ECHLINVILLE Distillery in Kircubbin has unveiled an extremely new rare whiskey . . . but it'll set you back just a tipple under £600 for a bottle.
The limited edition Dunville’s VR 18-year-old Port Mourant rum finish single malt (strength 57 per cent) has been maturing in barrels which previously nurtured 41-year-old demerara rum from the world’s last surviving double wooden pot still.
Its £585 price tag reflects the fact that it has been finished in eight ex-rum barrels which Echlinville (three years ago it became the first producer to be granted a distilling licence in Northern Ireland for 125 years) laid its hands on in 2015 from the 300-year-old Port Mourant Estate Distillery in Guyana.
Echlinville finance director Jarlath Watson said: “When we became the proud custodians of Dunville’s Irish Whiskey, we made it our founding goal to revive restore Dunville’s it to its rightful place among the premier whiskeys of the world.
“This latest release realises that goal and encompasses our ethos of tradition meets innovation.”
He added: “This whiskey is the perfect marriage of mature Irish single malt and exquisite Caribbean rum, having been masterfully finished in some of the last remaining casks from the famous Port Mourant Estate Distillery which was founded in 1732.
“From the moment we got our hands on these casks, we knew this whiskey was going to be very special indeed. The intensity of flavour that is so unique to these casks now resonates through the nose, palate and finish of our whiskey.”
Echlinville has been successful in reestablishing Dunville's Whiskey (it was originally produced in Belfast in 1801) back on to the market again after more than 80 years.
