Spirited Crossgar couple are on to a winner with new malt whiskey

Husband and wife team David and Fiona Boyd-Armstrong of Rademon Estate Distillery in Co Down could scarcely have hoped for a better reaction to their original single malt Irish whiskey that to be named the “Best New Whiskey’ by a judging panel of their industry peers.

The judges in the high profile Irish Whiskey Awards, the all-Ireland industry’s most important endorsement of the golden spirit, the world’s fastest growing, were quick to acclaim the latest product from the small batch distillery.

The new Shortcross Single Malt Irish Whiskey is the realisation of a long cherished ambition by David and Fiona to create a truly exceptional whiskey from their expertise and knowledge in the development of the world class Shortcross Gin, the first craft gin distilled here in over a century.

The multi- award winning gin is now exported worldwide to over 30 global markets including North America and Australia.

David, an aerospace engineer turned master distiller, continues: “We have been working on bringing the first new release of whiskey from a Northern Ireland distillery in over 100 years since we casked our first barrels almost seven years ago, and to be awarded this top accolade by our peers, just before our first release goes on sale, is superb timing.

“Our first whiskey is the outcome of years of concentrated effort to develop a flavour profile I reckoned would be a winner.”

The couple invested extensively in sourcing the best quality ingredients and in creating the ‘mash’ recipes that also included clean and fresh water from a stream flowing through the sprawling and picturesque Rademon Estate, one of the oldest on the island of Ireland with a rich history.

The new whiskey is the outcome of meticulous sampling by David and his contacts in the industry to find the best spirit. The exacting process is based on his success in creating Shortcross Gin with its unique blend of botanicals including many foraged from the estate’s renowned Victorian walled garden.

“While the taste tests we’ve carried out were immensely encouraging over the past few months, one doesn’t really know how the market will react until the whiskey is available. So, I decided to enter the Shortcross Single Malt in the whiskey awards for a response from industry experts. Winning the New Whiskey Award was, therefore, a tremendous boost for everyone at the distillery,” he adds.

David founded Rademon Estate Distillery with wife Fiona, the managing director, in 2012 and subsequently created a range of Shortcross branded gins and pre-mixed gin cocktails.

“Fiona and I have invested so much time, effort and funds into the creation of our whiskey distillery and to see our first consignment of distinctive bottles of the whiskey go on sale in a matter of weeks is just incredible,” he continues.

It’s sure to be a popular limited edition release which many whiskey lovers will want to collect.

Fiona continues: “This has been a long time coming, and we are delighted that our fantastic Irish malt whiskey has already been acknowledged by our industry, in what we hope is the first of many awards for Shortcross Whiskey. Our early December release is the first in a series of exciting plans that we have for Shortcross Whiskey. We have a packed cask room, full of barrels of whiskey, and throughout our journey, we have used a variety of casks from around the world, enabling us to release new and innovative flavours in 2022 and beyond.”

Shortcross Single Malt Whiskey was named as the winner of best New Irish Whiskey at the high profile awards, which took place at Powerscourt Distillery, Co. Wicklow earlier in the month.

With the first two casks of Shortcross Single Malt due to be opened in the coming weeks, just 700 bottles from the first-ever release of Shortcross Whiskey will be available to reserve at the Rademon Estate Distillery website. 

David and Fiona announced plans back in 2015 to expand into whiskey production. Following an investment of £1.5 million at the Rademon Estate Distillery, the new single malt whiskey has been entirely produced onsite at the estate. A total of £3.5 million has been invested in Rademon Estate Distillery since it was established and the picturesque estate now houses the distillery, a state-of-the-art visitor centre and bottle shop.

Now in its eighth year and spanning over 12 categories, the awards celebrate the very best of Irish whiskey and are a fitting tribute to the revival of the Irish whiskey industry over the last 30 years. The industry now has around 40 distilleries – around eight producing whiskey in NI - either operating or in the planning and construction stage, up from just four in 2013.

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