Kilbeggan distillery

[MyIrishHome]

First, is it called Kilbeggan or Locke's?

Second: I somewhere got the idea that the low wine is produced at Riverstown but then transported down to Kilbeggan for second destilation. Is this still the procedure or was just at the start?

/Uffe

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

First, is it called Kilbeggan or Locke's?

Second: I somewhere got the idea that the low wine is produced at Riverstown but then transported down to Kilbeggan for second destilation. Is this still the procedure or was just at the start?

/Uffe

Hi Uffe,

It's called both ... Kilbeggan is the Town where the distillery is situated and Locke's is the name under which it is run ... as it was pre closure in the 50's. Back then the trading name for the whiskey sold would have been Locke's. Today Kilbeggan & Locke's are both used as brand names. However the Kilbeggan brand is much bigger so more emphasis is put on Kilbeggan.

The regular Kilbeggan blend is all produced in Riverstown and matured in Kilbeggan. As is the 18yo and the Locke's blends.

Then when they started to re-distil in Kilbeggan you are correct in saying that they brought down low wines from Riverstown for the last distillation. That is why the the Kilbeggan distillery only bottle offering is called Kilbeggan Distillery Reserve Malt Whiskey & not Kilbeggan Distillery Reserve Single Malt Whiskey.

However the situation has changed again and they have up graded Kilbeggan to be totally self sufficient as a distillery and are now distilling Single Malt and Pot Still whiskey using a double distillation method. They have a mill, masher 4 wash backs all installed at this stage. The scale is quite small though and would probably be considered boutique and will possibly be more of a small batch operation. I would imagine that Kilbeggan the blend will continue to be made in Riverstown.



However I think

[MyIrishHome]

Thanks Adrian,

Do you know milling capacity, the size of washbacks, vort gravity, time of fermenting, yeast type, size of pot stills and so on?

/Uffe

[DavidH]

I would imagine that Kilbeggan the blend will continue to be made in Riverstown.

For capacity, that must be true (unless Beam does something amazing at Kilbeggan). But I recall someone at Cooley saying they hoped that every bottle with the Kilbeggan label would eventually have a component made in Kilbeggan.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Thanks Adrian,

Do you know milling capacity, the size of washbacks, vort gravity, time of fermenting, yeast type, size of pot stills and so on?

/Uffe

I've heard the stats a good few times but with 2 small kids my head for stats has been dimished considerable.

I'll try and dig them out for you. If you check the photo's section there may be a few pics there and I'll check to see what I have and update that section too.

[DavidH]

Do you know milling capacity, the size of washbacks, vort gravity, time of fermenting, yeast type, size of pot stills and so on?

Ahem, http://www.irishwhiskeynotes.com/2011/0 ... llery.html

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Just to confuse things even more it was also known as the Brusna Distillery, historically due to the fact it was built on the river Brusna.

[MyIrishHome]

Thanks again
David: I read your report and it cover the most, thanks a lot. Nice photos also. Do you mind if I copy that for my blogg? Of course I will direct people to the source

More questions. Do someone have a good link for more historical information on Brusna/Locke's/Kilbeggan destillery?

/Uffe

[DavidH]

Do you mind if I copy that for my blogg? Of course I will direct people to the source

Varsågod. Har du sett den här också?
http://www.irishwhiskeynotes.com/2009/0 ... eggan.html

More questions. Do someone have a good link for more historical information on Brusna/Locke's/Kilbeggan destillery?

Javisst!
http://www.lockesdistillerymuseum.ie/

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Here is another link with Bernards recount as well as other sections about other Distilleries in the area.

Eventhough in an area of Ireland called Westmeath it is very close to the area of Offaly so that is why I presume the Offaly historic society cover it.

[Fionnán]

on the subject of Kilbeggan, does anyone know whats going on there? I think i brought this up a while back in another thread but the tab on the CWS store website for kilbeggan distillery has disappeared, probably because they're out of the reserve malt-- any news on this front from anyone?

[DavidH]

... probably because they're out of the reserve malt-- any news on this front from anyone?

There will be another edition of the malt this year. I assumed on my blog that it would be a 5-year old version of the previous one but thinking it over it could easily be a 3-year old version that has been entirely distilled in Kilbeggan.

[Fionnán]

hopefully sans caramel this time. If that does happen and if anyone has any of the old release hanging around it would be great to test them side by side to see what difference the kilbeggan wash still vs riverstown wash still makes

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

hopefully sans caramel this time. If that does happen and if anyone has any of the old release hanging around it would be great to test them side by side to see what difference the kilbeggan wash still vs riverstown wash still makes

I have a couple still closed. And I'm afraid it was not the greatest whiskey to start off with. Too young and certainly needed more maturation in my opinion. However it was a nice idea to get their Distillery Reserve going.

[JohnM]

http://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2012/ ... kilbeggan/

[IainB]

Mmmm I feel buying trip to CWS coming on.

[varizoltan]

some good news from Kilbeggan,

the waterwheel getting restored

http://www.businessandleadership.com/bu ... witterfeed

[John]

Optics only I believe; I'd prefer to see a more substantive announcement. From what I can see, they are setting up the general operation for a restricted range with high volume output. Which would probably undo all the good work done between both sites to date. Strange plan, given that the main driver for growth attributed to the company has been their ability to try new things and 'be different'.

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

some good news from Kilbeggan,

the waterwheel getting restored

http://www.businessandleadership.com/bu ... witterfeed

I could get it done cheaper, The little Bro repaired the wheel on the mill race which would have serviced the old Andrew Jameson distillery outside Enniscorthy. I would say he's the most experienced "keeper of the wheel" in Ireland now.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Yes it would be sad to see all the innovation being canned, just to concentrate on a few main brands.

Finger's crossed that they can see that Cooley as a company got alot of it's recognition from their single cask bottlings and stuff like the Greenore which transferred itself across to main brands.

Also I feel they need to re-align their pricing structure.

Connemara 12yo has come down some what but it still is too expensive for what may be considered a run of the mill age statement in Scotland. Obviously they need to get their stocks up but low stocks is not a justifiable case for excessive pricing and should be obvious on the low sales of same.

[MyIrishHome]

I can't really see that an investment of the "touristpart" would mean a concentration to main brands? Or am I missing something? For sure it's a concern that we need to work against know with Beam taking over but I can't see why they should stop that thing that makes Cooley stick out a bit.

An other thing I don't really get. In the article they state following. "The waterwheel dates back to the 19th century and powered the copper stills up until 1957 when Kilbeggan Distillery closed. " What do they mean with powered the copper still? Powered the distillery I understand but the copper stills. By the why, was they direct heated or did they use other methods?

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

An other thing I don't really get. In the article they state following. "The waterwheel dates back to the 19th century and powered the copper stills up until 1957 when Kilbeggan Distillery closed. " What do they mean with powered the copper still? Powered the distillery I understand but the copper stills. By the why, was they direct heated or did they use other methods?

Yes I noticed that comment too and I guess it is basically the writer not understanding the process.

I've seen the set up down there and the waterwheel would have been used to power the milling pumping etc but not the stills as you rightly guessed. I think they used direct fires down there in the old days and the only possible use the mill would have been in that regard would maybe to the large industrial bellows that were installed to fan the fires.

[Distiller]

I've seen the set up down there and the waterwheel would have been used to power the milling pumping etc but not the stills as you rightly guessed. I think they used direct fires down there in the old days and the only possible use the mill would have been in that regard would maybe to the large industrial bellows that were installed to fan the fires.

The stills were heated primarily with direct heat from a fire lit below the still.

What I think they are talking about when they say that the copper stills were "powered" by the water wheel is the rummager that was in the wash still.

For those of you who don't know what a rummager is. It is a brass mesh chain that would have been rotated around the bottom of the still. This was done to stop burning of the solids from the wash to the stills. If the solids in the wash burn they produce a harsh taste and smell. All direct fired still that I have seen (and there are not may still in use) have this apparatus.

In fact if you look at the Tullamore stills in Kilbeggan you can see where a whole for the rummager at the top of the wash still lines up nicely with a whole in the distillery wall. This is were a drive shaft would have connected the water wheel to the rummager.

So that is the end of today's lesson on rummager's!

Optics only I believe; I'd prefer to see a more substantive announcement. From what I can see, they are setting up the general operation for a restricted range with high volume output. Which would probably undo all the good work done between both sites to date. Strange plan, given that the main driver for growth attributed to the company has been their ability to try new things and 'be different'.

spot on sir