The Echlinville Distillery in (County Down, Northern
Ireland) is celebrating as its whiskey turns five years old. The Kircubbin
based whiskey and gin producer became the first new distillery in Northern
Ireland for more than 125 years when it received its license and casked its
first spirit on 5 August 2013.
Echlinville has since established itself at the forefront of
Ireland’s burgeoning spirits industry and is home to some of the country’s
best-known and respected brands including Dunville’s Irish Whiskey, Jawbox Gin,
Echlinville Single Estate Irish Pot Still Gin and Bán Poitín.
Sunday 5 August will be a momentous day for Echlinville as
their first casks of whiskey reach their milestone fifth birthday – a birthday
they share with distillery owner Shane Braniff.
Reflecting on five years of business, Shane said: “In the
summer of 2013 our vision to create Ireland’s first field-to-glass distillery
became a reality when the first spirit trickled from Echlinville’s stills. We
filled our first casks on 5 August and five years later the business has grown
beyond our expectations.
“We started as a team of three. Now we have more than 20
staff who produce our spirit from the ground up. From growing, harvesting and
floor malting our barley, to mashing and fermenting the grains, distilling and
maturing the spirit, to hand bottling and labelling our products, everything is
done right here at our farm distillery. Our roots are firmly, and quite
literally, in the Ards Peninsula. We grow, produce and employ local and that is
something we are incredibly proud of.”
The Pot Still and Single Malt whiskeys from Echlinville’s
innovative first distillations may have reached the landmark five year mark,
but they will continue to mature in the distillery’s cask warehouse.
Shane continues: “We recently debuted some of our
Echlinville Whiskey at a tasting in Dingle, Co. Kerry, with some of our friends
at the Irish Whiskey Society. We were delighted with how it was received, but
we won’t be releasing it any time soon. Whiskey is all about time, and we are
willing to give ours all the time it needs to be among the best in Ireland, if
not the world.”
Global recognition
Although primarily a whiskey distillery, Echlinville’s
portfolio has expanded to include gin, vodka and poitín, with their products
exported across Europe and as far as the USA, New Zealand and the middle east.
Shane continues: “Irish whiskey is the world’s fastest
growing spirits category. From the Ards Peninsula to the Dingle Peninsula, from
Midleton to Dublin and from Derry to Waterford, Ireland’s whiskey industry is
going from strength to strength, and we are delighted to be a part of it. We
are building a strong reputation based on our field-to-glass approach and the
quality of our spirits. With 17 international awards under our belt,
Echlinville’s products are already held in high esteem within the global
spirits industry, and that’s a great foundation upon which to build our export
business.”
The Spirit of Belfast
“One of our founding goals in 2013 was to revive the
historic Dunville’s Irish Whiskey brand after almost 80 years in the whiskey
wilderness. Now with ten major accolades to its name, we are proud to have
restored Dunville’s to its rightful place among the premier whiskeys of the
world. That is certainly one of the major achievements of our first five years
in business.
“We recently released our new Dunville’s PX 12 Year Old
Single Malt expression, and with the upcoming launch of our award winning
Dunville’s 18 Year Old Port Mourant Rum Finish Whiskey, there is much more to
come from The Spirit of Belfast.”
Echlinville’s success isn’t limited to whiskey. Echlinville
Single Estate Irish Pot Still Gin was awarded the coveted Three Star rating at
last year’s Great Taste Awards. Echlinville is also the home of Jawbox, one of
Ireland’s most popular gins. And its Bán Poitín has been crowned Ireland’s Best
Poitín at the Irish Whiskey Awards for two years running.
Vision for whiskey tourism
Echlinville has also made a name for itself on the whiskey
tourist trail, with its distillery tours attracting visitors from home and
abroad.
Shane continues: “Echlinville’s sense of place and
family feel seem to resonate with our many visitors. Our philosophy is to
celebrate the sights, smells and tastes of Echlinville and the Ards Peninsula.
The heart of whiskey may be grain and oak, but the soul of any spirit is its
connection to the place where it is made. We are proud of our roots in the Ards
Peninsula. That pride of place is the essence of everything we do. It has been
our driving force for the past five years and propels our plans for the
future.”
Echlinville plans to extend its tour experience by
converting its 17th century courtyard buildings into a
state-of-the-art visitors’ centre. The development will incorporate a museum,
restaurant and tourist accommodation and is key to Shane’s vision to transform
the distillery into one of the east coast’s premier visitor attractions.
He concludes: “This corner of Ireland has much to offer in
terms of tourism and is already home to some fabulous attractions, but overall
its potential remains relatively untapped. We want to help change that by
working with nearby attractions and tourism bodies to develop the area as a
must-see destination.
“The Irish Whiskey Tourism Strategy speaks of a vision
for an all-island whiskey tourism product. For a long time now, whiskey tourism
in Ulster has focussed on the north coast, and rightly so. But in a short space
of time, our distillery has earned its place on an Irish whiskey map that has
been transformed in recent years. We look forward to working together with our
friends and colleagues across the industry to promote Ireland as a premier
whiskey tourism destination.”
For more information visit www.echlinville.com
End
Media inquiries to Anne-Marie Clarke annemarie@echlinville.com
+44 (0)28 4273 8597
Notes to editors:
- Photos to accompany this
story are available to download at from WeTransfer CLICK
HERE FOR PHOTOS - Photo captions:
Group pic: Raising a glass
to The Echlinville Distillery’s fifth birthday are (L-R) Jarlath Watson,
Finance Director, distillery owner Shane Braniff and Head Distiller Graeme
Millar. Echlinville became Ireland’s first field-to-glass distillery when they
distilled their first spirit on 5 August 2013 and their whiskey turns five this
weekend.
Individual pic: Shane
Braniff, owner of The Echlinville Distillery, raises a glass to the
distillery’s fifth birthday. Echlinville became Ireland’s first field-to-glass
distillery when they distilled their first spirit on 5 August 2013 and their
whiskey turns five years old this weekend.
- Awards for Echlinville
Distillery products
Echlinville Gin
·
Great Taste Awards 2017 – Three Star Award Winner
·
San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017 – Silver Medal
Dunville’s PX 10 Year
Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
·
World Whiskies Awards 2015, 2016, 2017 – Best
Irish Single Malt 12 Years and Under
·
World Whiskies Awards 2018 – Category Gold
·
Irish Whiskey Awards 2017 – Best Irish Single
Malt 12 Years and Under
·
San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017 – Gold Medal
Dunville’s Three Crowns Peated
·
World Whiskies Awards 2018 – Category Gold, Blended Whiskey 12 Years and
Under
·
Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2018 – Liquid Gold Award
Dunville’s VR PM 18 Year Old Rum Finish Irish
Whiskey (upcoming release)
·
Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2018 – Best Irish Single Cask
·
World Whiskies Awards 2018 – Best Irish Single Malt Single Cask
Bán Poitín
·
Irish Whiskey Awards 2017 – Best Poitín
·
Irish Whiskey Awards 2016 – Category Gold
Bán Poitín Barrelled and Buried
· Irish
Whiskey Awards 2016 – Best Poitín
Awards – other
·
Made in Northern Ireland Awards (2017) – Food and Drink Producer of the
Year
·
Icons of Whiskey Ireland (2018) – Craft Producer of the Year (Highly
Commended)
- Echlinville offers a
range of visitor experiences including distillery tours and tastings,
afternoon teas, gin evenings, unique overnight ‘stay and distil’
experiences and private group tours. For more information visit www.echlinville.com/visit
- Echlinville is the proud
custodian of the historic Dunville’s Irish Whiskey brand – The
Spirit of Belfast. Dunville’s was among the world’s best-known whiskeys
until the Royal Belfast Distillery fell silent in 1936. It was one of Echlinville’s founding goals to bring
‘The Spirit of Belfast’ back to the world after a near 80 year absence.
And they have done so, to international acclaim. Awards listed above.