In Gaelic, poitín means “pot stilled whiskey,” the original Irish “water of life.” Glendalough Mountain Strength poitín (pronounced “po-tcheen”) is a greater cask strength version of their famous poitín. Malted barley and sugar beets are used to distill this centuries-old custom, which is then delicately aged in virgin oak barrels.

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Concerning Glendalough

The charming tiny town of Glendalough is located in eastern Ireland. Its name, Saint Cóemgen, or Saint Kevin, is Gaelic for “valley of two lakes,” and it was supposedly founded by him. Five friends from Wicklow and Dublin founded Ireland’s first new craft distillery, the Glendalough Distillery, with the goal of resurrecting the country’s craft distilling tradition.

With more than 200 licensed distilleries throughout Ireland, the 18th and 19th centuries were the heyday of the Irish whiskey business. At the period, there were also innumerable illegal distilleries that produced a variety of whiskey, gin, absinthe, and poitín varieties. However, a string of unfavorable circumstances caused the Irish whiskey industry to collapse in the 1970s.

This Irish tradition is being revived in part by Glendalough Distillery. Their mission is “to make innovative spirits while staying true to the tradition and heritage of our ancestors.” Initially, Glendalough produced poitín, a traditional Irish distillate produced in tiny pot stills. They then moved smoothly on to making whiskey and, more recently, seasonal, wild botanical gins. They make everything by hand.

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Notes on Tasting

strong vanilla scents, accompanied by berry overtones. On the palate are dark fruits, smoke, malt, sweet vanilla, berries, vegetal aromas, and sweet, sugary tastes. It has a strong alcohol burn at the end.