Irish Distillers Adds Knappogue Castle, Clontarf Irish Whiskeys To Its Stable

Irish Distillers recently announced it had added Knappogue Castle and Clontarf to its portfolio of Irish whiskeys. The bottlings have been fully integrated into the distillery’s profile following Irish Distillers’ owner Pernod Ricard’s acquisition of Castle Brands in 2019, in which it gained an 89.59% stake in the parent company of the two aforementioned labels.

“Knappogue Castle and Clontarf will complement our existing offering of quality Irish whiskey brands,” CEO and Chairman at Irish Distillers Conor McQuaid said in a prepared statement. “Having recently won a gold medal at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the addition of Knappogue Castle Single Malt presents an exciting opportunity to support our growth strategy in Asia, given the performance of single malts in this region. We look forward to building on the success of this much-loved brand and exploring the potential of the increasingly dynamic Single Malt Irish Whiskey category.”

Knappogue Castle Whiskey is a triple-distilled bottling available in five releases with different flavor profiles, named for the castle which inspired it – Knappogue Castle. Purchased in 1966 by Mark Edwin Andrews, the castle was a 15th-century structure in Ireland. It was restored by Andrews and his wife, around the time he began buying casks of fine pot still whiskey from top distilleries in the country, which were further aged and bottled under the Knappogue Castle label.

Clontarf Irish Whiskey is a triple distilled Irish whiskey produced by the Clontarf Whiskey Company. Each batch is filtered through Atlantic Oak charcoal and then aged for at least four years in charred oak bourbon casks and created with fresh Irish spring water. A medium-gold color, the official tasting profile for the bottling speaks of a light aroma of toasted oak wood with hints of toffee and a background maltiness.