Blackwater

Blackwater Distillery was founded in 2014 in West Waterford by Peter Mulryan, a writer on drinks who set out to make gin and whiskey in the Blackwater valley. It began with gin and sourced whiskey while its own spirit matured, and later moved into its own distillery in the area.

The distillery is known for playing with grain. It has worked with old Irish barley varieties such as Hunter, with oats, rye and multi-grain mash bills that echo the pot still recipes Irish distillers used before the 20th century. The names are often playful, as Oaty McOatface and Starburst Spicebag show, but the interest is in how different cereals change the spirit.

Ranges a buyer will meet include Dirtgrain, the Five Grain Planxty Wilcox, the Oaty McOatface small batch pot still, the Starburst Spicebag rye and the peated Turf Smoked releases. Single casks also appear, such as a 3 year old Hunter barley cask bottled for Master of Malt.

Our catalogue also lists the Velvet Cap whiskeys, including a Triple Cask blend and single malts finished in Bordeaux wine or peated sherry casks. These are aimed at a broader audience than the experimental releases. Most Blackwater bottlings come in small runs, so availability changes often.