LOUGH GILL DISTILLERY
THE HISTORY
The Hazelwood House of Lough Gill Distillery has a history of 300 years. The location of the distillery is also truly unique. It is located directly beside the Irish coastal road, also known as the Wild Atlantic Way. The important Irish residence was designed by the famous German architect Cassels and built in the year 1722.
The property was built and occupied by several generations of the Wynne family until the early 1900s. Since 2014 the historic building belongs to the Lough Gill distillery.
THE DISTILLERY
The Irish distillery is located in a factory behind the famous Hazelwood House. Surrounded by forests, gentle mountains and a landscape of lakes, the location is a reminder of a long-gone time and its mysticism.
The Lough Gill distillery is a landmark of the Sligo region and has played an important role in the Industrial Revolution.
The distillery, which was commissioned in 2019, has a capacity of around 1 million litres and produces around 7,000 barrels of whiskey per year.
A building permit for a second 2-million-litre facility, further ripening halls and a visitor centre with catering facilities has now been granted. The building processes should be finished in 2020.
THE FIRST ATHRÚ TRILOGIE
This new whiskey collection is also called “The Creation Trilogy”. The history of Ireland, its saints and savants played a significant role in the design of this trilogy. There are the single malt whiskeys Athrú Annacoona, Knocknarea and Keshcorran, which are all matured for 14 years. These rarities are limited to 6600 bottles, which are individually numbered.
Thanks to the expertise of the master distiller Billy Walker the whiskeys are ripened in nine different types of casks until they are exceptional spirits. Afterwards the whiskey is transferred from one type of barrel to another. This secondary maturation gives the whiskey complexity, changes its colour and taste profile depending on the type of barrel used.
Athrú Annacoona is a single malt matured in a combination of former Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry barrels. The whiskey box comes with a piece of paper that presents a Celtic love story.
The Athrú Knocknarea whiskey was matured and developed in ex-Oloroso sherry barrels.
An enclosed text tells the Celtic story of Noah’s granddaughter Lady Kessair.
The Athrú Keshcorran whiskey, after its first maturation, is refined in former barrels of Hungarian Tokaj. The story in the background is about the Celtic mythology of King Cormac, the first great king of Ireland.