Co Down distillery Rademon become the first Northern Ireland distillery in more than two generations to produce its own peated Irish whiskey.
The latest release from the Crossgar venture, founded by husband and wife team David and Fiona Boyd-Armstrong, is a seven-year-old Shortcross single malt Irish whiskey, finished in in cognac and orange liqueur casks.
But it is the source of the malt for the new whiskey that originally raised some eyebrows.
“When we first approached our malt suppliers in 2016 with a request for peated malt, they each in turn told us that we were crazy, that’s not what you want to be doing, and that no one wants peated or smoky Irish whiskey,” said David.
“Of course, the irony now is that peated or smoky Irish whiskey is one of the hottest areas of the category.”
Mr Boyd-Armstrong said the last major Northern Ireland distiller to produce peated Irish whiskey was Bushmills.
That ended when the distillery closed its malthouse in the early 1970s.
The distilling director has also broken new ground for Irish whiskey, by aging the peated spirit in an ex-cognac and orange liqueur cask.
“Instinctively, I knew this could work really well, and in my mind, I had this concept of a smoky chocolate orange style whiskey,” he said.
Three years after it became the first new distillery in Northern Ireland in over 100 years to release its own Irish whiskey, the Rademon Estate’s portfolio continues to grow.
Alongside the new seven-year-old release, the Co Down distiller has launched Shortcross 5-year-old Distiller’s Duo Irish Whiskey.
A blend of the distillery’s own single malt and pot still Irish whiskeys, the five-year-old has been aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and virgin American oak casks.
“We always look to see how we can take our Irish whiskey and create something truly unique,” added David.
“We are able to amplify the flavours and aromas of the malt and combine the with the spice and lush mouthfeel of the pot still to create a whiskey that we believe showcases our distillery character in the finest way possible.
“Uniquely this is also the first time that this blend has been created where both whiskeys have been distilled and matured at the same distillery.”
The Shortcross 5-Year-Old Distiller’s Duo Irish Whiskey is bottled at 70cl (46% ABV) and priced at £55.
The Shortcross 7-Year-Old Cognac & Orange Liqueur Cask Single Malt Irish Whiskey is also bottled at 70cl (46% ABV), but limited to 1,000 bottles.
