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Clonakilty Distillery Visitor Centre Re-Opens

Have you heard the good news?

Not only has our distillery shop re-opened, but our Visitor Experience for Distillery Tours & Minke Gin School is open for business too!

The tour dates are as follows;

– Saturday 12th Dec & Saturday 19th Dec.
– Sunday 27th – Wed 30th Dec
– Saturday 2nd
– Sat 9th Jan.

To view tour times, visit our website. Pre-booking is advised.

Vouchers are also available for purchase through our online store:

All of our visitor centre staff have completed the Bord Failte Safety Charter Training:

‘The Safety Charter demonstrates to your customers and employees that you, as a tourism and hospitality business, are operating in line with current Government public health advice and with safety and cleaning protocols in place.

Click here to view our full COVID-10 Safety Statement

We are really looking forward to seeing you again.

Calling all whiskey fans. “You Thirsty?”

Revival “You Thirsty?” IPA Cask Finish 

United by a shared passion for innovation Clonakilty Distillery and Revival Brewing, Rhode Island, have come together to release a bespoke whiskey.

Revival “You Thirsty?” IPA Cask Finish is the fourth and final release intended for the Irish market from Clonakilty’s collaboration series. Perfect for that unquenchable thirst!

Available from Friday November 27th 

Once again we called on Paul Corbett, Head Distiller to tell us more about this showstopper of a finish. 

Q. Tell us a bit about the Revival Brewing Company?

A. The Revival Brewing Company are based in Providence, Rhode Island and they have a real passion for innovation similar to ourselves here at Clonakilty. 

Q. What beer was used in this particular collaboration?

A. Revival “You Thirsty?” IPA, a New England IPA, which is an Indian Pale Ale from the North East of the US. It’s usually an unfiltered beer so it has a real thick, juicy mouthfeel and a lot new world hops — basically it’s a real thick, fruity, hoppy beer. 

Q. Would I be correct in saying they used lots of hops and different types of hops for the “You Thirsty?” IPA? 

A. Yeah from what I’m aware they’re using three different types of hops and also three new variety’s of hops that are available in New England. This is why I’m hoping to get some new novel flavours into the the whiskey. 

Q. Is this what led you to believe this beer would work well with Clonakilty whiskey?

A. Yes but also because of the New England unfiltered style, the fact it’s got quite a heavy mouthfeel and it’s quite juicy. That’s something I don’t think you usually get in a whiskey and I’m hoping that it will add something unique and fresh to the category. 

Q. Why did you choose to bottle at 43.6% ABV?

A. Well because of all those new world hops, they have a real strong fruity flavour and I didn’t want them to overpower the whiskey. This is why I thought to bring the ABV down to just over 40%. 

Q. What should people expect from this whiskey?

A. Straight away to me it smells like a New England IPA. There’s lots of mango, passion fruit, just a real variety of tropical fruits but under that you can still get the straw coming through from the grain.

It’s very floral in the mouth, that of course is from the hops. I get grapefruit, lime, a bit of nettle almost in there. At the same time there is still sweetness coming through from the malt like honey and cut straw. If you’re into craft beers this whiskey will work perfectly with them as a chaser. 

Paul (r) & Ewan (l) discussing this collaboration 

About the Whiskey
On Sale:
In store & available online Friday November 27th. 
Price: €85.00
Limited Release: 1,600 bottles in total, only 144 bottles kept for Ireland.
Best Enjoyed: With a tall glass of IPA! 

Tasting Notes
 Nose: New world hops, mango, passionfruit, grapefruit, cut straw
 Palette: Floral hops, nettle, grapefruit, honey and lime
 Finish: Soft oak with dried limes and tangerine.

Available from the Distillery Shop in Clonakilty & Online Store

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Christmas Shop Now Open

Minke Gin Hamper Box: 79:00 Euro

It’s that time of year again when thoughts turn to friends and loved ones. How do we reward them for being so wonderful!

It’s made all the more difficult this year as we are so restricted in our movements. Unfortunately, there may be special people that we just won’t be able to visit over the festive season.

With that in mind, Clonakilty Distillery have put together a choice selection of gifts boxes to make your gifting decisions a little bit easier.

Double Oak and two Tuath glasses: Only 69.00 Euro

Choose from a selection of our award-winning Clonakilty whiskeys and Minke gin, perhaps paired with a beautifully crafted Tuath glass.

Or how about a hip flask with a bottle of Minke Sloe Gin for those cold winter days?

Every purchase you make will be supporting a local business.

All gift sets are shipped in environmentally-responsible brown kraft boxes.

On top of that, we are offering FREE SHIPPING to Ireland and the UK.

For loved-ones further afield, we offer reduced-rate shipping of €9.99 to the rest of the EU.

Check out the full range of gift ideas here:

Clonakilty Distillery Raises €1,155 for Local Charity

Michael & Cliodhna Scully, Clonakilty Distillery presenting a cheque for €1,155 to Dr Jason, West Cork Rapid Response

We recently auctioned off two bottles of our renowned Imperial Stout Trooper Cask Finish, raising €1,155 for local charity West Cork Rapid Response.

Held in partnership with our friends at Irish Whiskey Auctions. The auction took place in mid October and all proceeds were in aid of the local charity.

West Cork Rapid Response are entirely voluntary group. They work in partnership with and support the existing National Ambulance Services in West Cork. As a registered charity, whose entire team work on a voluntary basis, they welcome any and all assistance.

The whiskey, which is the result of us once again joining forces with the New England Brewing Company, won Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2020. As a result it became extremely sought after by whiskey fans.

We only produced 1400 bottles for sale in Connecticut, keeping a mere 60 in Ireland for sale at the distillery. After selling out quickly, these two bottles were a fan’s last chance to get hold of one.

At the presentation, Michael Scully, Founder of Clonakilty Distillery said: “we were delighted to have this opportunity to support Dr Jason. We hope the proceeds raised will help him to continue doing the fantastic work he does for the area”.  

West Cork Rapid Response added: “we are extremely grateful for this generous donation from Clonakilty Distillery and thank everyone involved”.

Clonakilty Imperial Stout Trooper Cask Finish – Charity Bottle

Learn more about our US Brewery Collaborations

Two Companies Inspired By Location & Energised By Nature..

26 Degree “IPA1A” Cask Finish

We may have a different climate to Florida, but at Clonakilty Distillery, we feel just as inspired by our location on the Irish Wild Atlantic Way. 

26 Degree “IPA1A” Cask Finish is the third release from Clonakilty Distillery’s collaborations series.This collaboration brings together two companies energised by nature to create a whiskey which reflects each special place.

Available in-store & online Friday November 6th 

Once again we have turned to Paul Corbett, Head Distiller to talk us through this unique whiskey. 

Q. Tell us a bit about 26 Degrees Brewing? 

A. Well their based in Pompano Beach, Florida and they take inspiration from the Atlantic ocean much like ourselves at Clonakilty. They are crafting beers to celebrate this special location. 

Q. What beer was used in this particular collaboration?

A. 26 Degree’s “IPA1A” which is named after the highway running the length of Florida’s East Coast. What struck me about this IPA is how balanced it is. There’s a tendency these days to go for a hops, hops & more hops approach. However, here the brewers started with a sweet malty backbone and then added the hops to accentuate that. The result is a really well balanced beer. 

Q. Why did you bottle at 46%?  

A. With this particular whiskey I felt 46% had the best balanced of flavours. The sweetness from the malty backbone was still really coming through with just a slight hint of the hops. 

Q. How long was the whiskey in the cask for?

A. Just over three weeks so not a huge amount of time. You don’t want to keep a whiskey in an IPA cask for too long because the flavours from the hops can be really intense and this shouldn’t come through too much in the whiskey. What you really want is a whiskey where the hops compliment but not overpower. 

Q. What should people expect from this whiskey?

A. So coming through for me straight away is a satsuma, sweet orange mandarin aroma but there’s also a lot of vanilla & sweetness like creme brulee …….actually what it really reminds me of is a Super Split ice cream from when I was young. 

On the palette it’s actually quite complex, there’s a lot more dark chocolate & sweetness from the malt backbone. The hops are there in the background bringing that slight orange flavour and there’s also some kind of candied ginger notes. 

The finish is long, like it just keeps going. There’s a lot of sweetness like an orange drizzle cake, cocoa nibs again that vanilla…..just really lingering, it’s really lovely. 

Paul (r) & Ewan (l) discussing this collaboration

About the Whiskey
On Sale:
In store & available online Friday November 6th 
Price: €85.00
Limited Release: 750 bottles in total, only 185 bottles kept for Ireland.
Best Enjoyed: Reminiscing on fond childhood memories. 

Tasting Notes
Nose: Satsuma mandarin, mint, ginger, crème brulee
Palette: Candied ginger, floral hops, dark chocolate orange and tangerine
Finish: Orange drizzle cake, cocoa nibs, hops.

Available from the distillery shop & online store 

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Facebook:@clonakiltydistillery
Instagram:@clonakiltydistillery

Website: www.clonakiltydistillery.ie

Prepare For The Mother of All Storms…

Pelican “Mother of All Storms” Barley Wine Cask Finish 

Expect high winds and crashing waves when The Mother of All Storms finally hits Irish shores. 

Pelican “Mother of All Storms” Barley Wine Cask Finish is the second release in Clonakilty Distillery’s collaboration series. Perhaps it was the resemblance in our respective Pacific and Atlantic Ocean locations that helped this partnership blend so well.

Available From Friday November 16th 

We sat down with Paul Corbett, Head Distiller at Clonakilty Distillery to learn more about this collaboration.

Q. Tell us a bit about the Pelican Brewing Company?

A. The Pelican Brewing Company are based in Pacific City, Oregon. Like ourselves they are located on the coast but it’s a different ocean….they’re on the Pacific, we’re on the Atlantic. They are a small brewery with big ambitions to create something unique and sensory.

Q. What beer was used in this particular collaboration?

A. Pelican’s “Mother of All Storms” Barely Wine which is a really big beer, usually 10 to 14 percent alcohol content. For me it’s a real showcase of malt or the flavours that you can get from malt. To get the ABV that high the brewer has to pack as much barely as possible for the yeast to ferment it all down, resulting in such a high point of alcohol. Because of this you should be getting lots of flavours from the malt like biscuit, bread, nut and just a little bit of spice. 

Q. What led you to believe this beer would work well with Clonakilty whiskey? 

A. Well I thought we’d try and get more of that biscuit breadiness, to compliment all the grain that’s already in the whiskey. These beers are brewed so big and there’s so much sugar going into the fermenter, that the yeast acts differently and produces more fruity esters. This means there should also be dark fruit notes along with those biscuity, bready, nutty flavours…….what I would describe as a Christmas cake or pudding. I thought that this would be really interesting to add to the whiskey. 

Q. Why did you choose to bottle at 46% ABV? 

A. So this the first time we’ve bottled at 46%. When I’m going to blend a whiskey I don’t have any ABV in mind, I take it out at cask strength, do a series of dilutions and pick whichever I fell has the best ratio of flavours. 

At 46% I thought this particular whiskey best emphasized the Christmas cake & spicy fruit notes I was looking for, along with the bready malt. 

Q. How long was the whiskey in the cask for?

A. With these barrels, it was just over three and half months. It didn’t need a huge amount of time in the barely wine as it’s really flavourful. At the end of the day I want these flavours to compliment but not overpower the whiskey……it’s really important to know the difference. 

Q. What should people expect from this whiskey?

A. So straight away I get some clove, cut straw, nutmeg and warm spices on the nose. I also get that nuttiness coming through in the taste, it’s very creamy with a slight leather from the malt…… to be honest it really just reminds me of Christmas cake or pudding. 

The finish has dried peels, fruits, spiciness from the oak and an almost vanilla creaminess from the wood. 

Paul Corbett, Head Distiller (L) & Ewan Paterson, Tours Supervisor (R)

About the Whiskey
On Sale:
In store & available online Friday October 16th 
Price: €85.00
Limited Release: 1,500 bottles in total, only 378 bottles kept for Ireland.
Best Enjoyed: With winds in excess of 60mph.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Warm spice, cut straw, clove, nutmeg, ground almond, vanilla
Palette: Almond, barley, raisins, sultanas and leather
Finish: Dried peels, mixed spice, straw and vanilla

Available from the Distillery Shop in Clonakilty & Online Store 

SOCIAL MEDIA
Tag Us
Twitter:@clondistillery
Facebook:@clonakiltydistillery
Instagram:@clonakiltydistillery

Website: www.clonakiltydistillery.ie