Cask launch at new Hinch Distillery

Hinch Distillery is to make just 161 casks of its exclusive new An Chead Dun release available, each priced at £4,950.

The liquid in each cask comes from the first ever distillation of Irish single malt spirit at the distillery, which opened its doors recently at the Killaney Estate near Lisburn following a £15m investment by local businessman, Dr Terry Cross OBE.

An Chead Dún, which translates from Gaelic as ‘The First Down’, is the first single malt spirit and ultimately whiskey, released by Hinch Distillery. It represents the marriage of traditional Irish distilling skills with ageing in American aak casks from the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Kentucky USA.

The limited number of casks recognises the origins of the 161-year-old Killaney Estate on which the distillery sits.

‘What makes each whiskey unique is its individual interaction with the oak cask,’ says Aaron Flaherty, head distiller at Hinch. ‘Traditionally, Irish whiskeys are often matured in oak casks that previously held other wines or spirits in order to add new layers of flavour to the maturing spirit. Those casks may be reused many times but An Chead Dún whiskey will only be placed in ‘first fill’ casks. This means the wood will ultimately have a much greater influence on the final Irish whiskey in terms of both flavour and colour.’

.Mr Flaherty said he expects demand for An Chead Dún cask to be oversubscribed and urged interested parties to contact the distillery as soon as possible to secure their very own taste of history.

The An Chead Dún cask is priced at £4,950. For more information on the cask programme, view https://tinyurl.com/AnCheadDunCaskBrochure