Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey

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Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey
Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey.jpg
Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old
Type Irish whiskey
Manufacturer Irish Distillers
(Pernod Ricard)
Country of origin  Ireland
Introduced1998
Alcohol by volume  40%

Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey is a brand of premium single malt Irish whiskey produced by the Irish Distillers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. The brand is named for historic Knappogue Castle in County Clare, Ireland, originally built by Clan MacNamara in 1467. Knappogue Castle is known for bottling one of the oldest and rarest known Irish whiskies, Knappogue Castle 1951, a pot still whiskey produced at the now-defunct B. Daly Distillery. [1]

Contents

History

In 1966, Mark Edwin Andrews and his wife Lavone´ purchased Knappogue Castle in County Clare. As they renovated the structure, Mark Andrews amassed a collection of rare single malt Irish whiskey, which he privately bottled and named Knappogue Castle 1951 after the historic building. He focused primarily on the whiskeys once produced at the B. Daly Distillery in County Offaly, which ceased whiskey production in 1954. [2] The castle was purchased by Shannon Development in 1996, and is now a venue for weddings and banquets.

In 1998, his son, Mark Edwin Andrews III, launched Great Spirits LLC, which made Knappogue Castle 1951 available to the public. In 1999, the company introduced vintage-dated single malts, under the same brand name. In 2003, the Great Spirits was merged into Castle Brands Inc, and in 2010, Castle Brands introduced Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old Single Malt. [3] Knappogue continues to source its whiskey from other distilleries including the Cooley Distillery.

In 2021, Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey was bought by Irish Distillers, an subsidiary off Pernod Richard. [4]

Variants

Knappogue Castle has several different products it releases under the Knappogue brand name.

Limited Releases:

Reviews

Knappogue Castle Whiskey is generally well received. Drinkspirits.com called Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old “a perfect example of a great Irish whiskey that manages to capture a great deal of flavor and complexity from the malted barley and present them in a light and affable manner.” [6] In 2014, Knappogue received a rating of 92 (Recommended) at the Ultimate Beverage Challenge. [7]

See also

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References

  1. "Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey Distillery Origin Guide - Whisky Advocate". Archived from the original on 2014-04-19. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  2. The Irish Whiskey Trail is a free touring and travel guide to Ireland's distilleries, best traditional whiskey pubs, whisky bars and shops
  3. "Knappogue Castle Whiskey Introduces 12 Year Old" (PDF). Press release. Castle Brands Inc. 7 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  4. Magazine, Irish Whiskey (2021-07-06). "Irish Distillers acquires Knappogue Castle and Clontarf Irish whiskeys". Irish Whiskey Magazine. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  5. Copied from label of bottle purchased at Knappogue in 1983
  6. Review: Knappogue Castle Single Malt Irish Whiskey - Drink Spirits
  7. "Ultimate Beverage Challenge — 2014 Spirits Results". Archived from the original on 2014-04-19. Retrieved 2014-04-17.