finishing in their previous Bonded Experimental Series.
The vatting of these casks will be carried out in batches, normally 200 litre and 120 litre, allowing for slightly more bottles per batch than previous releases. When we were considering this new release, we allowed for a lower price point, however quality was, as always, paramount.
The Rum & Raisin is presented in a new bottle type, and with a beautiful new labeling design: cork and tamper seal. This means that the wax seal will be kept for future releases outside of this particular signature style. The luxurious Rum & Raisin is the beginning of an evolving family of releases that will continue from sourced liquids into Killowen’s own distillate.

tasting notes

NOSE: A burst of fresh apple Juice along with black-strap molasses and a generous helping of warm Christmas pudding.

PALATE: Sweet & Juicy large green apples along with dark sugar. A range of dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas & figs. All of this with heavy old-style dark rum as a backdrop.
A late arrival to the tropical Caribbean, with Coconut and Vanilla a molasses.

FINISH: Caramelised demerara sugar with toffee apple or candy apple. Red apples this time instead of the green ones earlier on, with a stand-alone note of ground almonds towards the end before a dollop of Christmas cake to finish… but you keep going back for more.

note

Continuing with the discipline of Killowen Distillery, all bottles are at high strength, there has been no chilled filtration or added colouring. The spirit has come straight from cask to bottle, each pour is full of flavour and high in alcohol content. The virgin Cask is lightly charred and so the unfiltered spirit is relatively free of char this time.
Killowen Distillery believe a whiskey should be enjoyed at high strength and can diluted by the consumer for a more intimate and educative drinking experience.
There is a noticed change in the flavour profile of the spirit as it dilutes & breathes. Different fruit and spice notes become apparent as the spirit begins to open up.

Awards

2023 Silver: The San Francisco World Spirits Competition

KILLOWEN POITIN 48% ABV

Our geographically protected native spirit has enjoyed a recent revival in recent years. A highly regarded recipe from a local Mourne family that has been used for generations is now reborn in this generation as a legal spirit.
At Killowen we carefully select a unique ratio of wheat, barley and oats to create a mash bill fitting of the word Poitín.
This small batch produce includes mixes of malted and unmalted grain, the malted being smoked on site by local Mourne turf fires in our handmade kiln
Once regarded as an illicit highland produce, Killowen have made it their prerogative to restore Poitín to its rightful place as an artisan spirit of choice by perfecting family recipes we know best.
Killowen Poitín is a substance of luxury created with skill and care. This allows it to be enjoyed by Poitín and whiskey enthusiasts lucky enough to have a bottle.

tasting notes

Gentle grassy notes, with creamy porridge, earthy vanilla and a hint of pine, with a dry, smoky and spicy finish.

drinking suggestions

Killowen Poitín is very versatile and can be used in cocktails for example an Old Fashioned or even in an Irish Coffee. If you want to keep it simple it pairs very well with a simple sparkling lemonade for a refreshing drink with a difference.

Awards

2023 Double Gold: The San Francisco World Spirits Competition