The Connacht Whiskey Company, based in Ballina, has released its first Irish gin called Conncullin. Master distiller, Robert Cassell, who has won numerous international gold medals for his prior gins, has enjoyed working with several botanicals iconic to Ireland, such as elderberry flower and hawthorn berry.
Conncullin Irish Gin is big and bold with strong juniper notes and hints of berry in the nose. This is a gin designed to be noticed and holds up beautifully when added to tonic. It is bottled at the distillery at a traditional full 94 proof (47 per cent ABV ), unlike other Irish gins in the marketplace. Cassell hand mixed and stirred the botanicals last week as he distilled the gin on site in the beautiful pot stills. They hand bottled the gin this week and have now made it available for consumers to enjoy. It is available at the distillery and local off licences but will be in distribution throughout Ireland in 2017.
The gin’s name and image evoke the modern, clean, nature of Irish gin. Conncullin is the merging of the names of two County Mayo lakes, Lough Conn and Lough Cullin, which are the source of the water used at the distillery. The lakes, which are actually connected to each other, are also linked to the Atlantic by the River Moy which flows past the Connacht Distillery. Echoing the two connected lakes, the logo features two interconnected circles filled with water in a light blue-green hue.
The Connacht Whiskey Company was established in 2015 with the goal of restoring pure pot still Irish whiskey to the west of Ireland, as well as producing other traditional spirits. Their first two products received numerous awards with Straw Boys Irish Vodka being awarded a gold medal, as well as being named best Irish vodka at the recent Irish Whiskey Awards, where the company's Spade and Bushel Cask Strength Irish Whiskey also received a gold medal. The Connacht Whiskey Company is proud to be independent. Its investors are a group of Ireland and US-based friends and family with no corporate or private equity money involved. For more information log on to www.connachtwhiskey.com
