the original irish spirit

the original irish spirit
St. Kevin’s kitchen overshadowed by Camaderry mountain, the north wall of the valley
What is poitín?
Poitín {potcheen}, is the first drink ever distilled, with earliest records dating back to approx
584ad. Irish whiskey is a direct descendant. In fact all whiskey and all distilled drinks can be
traced back to poitín making in Ireland 14 centuries ago.
It was first made with expertise and reverence in monasteries like Glendalough by Irish monks
who were the master distillers of their time.
Poitín making thrived all over Ireland for the next thousand years. Kings sent envoys the length
of the known world to bring back this famed “uisce beatha” (water of life).
After distilling knowledge went beyond monasteries, making poitín gave poor and oppressed
Irish communities a small mark of independence over wealthy landlords and the British crown.
It was outlawed on Christmas day in 1661 by King Charles II, in attempt to stamp out an industry
that wouldn’t give him any tax, an attempt most distillers paid no attention to.
Rebellious Irish distillers disappeared into the wilderness and continued to hone their craft
regardless. Quality was such that it still outsold Irish Whiskey well into the 1800’s.
It was now a clandestine craft, hidden in remote glens where the winds swept through,
breaking up the smoke of the peat fire.
Poitín had by now seeped into all areas of Irish culture, from our legends and folklore, to our
music and songs. Any Irishman worth his salt had a bottle somewhere, to cure ills (used on
anything from rubbing muscle aches to curing sick calves), celebrate occasions and generally
grease the wheels.
The Church, the British crown, the Irish state and various temperance movements all
attempted to stamp out poitín distilling to no avail. The law pursued distillers right up until
1997 when it was legalised.
Glendalough heralds a renaissance in the ancient art of distilling poitín and aims to bring it
back towards its rightful place as an expertly crafted spirit with a long shadow and unique history.
The first drink ever distilled
over fourteen centuries.
Illegal for over 300 years but is now
back to claim its rightful place.
The rebirth of
Independent and
Innovative Distilling
in Ireland
The
Glendalough
Distillery
We have set up our small artisan distillery just south of
Dublin, in the mountains on the road to Glendalough. A
group of friends, local guys from Wicklow and Dublin with
a deep passion for reviving the heritage of craft distilling
in Ireland.
We had worked in and around the drinks industry but
wanted to forge our own path, to set up something
meaningful. Something that meant we could make
innovative spirits while staying true to the tradition and
heritage of our ancestors.
In the 18th & 19th centuries there were over 2000
licenced distilleries in Ireland (and countless unlicensed
distilleries) producing diverse styles of poitín, whiskey,
gin, and even absinthe. Recently that number dropped
to a small handful, a travesty overseen by 3 large
multinationals, non of them Irish.
Where the Glendalough Craft Distillery story starts is
exactly where it should start - with the first ever spirit, the
original Irish spirit, poitín.
The way we saw it, the soul had slipped out of distilling in
Ireland and this just couldn’t be allowed in the birthplace
of distilled drinks. The Irish are a proud bunch with a rebel
heart and yet a part of us had somehow been pulled from
under us.
Meticulously crafted using recipes and methods passed
down through generations, the Glendalough poitín
range is the first step in an exciting journey starting from a
small distillery in the Wicklow mountains.
If you’re reading this, you are now part of the revival of
Ireland’s distilling heritage and the Glendalough family.
A thousand welcomes.
The Glendalough brand
Glendalough, the place
Glendalough (“the glen of two lakes”) is a glacial valley located just south
of Dublin, in scenic County Wicklow, known as “the garden of Ireland”.
It is one of the most visited places in Ireland, with over a million people
visiting each year (Ireland’s population is only 4m). It is renowned for its
natural beauty and also, its monastic settlement, founded in the 6th century
by St. Kevin, a legendary monk.
St. Kevin
He’s the bearded guy on our bottle. In the story of St. Kevin, our brand
attitude and personality is personified. He possessed the courage of his
convictions that so attracted people to him. Being born into Irish nobility
didn’t stop him breaking out on his own and fiercely following his own path.
a strength of character
that is unyielding against
the frivolities of life
He stood out as a true leader, building a civilization in an isolated valley.
In particular the story of Kevin and the blackbird, shown here,
provides the main allegory of our brand.
The Blackbird
Kevin was so at one with nature, that one day, while taking in his beautiful
valley (he prayed with his arms aloft - it was harder that way and he liked
to do things the hard way) a blackbird landed on his hand. Feeling right at
home, she laid 3 little, bluish-green eggs.
Kevin stood out in the elements day and night, never moving until the eggs
had hatched and the chicks had fledged.
How we make it
The Mash
We craft Glendalough from an old poitín recipe using malted barley
and the almost-lost, Irish sugar beet. The barley is malted to form the
basis of our mash. The sugar beet is a traditional Irish “break crop” (to
rest soil between grazing herds) and was perfect as a starchy, sugary raw
material for poitín making. Although the potato became more famous
as a poitín ingredient, when the craft was at its peak malted barley was
the main ingredient in the mash. It was made this way for a thousand
years before potatoes arrived in Ireland.
Distillation
Then we ferment for over 72
hours which gives a higher alcohol
percentage and a more robust flavor.
On top of that, we take higher
cut points off the still that give us
“heads” and “tails” that are more
in line with a whiskey. These heads
and tails are the beginnings of what
could be called imperfections either
side of the “heart” of the batch. But
if you’ve the right man on the still,
these cut points can be manipulated
with precision to create a more
complex taste.
Maturation
After this delicate distillation process, it’s matured in Irish oak for up to six
months. This allows the spirit to interact with the wood, which mellows and
smoothens it, giving it that creamy mouthfeel. It also extracts more flavour
from the oak. This time it’s the woodier, vanilla oil and slight touches of
caramel tones. And the fact that it’s virgin oak, means that it can add flavour
without imparting color.
(Although the Sherry Cask Finish is aged further, using pre-loved Spanish
sherry casks, giving a light, honey color. This was probably what gave it its
name “nectar” back in the day.
THE GLENDALOUGH POITÍN RANGE
PREMIUM IRISH POITÍN
We’ve harnessed tradition, craft and heritage to capture a millennium and a half of distilling expertise
in this ancient and notorious drink. It is carefully crafted from an old poitín recipe using the finest
Irish sugar beets and malted barley. It is batch distilled and matured in virgin Irish oak.
The result is a smooth but complex mix of malted barley sugars and toasted, woody flavours.
The nose is slight in nature with a faint
Riesling fragrance, no less. Oak, berried
fruit, gooseberries and blackcurrants are in
there. A good, heady aroma.
The taste is creamy and mellow in the
mouth. Traces of lychees and hints of cracked
black pepper, dried fruits, vanilla and toasty
oak make it a very full flavored poitín.
The finish has good length, it’s lingering
and warming with a sweet and slightly salty,
yet spicy tail of dried fruit and berry notes.
MOUNTAIN STRENGTH POITÍN
We only add a drop of water off the still to this spirit. With the same depth of flavor of the original,
the strong, flavoursome Mountain Strength builds on the spicy and woody side of the taste profile.
Take it with a drop of water for the real authentic feel, neat if you have the bottle, or into cocktails and
mixed drinks for an extra kick. Enjoy it for the “real experience” it offers, but be careful with this one.
The nose is the first step up in intensity.
Oak, berried fruit, gooseberries and
blackcurrants are in there. A strong,
promising, heady aroma.
The taste stays smooth given its strength,
with a trace of lychees now. The cracked
black pepper, dried fruits, toasty oak and
barley become more acute adding further
depth to the already full flavor profile.
The finish is lingering, warm and soothing
with a spicy tail and dried-fruit and berry
notes. It holds its complexity well despite
the higher alcohol.
SHERRY CASK FINISH
With a tip of the hat to a great poitín maker of old, a hero of ours called McGoldrick,
we take our Glendalough Premium Poitín and introduce it to some Spanish sherry casks. It extracts some more depth
of flavour with a now visible wood finish, and added touches of honey and raisin. The extra time in the pre-loved
sherry cask oak brings the already smooth Glendalough towards a velvety mouth-feel with a crystal clear light amber color.
The nose builds on the original with
blueberry wine sweetness, vanilla and almost
a zest of orange peel. It’s noticeably fruitier
and you know you’re in for something different
with this one.
The taste is thicker and hangs on the middle
of the tongue with a touch of dried apricots. A
touch of cracked pepper, vanilla oils from the
extra time spent with the oak and of course
hints of sweet sherry. A very full flavored
poitín that goes down nicely.
The finish is a little longer, sweet with a
touch of saltiness that stays with you. Warming
with berry fruit that lasts.
How to drink it
Shots
Traditionally the “rare oul stuff” was drunk
neat, out of any kind of jar. Normally
amongst good friends who were up to no
good. Glendalough is great as a shot,
with just the right kick.
Sipping
Smooth from virgin oak-aging and with a
robust flavour profile, Glendalough is
a good sipping poitín, which is a very rare
thing. Its appeal is that it has the sweetness
of a rum, from thesugar beet, and the body
of a whiskey, from the malted barley. Pour
it over ice, kick back and it’ll sure cure
what ails you.
Mixing
Poitín adds a complexity to any mixed
drink. The bold flavour holds its own and
adds a layer of complexity to any mixed
drink. Have some easy but solid drinks
you can jump behind a bar to make for
the buyer. You can choose these from our
cocktail cookbook.
Cocktails
Don’t be afraid to shake things up. Flavors like apple, ginger,
cinnamon, honey even butterscotch really bring out the sweet,
oaky tones. Herbs and berries too, like elderberry, blueberries,
blackberries, loganberries, thyme, mint and even basil all
complement the flavor profile across the Glendalough range.
Adapting the classics with the Poitín can also give some new and
exciting results. Check out our site, or facebook page for cocktail
and infusion ideas.
original
irish spirit
GlendaloughPoitin.com