Killowen Bonded Experimental Series Peated Malt & Malt
Killowen Distillery · Killowen Distillery
A rare, thoughtful bottling from Ireland's smallest licensed distillery — proof that peated Irish whiskey can be as terroir-driven and elemental as anything from Islay, with a distinctly Mourne Mountain character.
Nose
Damp turf smoke drifts first, tempered by wet slate, brine, and the mineral tang of a stream over stone. Beneath: baked apple, orchard blossom, and a whisper of toasted barley loaf.
Palate
Full-bodied and oily. Smoldering peat wraps around honeyed malt, roasted hazelnut, and clove-studded orange peel. Mid-palate reveals sea salt, dark cocoa nib, and a flinty mineral streak that keeps the smoke lean rather than heavy.
Finish
Long and warming — embers, dried heather, cracked black pepper, and a lingering saline mineral edge that hums for minutes.
- Distillation
- Sourced double-distilled malt whiskey, blended and finished under bond at Killowen; Killowen's own house spirit is triple-distilled in direct-fired copper pot stills with worm tub condensers.
- Maturation
- Matured a minimum of 10 years in ex-bourbon barrels with a finishing period in ex-sherry casks at Killowen's bonded warehouse.
- Single Pot Still
- No
- Chill-Filtered
- Non-chill filtered, natural color
Cocktail Suggestion
The Mourne Ember — 2 oz Killowen Peated Malt & Malt, 0.25 oz Islay honey syrup (2:1 heather honey to water), 2 dashes orange bitters, 1 dash saline solution. Stir with ice, strain into a chilled rocks glass over a large cube. Express orange peel and discard. Garnish with a sprig of dried heather.
Food Pairing
Smoked mackerel pâté on rye toast, or aged Coolea cheese drizzled with dark honey and cracked pepper.
Founded by Brendan Carty in the foothills of the Mourne Mountains, Killowen operates Ireland's smallest licensed pot stills — direct-fired, worm-tub condensed, and unapologetically old-school in a country that mostly abandoned such methods a century ago.
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