Northern Ireland has seen a renaissance in brewing and distilling in recent years. Nearly every county now boasts a top-class producer of beer and cider or whiskey and gin. Of course, some have been around for years and have moved with the times. They are opening up and divulging at least some, if not all, of their long-held secrets to the public – which includes you!
From Bushmills’ peaty whiskey to Derry-Londonderry’s milky stout
Let’s start with a taste of possibly Northern Ireland’s best-known whiskey distillery. Bushmills Distillery in the village of Bushmills has been producing the finest whiskey on the Causeway Coastal Route for over 400 years.
Using water from the River Bush, the distillery is famous the world over for its golden produce. You can find out all about the distillery’s history, the secret of its success and get a wee dram for yourself during their excellent guided tours.
Not too far away in Derry-Londonderry is the Walled City Brewery whose Derry Milk Beer is hand-crafted from chocolate stout and organic cow’s milk. It is an alcohol experience you won’t forget. The brewery doesn't offer official tours because they believe they have developed something even better. And to be honest, it’s very difficult to argue with them.
Their beer masterclass is a ninety-minute ‘interactive experience’ where you can relax, sit back and let their talented brewers tell you the multi-millennia story of brewing while tasting their ten craft beers. When you’re finished you can sample the delights of their award-winning restaurant, and enjoy the Taste of the North West by trying locally produced, premium quality food.
Apples and cider in Armagh of course
Armagh is also known as the Orchard County, so it is hardly surprising to find a cider producer in this part of the world. Philip Troughton and his wife Helen started the Armagh Cider Company in 2005. This made them the first commercial craft cider company in Northern Ireland. For years, the couple had supplied apples to the world famous Magner’s Brewery before deciding to go it alone. On their brewery tour, he and his wife will tell you all about their story and talk you through cider brewing from blossom to bottle. Everything happens right on their doorstep.
Beef and beer on a brewery tour near Lough Neagh
A few years ago, the owners of Hillstown Brewery near Randalstown and on the shores of Lough Neagh started breeding cattle. Anyway, in an effort to relax the herd and therefore make the meat more tender they made them beer. Yes, that is correct, they made the cows beer. They added some music and even sang to them on occasion. It worked and orders for the beef took off. It turned out that cows are quite discerning when it comes to their beer and the new brewery (or should that be moory?) was born. You really should come and find out more for yourself though and sample some of the beer and the beef.
Sip it down almost straight from the still in County Down
Rademon Estate Distillery is the home of Shortcross Gin. Head distiller, David Boyd-Armstrong and his team, produce this sweet and tasty tipple using locally picked wild botanicals and fresh well water. Pre-book a tour of the distillery and its beautiful surroundings in Down, and he will take you through the whole intriguing process.
Of course, there will be time to taste his gin too. Judges at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition found it so tasty that they awarded Shortcross Gin a Gold Medal for ‘setting the standard for its category’. It certainly sets it very high.
Brendan Carty travelled the globe mining for secrets of distilling premium whiskey. Today, he runs the Killowen Distillery in the heart of the Mourne Mountains. The distillers at Killowen are a passionate bunch and they explain their unique whiskey making process with gusto. At the end of it all you can try their delicious peated or non-peated dram. Just don’t running up the hill afterwards. You’ll miss the next place...
Brewing up a quiet storm in the Mournes
Bernard and Kerry Sloan were pioneers. In 1996, they had the idea of making their own beer on their farm near the Mourne Mountains. At the Whitewater Brewing Company in Castlewellan you’ll discover their wonderful attitude to their work and while they ‘boast’ that they have made beers that were the ‘first of their kind in Ireland’, they also admit producing ales that quickly became ‘the last of their kind’. Given that it all started in their grandfather’s shed, they take great pride in taking you on a tour of their state-of-the-art brewery or ‘bigger shed’, as they like to call it.
A Toast of Tyrone
Out West in County Tyrone, Pokertree Brewing Company, ‘the first brewery in County Tyrone in over three generations’ brew superb quality, small batch, handmade beers using all-natural ingredients. Pokertree use open fermentation tanks for each of their ales and every single one is uniquely conditioned in the bottle meaning that their ales are not pasteurized, filtered or artificially carbonated – something founder Darren Nugent promises will always be the case.
Rebirth of another industry in Belfast
At one time in the middle of the 19th century, Belfast was home to no fewer than thirteen breweries. All of them eventually disappeared. In 2014, the Hercules Brewing Company became the first craft brewery to open in the city for a staggering 160 years. ‘Tis little wonder the owners are so proud. This place is named after one of the original breweries on Hercules Street and uses some of the old traditions of brewing to create their small batch lager, Yardsman. You can find out more about what they do to create their unique flavour. There can’t be many places that filter beer through linen!
Beer drinking cows, beer made from milk and 400-year-old whiskey. Just don’t have too much or when you get back home, you might think it was all a dream.
