Poitín, {pronounced “potcheen”}, is Irelands oldest distilled spirit. In fact, earliest records from around 584ad make it the first drink ever to be distilled. Glendalough is a hand-crafted homage to the original style and ancient art of poitín making. 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. 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. Distilled in small batches from malted barley and sugar beet, it is then oak-aged for added smoothness and depth of flavour. It is a drink that’s as complex in its taste as its history, a drink that truly captures the original Irish spirit. This is a craft, small batch distilled Poitin from the newly created Glendalough Poitin company. Unusually for a poitin this has been aged for a short period in virgin Irish oak casks. Smooth and complex to taste. This is one of the fuller flavoured Poitins that we stock. There are hints of black, cracked pepper, some dried fruits and touches of vanilla and toasty oak

Distiller – Glendalough  | ABV: 40% | Price: €5.50
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