My search for the best Irish whiskey lands me in Kilbeggan -- Since 1757 Irish town is home to world’s oldest distillery
By: Niall O'Dowd | Published Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 2:45 PM | Updated Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 2:45 PM
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| At Cooley Distillery |
The surge in Irish whiskey sales all over the world, but especially in North America, have brought many big players into the arena.
The latest are Jim Beam, who took a controlling stake in
Cooley Whiskey for $100 million or so in December and will put the marketing arm of one of America’s best-known liquor companies behind the fabled Irish brand.
In fact the
Kilbeggan brand owned by Cooley is the oldest licensed whiskey in the world, first created in 1757. A lot has happened in that 250 years but it is fair to see that there have been few more exciting times than now.
Cooley’s founder is a genius called John Teeling who saw that Irish whiskey was one of the great native brands unique to the country and it needed to be nurtured and saved.
He created Cooley in 1987 from an old potato alcohol distillery used by the Irish government (don’t ask) in the Cooley Mountains in Louth near the border. It has been an outstanding success.
He also took over the venerable Kilbeggan brand which had fallen on hard times and rejuvenated it.
The other reason for my visit was the chance to meet up again with big, bluff Willie McCarter, one of Ireland’s great unofficial ambassadors in America who has done sterling work on the peace process, the International Fund for Ireland and many other projects.
In addition to his philanthropy, Willie has one of the sharpest business brains in Ireland and had been telling me for several years that Cooley was a company to watch out for.
When Jim Beam saw that too and paid $100 million I decided I’d take a look and it was a wonderful afternoon, weather aside.
Besides, Big Willie had threatened to beat me up if I didn’t pay a visit with him to Kilbeggan in Westmeath an hour west of Dublin on my next trip over, so what choice did I have?
Still, taking a visit to a grand old distillery is not exactly the greatest burden put upon me as a writer.
Readers, if you have never been in a distillery I strongly suggest a visit. It is a fascinating opportunity to study the whiskey lore.
It far more complex task than just pouring in the barley on one end, mashing it all up with yeast and water and whiskey coming out the other.
It is an infinitely complex process and Stephen Teeling, son of the founder, escorted me on his rounds showing exactly how the stuff is made.
The word authentic came to mind during my visit. The history, the old landmark building, the sense of the past and now a bright future.
First we sat in the snug of the visitors' center with a grand fire roaring and a fine lunch served – with of course, a snifter or two courtesy of the establishment. Tour buses are frequent.
The visitors' center traces the history of the brand and parallels the Irish history that was happening at the time both nationally and locally. It is a unique insight into the making of a brand that stretches back to 1757.
The distillery itself is in the center of town, with a huge water wheel which makes one take a step back to a different century and a gentler time.
The canal, the water from which fuels the distillery, unfurls lazily around the town and the entire scene is pastoral rather than industrial.
Unlike sausages, which they say you should never watch being made, whiskey is an entirely different barrel of mash as they might say.
Each process is painstaking, each step to mature and nurture the barley is a delicate one. Like wine, whiskey gets better with age but so many elements can militate against the perfect sip.
By the end of the tour I had tasted the latest shot just off the pipeline and the ten-year and twenty-year old stuff they keep in the casks out back they usually keep away from the likes of me.
I even got to taste the Kilbeggan 15 year-old which was selected as the Best Whiskey in the World in 2009.
Connemara, Greenore and Tyrconnell are two others major brands they ship.
Still sober (Yea, right says wife) but happy, I climbed into the back of Willie’s car for the return trip to Dublin, about an hour away.
I can now see why there are so many whiskey writers out there and so many aficionados. Friends, there are a lot worse things to be in life.
Willie is threatening to take me to Cooley Distillery in the Cooley Mountains in Louth next time I’m home to show me the other brand distilled there.
But he won’t have to threaten me this time.
In fact I’ll be waiting for the call.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.johnnymac12 | Jun 28, 2012, 03:27 AM EDT
I find it most annoying that the author of this mis-information has not had the decency to reply to my comments. This would appear to be quite normal in the reporting of Irish American statements. As long as no one challenges the truth the mis information produced is accepted as gospel even though the facts are totally erroneous.
johnnymac12 | Jun 28, 2012, 03:20 AM EDT
Would that person who calls himself woundedknee please explain his stupid comment that" Bushmills they're not even Irish". It would appear to me that he has had too much of that stuff called moonshine and does not know how to read a map or research a name. Pity him.
jacersagain | Jun 23, 2012, 01:23 PM EDT
Whether you call it moonshine or poitín, you’d need to be very careful of it. My old uncle from Galway once told me that after a night’s poitín partying with friends, he had to rush to the toilet. He was in such a bad state that when he got there, he didn’t know which end to put in first.
EphraimKibbey | Jun 23, 2012, 10:51 AM EDT
@DanOLoingsigh - Thanks!
DanOLoingsigh | Jun 23, 2012, 03:45 AM EDT
EphraimK: Some more about National Hunt …it usually refers to the type of racing (as opposed to flat racing), the horses are usually geldings with no stud value (cheaper to buy and they race a lot longer)…the term comes from the ‘National Hunt committee’, which organised this type of racing.…it is subdivided into Steeple chasing over a variety of fences, ditches and water jumps (eg the Grand National), and hurdling, over smaller timber structures called hurdles…NH races on the flat are called ‘Bumpers’…
EphraimKibbey | Jun 22, 2012, 04:42 PM EDT
Sorry, that's "may" of course. That will teach me not to add anything after I proof read.
EphraimKibbey | Jun 22, 2012, 04:36 PM EDT
Well I'm back and the Ohio State Liquor stores do have Kilbeggan on their shelves. I haven't tried it yet. I'm sticking with the Bushmills for today. Never switch drinks mid-stream as you might fall in. The new Bushmills labels are not as interesting as the old ones. My new bottle just calls it "Bushmills" as opposed to "Old Bushmills" but it seems to taste the same. I also bought some Irish Mist. The bottle is corked as were the old Drambuie bottles. I'm taking a chance and adding some to my Bushmills glass now. Its VERY GOOD and I haven't fallen in yet! Not quite as sweet as a rusty nail but the Bushmills makes it a lot smoother than the J&B that I usually use as my mixing scotch. My wife might even like this. She says my rusty nails taste like cough syrup. I was told that rusty nails are an aquired taste - after you burn out enough brain cells, you aquire a taste for them. Yum!!! I mave have a new favorite mixed drink.
EphraimKibbey | Jun 22, 2012, 03:03 PM EDT
I just found a new drink! I googled "Bushmills" just out of curiosity and one of the hits was a "Black Nail" cocktail recipe. CAUTION - the next statement may be considered heretical by some readers! One of my favorite cocktails is the Rusty Nail. That's 2 parts Scotch to 1 part Drambuie for the tea-totalers among you. Surprisingly, a Black Nail is not a type of toe fungus but rather Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Irish Mist. Since I now have to go to the State Store anyway (Bythebay's fault) I will have to also get a bottle of Irish Mist. This has become a very expensive session with the internet.
EphraimKibbey | Jun 22, 2012, 02:18 PM EDT
@Bythebay - If IC's software has left the commenter's "by-line" off the comment at the top of the list of comments and you comment next then the software fills the void with your "By-line." It has happened to me twice. It was obviously not your point of view but now you've done it! You made me look at the label on my bottle of Bushmills. Of course I had to have some and then another and now I have to go buy another bottle. Great way to drum up business for them. The label says "Original Grant to distil 1608" right there on their bottle and, if my first grade math serves me well, that would put it before 1757. On the back label is a copy of the original Grant but the print is so tiny that I would have to examine it by microscope to read it. Have a good week!
WoundedKnee | Jun 22, 2012, 12:30 PM EDT
Bythebay: "The message of 3:39 a.m. claimed to be Bythebay is NOT mine." I don't believe you, it reads just like the rubbish you write. What's with the obsession with Bushmills? They're not even Irish!
Bythebay | Jun 22, 2012, 11:03 AM EDT
Maggie47 I never hear it called moonshine anywhere in Connemara by anyone there. Moonshine is a US description which originated in Kentucky, Virginia, the Carolinas and other US Southern States. In Ireland it's called poitín and celebrated in Ireland in song and story.
Bythebay | Jun 22, 2012, 10:52 AM EDT
The message of 3:39 a.m. claimed to be Bythebay is NOT mine.
Bythebay | Jun 22, 2012, 10:31 AM EDT
Beam has completed the purchase of Cooley including Kilbeggan, Connemara, Tyrconnell and Greenore brands, as well as aging inventory and Cooley’s malt and grain distilleries in the Cooley Mountains and Kilbeggan.
Bythebay | Jun 22, 2012, 03:39 AM EDT
I find it very strange that no one has disputed or passed comments on my CORRECT dates relating to the Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland and their claim to be the world's oldest licensed distillery. Is it then true that Irish Central readers are happy to accept any details in relation to the false claims made by the Southern Irish claims re Kilbeggan? Only KENDALL has answered as he also knows the TRUTH.
Maggie47 | Jun 21, 2012, 05:49 PM EDT
Bythebay, Born and raised in Connemara. We called it moonshine and still do.
EphraimKibbey | Jun 21, 2012, 05:34 PM EDT
@WoundedKnee - Thanks for the clarification. As an American, when I see "Hunt," I do not associate it with racing and the steeplechase was the only thing I could remember from my younger days of horsing around. Thanks again for the information.
WoundedKnee | Jun 21, 2012, 02:43 PM EDT
EphraimK: I am afraid you don't understand the term National Hunt. The term refers to the rules of racing over jumps, be they hurdles or fences. There are also occasional NH races without jumps, but they're an exception. It has nothing to do with what you are talking about, which appears to be show jumping or fox hunting. Kendall was quite right to ask for clarification from Ciara, but rather optimistic, since Ciara rarely knows what she's talking about.
Bythebay | Jun 21, 2012, 02:41 PM EDT
Maggie47, not moonshine. That's US. Poitín in Ireland.
Bythebay | Jun 21, 2012, 02:35 PM EDT
Kilbeggan Distillery, then called Lockes Distillery, closed in 1957 and was a huge job loss for the surrounding area. The Kilbeggan Line of the Grand Canal has been dry since the Grand Canal was closed to commercial traffic in 1959. Cooley bought the Locke's Distillery in 1987 at a very inexpensive price and didn't start distilling again until 2007. The first product from Kilbeggan, not from Cooley in Louth, will be available in 2014. Water is from the Brosna River, not the dry Kilbeggan Line of the Grand Canal.
WoundedKnee | Jun 21, 2012, 02:31 PM EDT
There was a lot of emigration from Kilbeggan to Argentina.
Maggie47 | Jun 21, 2012, 01:59 PM EDT
Not as good as Connemara moonshine!
Bythebay | Jun 21, 2012, 01:25 PM EDT
ProudCanadian, there's a local historian (every town and village in Ireland has one, many of them of course unpublished) who did a millenium book of photos of Kilbeggan in 2000. There should be a copy of it at the Kilbeggan Library as well as his other books. Very informative, the town has a rich history as do many Irish towns. Kilbeggan was involved in the United Irishmen Rebellion.
CitizenWhy | Jun 21, 2012, 01:09 AM EDT
Ha ha, I have fond memories of staying in Kilbeggan with relatives. Some were delightfully eccentric and one was a Cordon Bleu chef. But their preference was for Tullamore Dew.
EphraimKibbey | Jun 21, 2012, 12:45 AM EDT
@Kendall - isn't a "race" with jumps (fences, walls, etc.) called a steeplechase as opposed to hunt trials where speed is not a factor or an actual hunt where keeping up with the dogs is the thing? Sadly I can't do any of that anymore but I can still handle the stirrup cup. Now where did I leave that bottle of Kilbeggan?
ProudCanadian | Jun 21, 2012, 12:07 AM EDT
Bythebay yes I have been to Kilbeggan many times as I have said. Thanks though for the information I will look that up. People go easy with Murph46 he is just looking for a good time. Any takers? Murph I'm trying to get you a date but he/she would have to be Rpublican.
antoman | Jun 20, 2012, 09:51 PM EDT
Hands Murph46 a glass. You are a gurl right? :)
Murph46 | Jun 20, 2012, 05:22 PM EDT
Irish whiskey makes me frisky!
Kendall | Jun 20, 2012, 04:01 PM EDT
Johnnymac 12 so 149 years is little difference interesting logic. You prove my point however stating that whiskey had been distilled at Bushmills long before 1757.
Kendall | Jun 20, 2012, 03:22 PM EDT
Ciara--"the racecourse is the only one in Ireland with races over jumps under national hunt rules". That doesn't make any sense to me, but maybe you know more about horses than I do. Care to explain? I thought National Hunt rules referred to races with fences?
Bythebay | Jun 20, 2012, 01:36 PM EDT
KittyMurphy, you've never heard of it? It's like this author who also appears to have never been to Kilbeggan even though born in Ireland although emigrated decades ago. You people must never get out. It's not as if Ireland was the US, it's a tiny country you can get around in no time even avoiding the motorways.
EphraimKibbey | Jun 20, 2012, 12:50 PM EDT
So many whiskeys I have not tried and so little time! I quess I spend too much time reading and commenting on IC and not enough researching the "waters of life." Back To Researching Now!
Bythebay | Jun 20, 2012, 12:38 PM EDT
Proud canadian, there might be some old photos of Kilbeggan on the National Library of Ireland digital photo online collection if you haven't seen any of the old photos at the Westmeath Library. I assume you've visited Kilbeggan?
johnnymac12 | Jun 20, 2012, 12:19 PM EDT
Tommy c does not know what he is talking about. Sounds as if he has had too much of that Scottish rubbish for his breakfast. ANY Irish whiskey is better than the coloured water which is passed off as Scottish whisky. I take to task your claim to be the world's oldest distillery and also the oldest in Ireland. The BUSHMILLS Distillery in Bushmills, Co Antrim was granted a licence to distill in 1608 by King James 1 to Sir Thomas PHILLIPS who was a landowner and Governer of Co Antrim. There are references that in 1276, Sir Robert Savage, ground landlord of the town of Bushmills fortified his troops with ' aqua vitae (whiskey)'. The Book of Leinster mentions a feast in the town in 1490 where the 'local spirit' helped to down the food. There is a little difference between 1608 and 1757 hence your claims hold no credence whatsoever.
Bythebay | Jun 20, 2012, 12:16 PM EDT
The Kilbeggan Races are brilliant, the racecourse is the only one in Ireland with races over jumps under national hunt rules.
Murph46 | Jun 20, 2012, 12:09 PM EDT
Any samples Niall?
Kendall | Jun 20, 2012, 12:07 PM EDT
Two things I think Bushmills would dispute oldest licensed distillery claim 1608 proceeds 1757 by nearly 150 years. Secondly the copy editor must have missed the use of the word brewery, instead of distillery. Other than these issues this far better fare than Niall usually writes. By the way Redbreast is wonderful.
Bythebay | Jun 20, 2012, 12:06 PM EDT
Westmeath isn't south of Dublin.
JHShanahan | Jun 20, 2012, 11:53 AM EDT
I'm delighted that Niall got a chance to see the Kilbeggan distillery. This is a lovely operation and a thriving visitor centre in the Midlands -- the site is the old Locke's distillery that used to make Kilbeggan whiskey, named after the famous racehorse. John Teeling and sons Jack and Stephen, along with family and friends have turned this into a roaring business. The 15-year old Kilbeggan is amazing -- and I have an unopened bottle on my shelf. My hands-down favourite, however is Greenore -- a single-grain (corn) whiskey that is produced in County Louth, as are most of the Cooley whiskeys. For Greenore, think of the smoothest bourbon you can imagine, then light and slightly sweet. Its no wonder the bright lads at Jim Beam went after the Cooley business. For those of you on the American side of the pond, look for the Cooley products in your favourite store. When you come to Ireland (as surely you will), then look for them here and in the Irish whiskey shop in Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport, where you can take them home duty-free. And Niall, take heart -- the Cooley distillery is just up the road from Drogheda, your family home, where you'll get to see the major production operation. To all, enjoy the goods and spread the news: thanks to Cooley, Irish whiskey is better than ever.
ProudCanadian | Jun 20, 2012, 11:50 AM EDT
Tommyc I find that the Irish Whiskey is smoother(my opinion)than Scotch Whiskey and not as bitter. I like Scotch to though just a different taste. My favorite is Tullamore Dew, which used to be brewed in Tullamore, Kilbeggan is the little town next to Tullamore. Woundedknee the article said that Kilbeggan is a hour west of Dublin, it is actually an hour South-West of Dublin.
JBRAFTREE | Jun 20, 2012, 11:39 AM EDT
Tommyc, you've opened a huge can o' worms! I'll let the more astute readers answer your silly question.
ProudCanadian | Jun 20, 2012, 11:36 AM EDT
It is nice to see and read about my fathers home town Kilbeggan. I have been there a few times as of course I have an aunt and cousins there. I have been through the old Lockes Distillery which is a museum now. Had a sip of the Kilbeggan Whiskey and it was very good as all Irish Whiskey is in my opinion. Thanks Irish Central for putting this story on here.
Scrivner | Jun 20, 2012, 11:36 AM EDT
Oh Tommy, yes there's differences. Irish tends to be lighter on the tongue and without the smokiness of Scotch. Time to line up a "flight" of several kinds of whiskeys and have a tasting! Niall, thank you for a good read.
tommyc | Jun 20, 2012, 11:19 AM EDT
Is Irish Whiskey - just a well marketed Scotch Whisky - there isn't any real difference, is there?
EilisG | Jun 20, 2012, 11:10 AM EDT
Planning on taking a trip there on my next visit home. A great excuse to get out of Dublin for the day!
Shmrck5S | Jun 20, 2012, 11:09 AM EDT
Nothing better than Red Breast. I was just introduced to this single pot still Irish whiskey a couple of years ago. It has become the unofficial favorite libation of every member of our AOH division!
TheOldPerfessor | Jun 20, 2012, 11:01 AM EDT
My favorite is The Knot - almost as sweet as Irish mist and 100 proof. For some inane reason they don't sell it in New York, so we bring it home any time we're in Massachusetts or Jersey.
joepen5 | Jun 20, 2012, 10:20 AM EDT
I've enjoyed this delightful Irish Whiskey for many years. I'd like to find more of it in the states.
KittyMurphy | Jun 20, 2012, 10:06 AM EDT
Wow. 250 years of history and in the Cooley Mountains. I'd never heard about it before. This is definitely on my list for my next trip home.
tommyc | Jun 20, 2012, 07:42 AM EDT
Irish Whiskey - each on seems to have its own distinctive taste and tang at the back of the throat. A smoothe way to clear the cobwebs from your mouth, and put fire in the belly. Kilbeggan, Paddy, Powers, Bushmills, Jameson, Tyrconnell - and the Wild Geese collection - wany others?
WoundedKnee | Jun 20, 2012, 07:36 AM EDT
"Westmeath an hour south of Dublin". Westmeath is south of Dublin? How much of that brew did you drink?