Volcanic Wine Awards | The Jancis Robinson Story

Pot in the pink – the renaissance of Irish pot-still whiskey

Tuesday 27 May 2025 • 1 min read
Brendan Carty of Killowen in County Down

From just two distilleries in the 1980s to nearly 40 today, Irish pot-still whiskey is back in a big and exciting way. Above, Brendan Carty of Killowen distillery in County Down (image courtesy of Killowen).

The lights came on in sequence, each strip illuminating a further recess of the arched brick cellar. Two parallel vaults, both empty. Brick and mortar dust, faded chalk scrawls. We were in Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Lane, under a medical centre. The tunnels ended on the fringes of Merrion Square, once the most fashionable address in the city.

If you want to know about the rise and...

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