We are Proudly Irish.

The malting process starts with the maceration of our barley, that is soaked in great water tanks. After that, the water is removed and the barley is laid on the mal-ting floor and let to rest for the germination process. The starch then turns from inso-luble to soluble and the cereal undergoes the hot air drying process. At this stage, the cereal, which is now germinated and dried, runs through a traditional windmill. It’s then sifted to remove any impurity. The end result, the Grist, is a wholemeal flour, ready for the mashing process.

The flour (wheat and barley) is ready for the infusion (mashing). The product is soaked and continously stirred in hot water (65/70°); thanks to the combination of movement and temperature, the enzymes convert the starch in sugars, mainly in maltodextrin. After a filtration stage of the “exhausted” cereal, the sweet and non-alcoholic liquid obtained is our precious wort.

This is one of the most important stages in the preparation of our products. We add the correct portion of water and yeasts to the wort, before we let it rest in big fermantation containers. The wort has to cool down to 20°C, through heat conver-ters, otherwise the yeasts wouldn’t be able to work or indeed they would die. The fermentation process lasts from 48 to 112 hours. After this stage, the alcohol volume is between 6 and 9%. The product obtained, wash, could be made into beer. The difference between whisky and beer is that in the latter this liquid is distilled instead of being fermented.

One of the distinctive feature of Irish Whiskey is the triple distillation, that distinguishes it from the double distillation of Scotch whisky. The fermented liquid is poured at first in an pot still and then heated. The process of the pot stilli s very simple: the liquid evaporates, gets in contact with the cold copper and condensates, falling in a new container. The shape of the pot still is jealously kept secret by all distilleries, like ours. The distillation phases work on a game of specific temperatures, that eliminates some of the components of the “wash”. The first distillation is done below 100°C. The aim is indeed to eliminate the water in the first container. The first result is an unrefined mash, with an alcohol volume between 22 and 24% and with many non edible alcohols. During the second distillation, the alcoholic liquid is reheated and the waste, called foreshots or “head”, is eliminated. The final step occurs at 95°; this is the temperature, the remaining higher alcohols evaporate at. At this temperature, aldeydes and esters evaporate, which all be-long to the wasted substances, as they are considered heads or feints. Thanks to the third distillation, we obtain a clear and pure spirit, 70% alc. vol. and 2/3 of the initial raw material have been wasted.

Before we start a distillation procedure, we proceed with a small dilution: the result of a triple distillation, a spirit at 70% alc vol, is now diluted to 64.5%, using the same water source of the previous steps. The product is aged slowly in American oak barrels, because, compared to other wood, it can keep some of the components of the previous liquid stored, in this case Bourbon. These properties are then somehow transferred to the new-born whiskey. That is why the old barrels used for the Bourbon, give the new distillate a golden colour, sweet tasting notes, typical of the corn. In the ageing process, for a minimum period of three years, two factors make the difference: the size of the barrels and the climate condition of the environment where our barrels are stored.