During the search for a place to stop on our travels from the west coast of Ireland to the east, I came across the Kilbeggan Distillery Experience and thought, YES! I mean, who doesn’t want to taste a bit of Irish whiskey? We’re in Ireland after all.
step back in time at the kilbeggan distillery
Halfway between Dublin and Galway just off the M6 resides Kilbeggan Distillery, Ireland’s oldest licensed distillery. The Kilbeggan Distillery Experience gives you the chance to step back in time, more than 250 years. They offer three varied tours all of which include tastings. We chose the “Apprentice Tour” that lasts about an hour and culminates with a tasting of three Irish whiskey’s.
Although Kilbeggan Distillery has had a turbulent past, the maintenance of the license has been going since 1757. Early on, the four families’ that operated the distillery dealt with the difficulties of demand, or lack thereof, for Irish whiskey.
A turbulent past for ireland’s whiskey distilleries
Between the Temperance Movement in 1838 and the Irish War of Independence and U.S. Prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s, the production of Irish whiskey was hindering severely, rendering in nearly extinct.
After Prohibition ended, the Irish whiskey industry could not produce the volume necessary to rebound so the sale of Scotch boomed. The devastation was apparent when Kilbeggan Distillery closed down in March 1957. By 1966, there were only four distilleries in Ireland and just one by the early 1970s.
Hooray for the locals!
Fortunately, the local community in Kilbeggan cared for the distillery and maintained the distilling license. In addition, the owner of Cooley Distillery, John Teeling, bought the license in 1987. The revival of the Kilbeggan Distillery was imminent and in March 2007, 54 years to the day when distilling last stopped, whiskey production recommenced.
Kilbeggan distillery experience – t raditional Irish whiskey making
The Kilbeggan Distillery Experience displays the laborious love given by each of the families and locals who cared for the facility. The traditional methods of making whiskey are still in practice at Kilbeggan today, from milling to mashing and fermenting to distilling.
Mashing
Malted barley and grain are milled into a rough flour-like grist before adding in pure clean water. The addition of heat forms a sugary liquid known as wort.
Fermentation
After cooling and draining, the wort is transferred to old wooden wash backs, where the addition of yeast induces fermentation. The removal of the residual cereal in the wash is done by hand, as it has been for over 260 years.
Distillation
The wash is then distilled to remove impurities and water. The liquid is collected as it condenses and is distilled a second time, in the oldest still pot in Ireland, still producing the famous whiskey. The distiller decides where to take the cut, for maturation.
Maturation
After the cut, the whiskey goes into ex-bourbon barrels, where they lay patiently inside the 260-year-old warehouse, for maturation of at least three years.
The distillery’s iconic waterwheel, restored in 2012, still provides power to the equipment, though there is a back-up steam engine for times when the river’s water level is too low.
whiskey Tasting
Finally, after learning all about how Kilbeggan is making traditional Irish whiskey, we went on to the tasting room for some samples. I am not necessarily a whiskey drinker but I found myself really enjoying the first taste. The Kilbeggan single grain, a blend of mainly corn and barley, is deliciously sweet and very smooth. We also tried the double distilled blended whiskey and Tyrconnell single malt.
Depending on your available time and level of interest, choose the tour best for you. You may be interested in the Connoisseur Tour that includes extra tastings, bottling your own whiskey and lunch at the onsite restaurant. We decided to cap our tour and tasting off with a classic Irish coffee.
If you’re in Ireland looking for a taste of its history, go on a whiskey making tour and enjoy the Kilbeggan Distillery Experience!
Where have you tasted traditional Irish whiskey in Ireland?
Wow…this place looks great!! I will add it to my list of must-sees. Love the pictures.
Thanks, Liz! Definitely, It was a lot of fun!