Ireland’s Slane Distillery Set to Open for Whiskey Tourism

Regular readers of The Whiskey Wash likely know by now about the story of Slane Irish Whiskey. We’ve chronicled this partnership between Brown-Forman and the Conyngham family since word first broke of the former’s $50 million investment in the latter’s dream of an Irish distillery on the grounds of their homeland. Fast forward to today, and word is now out that the Slane Distillery is set to open shortly to whiskey tourists.

The Slane distillery, according to those behind it, is set amidst the restored historic stables of the Slane Caste Estate, which we brought you a first hand view of earlier this year. Construction began in September 2015. Here are the highlights of what to expect there now:

• Hand-Beaten Copper Pot Stills: Within this reinvigorated ancient structure, a state-of-the-art whiskey production facility is housed. It consists of three hand-beaten copper pot stills and six column stills crafted by McMillan of Scotland.
• The River Boyne: The distillery is sited near the River Boyne, which together with a dedicated bore hole into limestone bedrock, offer water to be blended into future whiskeys. Aging of the whiskeys will take full advantage of the Boyne River Valley’s ideal climate for maturing spirits.
• The Visitor Experience: The visitor experience offers an authentic and immersive taste of a working distillery, including malting, fermentation and distillation as well as:
  • Tasting area to sample Slane Irish Whiskey
  • Heritage Room featuring information about the distillery site’s history, the Slane Castle Estate, Slane village, the Conyngham family and the Boyne River Valley
  • Retail store offering whiskey memorabilia
  • Casual cafe serving coffee and light bites
  • Two areas for guests to enjoy savory cocktails featuring local ingredients: Stalls Bar and Whiskey Lounge
• Sustainability: A fish ladder to assist salmon migrating up the river on the Slane Castle Estate, inclusion of an anaerobic digester, a water treatment program, rainwater harvesting, heat recovery and feeding spent grain to the estate’s own cattle herd.

“The Boyne Valley was an important center for Irish whiskey production in the 18th and 19th centuries, when Irish whiskey was the most popular aged spirit category in the world,” said Alex Conyngham, Co-Founder, Slane Irish Whiskey, in a prepared statement. “With the opening of Slane Distillery, we aim to restore this legacy for future generations by combining the best of traditional Irish whiskey craftsmanship with progressive process innovation. We are also delighted to be able to open the distillery to visitors where they can see and experience the whole production process for themselves and enjoy a sensory based tasting experience of Slane Irish Whiskey.”

The whiskey itself, which recently debuted in the US, is currently sourced. They are producing and aging whiskey at the distillery itself now, triple casking the new make in virgin oak, seasoned oak and sherry casks before blending the final product. There was no immediate word on when the first in-house distilled whiskey will be available.