The distillation of Irish Whiskey has a long history. Some sources place it as far back as the early 6th century when Irish monks brought the distillation process back from the Middle East. This history has resulted in hundreds of years of experience and perfection to bring us to the stage we are at today. In Gaelic the drink became known as "Uisce Beatha" which means "water of life." The Normans called it "fuisce" and eventually it evolved into "whiskey." Barley and fresh spring water are the key ingredients needed and are found in abundance throughout Ireland. In the Northwest...

  In the year 297AD, the Romans discovered a proud and free race ruling in the North-East of Scotland. The Romans called them Picts - the painted people - because they decorated their bodies with inks and pigments. On their skins they depicted the sweeping lines of the landscape, the colours of the heavens and nature's Aurora Borealis: a dazzling display of red, green and violet that arcs and flickers in the night sky.These people cultivated the very same golden fields that surround Glenmorangie’s Highland home, fields where today they harvest the barley that becomes the malt. It was here, in...

    The Dalwhinnie distillery, which was originally named Strathspey, was founded in 1897 by John Grant, Alexander Mackenzie and George Sellar. The distillery is situated between the gentle, grassy style of the Lowlands and the austere, firm body of Speyside, which begins some 25 miles to the north. "Many late Victorian distilleries were bravely sited; "madly located" Dalwhinnie, one of the highest of all distilleries - at 1073 feet - and now home to the Classic Malts’ delicate and smoky 15 year old Highland malt, was no exception." "Why on earth, you may think," continued the writer of this...

  Situated on the Brosna River in Co. Westmeath is the Old Kilbeggan Distillery – the home of Kilbeggan Irish whiskey. Opened back in 1757, the Old Kilbeggan Distillery is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world. While many people think of Scotland as the home of whiskey, it was actually the Irish that invented the art of whiskey making. French monks landed in Ireland in the 6th century bringing with them the technique they used to create perfumes and “Eau de Vie”, the French for water of life. They used an apparatus called an “alembic” which was later...

  ‘Aberlour’ is a gaelic word meaning ‘mouth of the chattering burn [stream]’.The Aberlour Distillery is at the heart of Speyside, the country’s premier whisky-making region, renowned for producing whiskies of subtle depth and elegance.Situated at the junction of the Rivers Lour and Spey, the distillery lies in a beautiful glen, surrounded by glorious scenery dominated by the rugged peaks of Ben Rinnes a short distance away.Pure spring water for making the whisky is drawn from the River Lour, and the maturing spirit in the warehouse beneficially inhales the moist Speyside air. Aberlour is an ancient place as well as...