ATHRÚ TRILOGIES
The Lough Gill Distillery is situated on a peninsula in Lough Gill, on the banks of the Garavogue river in Co. Sligo on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. With spectacular views of Benbulben, Ireland’s answer to Table Mountain, to the north and the Atlantic ocean to the west, this unique location has its own microclimate, perfect for maturing distinctive malt whiskey.
Irish whiskey led the world’s spirits trade before a perfect storm of politics and prohibition decimated the country’s malt whiskey producers. After a period of decline during the 20th century, Irish Whiskey is now the fastest growing spirit category in the world and rare Irish malt whiskies are regarded as some of the finest single malts in the world.
COLOUR
Amber
NOSE
Very elegant flavours of melted dark chocolate, dried fruits and orange oil. Fruity and Fresh
PALATE
Salted caramel, orange oil, candied peels, rich dark forest fruits and spices
FINISH
Medium length with oak, honey, orange and dark chocolate
ABV
48%
COLOUR
Light Chestnut
NOSE
Fresh Laundry, Pencils, Sandalwood, and Cedar
PALATE
Raisins, Brown Sugar, Mince Pies and Caramel
FINISH
Pepper and Cigar box medium length.
ABV
48%
COLOUR
Warm Gold
NOSE
Fresh Fruit, Vanilla, Green Apple and Pear.
PALATE
Pineapple, Green Apple and Pear, Celery, Honeydew Melon and Lemon
FINISH
Long subtle finish of Butterscotch and Tobacco
ABV
48%
Billy Walker, Whisky Veteran, Master of the Quaich & World Distiller of the Year, is a master at finishing whisky in unusual barrels. Under his guidance, we selected nine unique cask styles in which we have been quietly maturing our whisky since 2015.
Whisky finishing or secondary maturation is a relatively new concept, only really emerging within the past 20 years. It is the process whereby a distiller transfers their whisky from one type of cask to another. This secondary maturation adds complexity to the whisky, changing its colour and flavour profile, depending on the type of cask used.
The most common types of casks used are sherry casks, typically adding rich notes of dried fruit and spices, which are a contrast to the vanilla and toffee notes from ex-bourbon casks. After just two years, up to 12% of a 500-litre Sherry butt’s contents can be absorbed into the oak with the corresponding amount of Sherry, about 60 litres, eventually breathing out of the wood into the whisky, adding to the flavour of the maturing product. This is why the process is becoming so popular and a required area of expertise for any distillery.
Our Tokaji barrels come from the prestigious Oremus vineyard in Hungary. Oremus was the vineyard from which Chaplain Laczkó Szepsi harvested the botrytised grapes to make the first Aszú ever, to present it to Prince Rákóczi’s wife Zsuzsanna Lorántffy for Easter in 1631. The grape variety for this first Aszú was – Oremus (today named Zéta).
