Master distiller Brendan’s mission to grow global sales of Irish poitín

Master craft distiller Brendan Carty is a man on a mission to drive international awareness and sales of poitín, the legendary Irish white spirit that was banned for generations.
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Master craft distiller Brendan Carty is a man on a mission to drive international awareness and sales of poitín, the legendary Irish white spirit that was banned for generations.

Brendan, the founder of Killowen Craft Distillery, a successful producer of whiskey, gin and rum, which is based in the iconic Mourne Mountains overlooking the picturesque Carlingford Lough and near Rostrevor on the south down coast coastline.

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He’s just declared 2022 as his “year of poitín” and signposted it by launching the curiously named Stone Soup, a novel and premium quality poitín, in his drive to increase sales especially in international markets of the once notorious spirit that was distilled illicitly in the mountains in the past. The spirit became the stuff of legends and myths due to the very high level of alcohol content in many illicit versions.

Brendan Carty at his small batch distillery at Killowen in the Mournes which is producing a range of spirits including the new Soup Stone poitínBrendan Carty at his small batch distillery at Killowen in the Mournes which is producing a range of spirits including the new Soup Stone poitín
Brendan Carty at his small batch distillery at Killowen in the Mournes which is producing a range of spirits including the new Soup Stone poitín

Brendan, an architect by profession, designed and constructed much of the small distillery himself and invested in a traditional copper pot still process for his initial gin and rum products. He has since developed an impressive reputation among global enthusiasts of the golden spirit for his small batch whiskeys finished in unique casks at the distillery and is also now looking forward to his first whiskey distilled on-site.

He is convinced that poitin can follow the trail blazed by Irish whiskey leaders such as Old Bushmills in international markets.

Brendan explains: “As excited as we are about our own whiskey, we also have a 2022 target to revolutionise poitín and people’s attitudes about it with a number of exciting releases such as our new Stone Soup.

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“Distilling poitín was banned in Ireland from 1661 because the then administration in Dublin found it difficult to tax effectively. So, they decided to ban it altogether, driving it further underground. Poitin, however, dates back to at least the 6th century in Ireland. It’s an ancient farm-based spirit that was usually made in a single pot still from a variety of ingredients, and takes its name for the Irish word for ‘little pot’, pota.”

The spirit was being distilled across the island and continued to be so in some areas.

Whiskey was treated rather differently. Sir Thomas Phillips, a prominent landowner in Co Antrim, received a royal licence in 1608 from King James I to distil whiskey, the first legal distillery in Ireland, just before poitin, a much older spirit, was outlawed.

Various poitín recipes were taken to America by many emigrants from here, the Scotch Irish, and used to produce ‘moonshine’ and eventually influence the creation of bourbon by companies in the mountains of Kentucky, Louisiana and Tennessee.

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The ban on poitín, continues Brendan, who was motivated to build a whiskey distillery during a stint working in construction in Australia, was eventually removed on March 7 1997 in the Republic of Ireland for licensed distilleries. The spirit subsequently achieved EU protection in 2008 and since then can only be produced in Ireland. Irish whiskey has a similar designation.

In addition to Killowen, there are two other licensed producers of poitín here – Warrenpoint’s Mourne Dew, a winner of international awards for the spirit, and Echlinville in Kircubbin, the producer of Ban. All three are fully licensed to distil spirits such as whiskey.

As a result, poitín has shed its reputation as illegal moonshine and is now on sale in supermarkets including Tesco, in off-licenses, other shops and pubs around the country and Britain, where it is becoming increasingly popular with a new generation of drinkers especially for cocktails.

Brendan says poitín shouldn’t be seen as a whiskey but instead as a ”small batch premium spirit”. Killowen poitín is distilled from the very best ingredients such as turfed malted barley, un-malted barley, turfed malted oats, malted wheat and malted rye.

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He explains that the distillery’s quirky Stone Soup brand can be traced back generations to an established folk story in eastern Europe about sharing food, a moral regarding the value of sharing especially food and drink.

“Ultimately, it tells us of two types of people, a powerful influential figure, removed from the reality of the world who suddenly finds he is unable to feed himself until a normal everyday person decides to make him a delicious bowl of soup using only a small stone,” Brendan says.

“The same disassociation today between some and the reality of our native spirits has inspired our bottling in Killowen. To comply with legislation, poitín must be stored for a period not exceeding 10 weeks and the labelling may not refer to casks, maturation, or aging on the label, presentation, marketing or packaging material.

“As is with any creative profession, be it, for instance, architecture or distilling, an abundance in restrictions can help to bring forth the best creativity. Our new poitín is certainly up there with the best in terms of creativity, taste and premium quality.”

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