BlogThe Echlinville Distillery has been celebrating County Down’s proud whiskey heritage by showcasing some of the areas most famous spirits during Belfast Whiskey Week. The final day of the festival will see series of events broadcast live from Echlinville to a global online audience tomorrow (Saturday 31 July).
Echlinville is a key partner in the week long programme of events showcasing the best of Irish and world whiskey. The highlights of Saturday’s programme include a tasting of the core range of Dunville’s Irish Whiskeys. There will also be an exclusive tasting of as yet unreleased casks from our warehouse, including new age statements and cask finishes.
The Spirit of Belfast
As custodians of Dunville’s Irish Whiskey, the official Spirit of Belfast, we have a particularly close association with Belfast Whiskey Week. We are delighted to welcome the festival’s online audience to our distillery for the final day of the festival.
Belfast was once at the heart of Ireland’s whiskey industry, so Belfast Whiskey Week is bringing the focus of the Irish whiskey community back to a city whose association with the spirit has been somewhat forgotten over the years.
By the end of the 19th century, Ireland was producing around 14 million gallons of whiskey per year. A disproportionate amount of that was distilled in Belfast, and much of that by Dunville’s. From street names to landmark buildings, Dunville’s legacy can be found throughout Belfast. This is our whiskey and our city, so we are proud to celebrate Belfast Whiskey Week by showcasing The Spirit of Belfast to whiskey enthusiasts around the world.
County Down Whiskeys
Belfast and County Down played a huge role in Ireland’s proud whiskey heritage. Two of Co. Down’s most famous whiskeys were Old Comber and Newry based Matt D’Arcys – both of which sadly fell victim to the collapse of the Irish whiskey industry. Both brands were recently revived by Echlinville, bringing three of Ireland’s most historic ‘lost’ whiskeys together under one roof.
Alongside Dunville’s, Old Comber Pot Still Whiskey and Matt D’Arcy Whiskey feature in the Belfast Whiskey Week Bonus Tasting Box.
Irish Whiskey Revival
Old brands like Dunville’s, Matt D’Arcy and Old Comber are hugely important to Ireland’s whiskey heritage. Throughout the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries they built an industry that was the envy of the world. Now their revival is playing an important role in the resurgence of that industry. Belfast Whiskey Week provides the perfect platform to share these whiskeys and their story with audiences around the world.
Together with events like Belfast Whiskey Week, all of us at Echlinville look forward to putting Belfast and Co. Down area back on the world whiskey map.
Belfast Whiskey Week at Echlinville
The following tasting will be broadcast live from The Echlinville Distillery on Saturday 31 July 2021. Events can be viewed online via Belfast Whiskey Week by anyone who has purchased a Festival Pass. For more information on how to access events email [email protected]
2.00pm Highland Whisky
4.00pm Dunville’s Irish Whiskey Core Range
6.15pm Pre-1970 Irish Whiskey
8.30pm Echlinville Distillery Warehouse Tasting
