He is the founder of Killowen Craft Distillery, a prominent whiskey, gin, and rum maker nestled in the renowned Mourne Mountains. It’s a stunning location that overlooks the gorgeous Carlingford Lough and near Rostrevor on the south coast.

Brendan just declared 2022 as the year of poitin and announced it by producing the oddly named Stone Soup, a unique and premium quality poitin. He is on a mission to boost sales of the once-notorious spirit.

For many years poitin could only be produced illicitly in the countryside.

Brendan works as an architect and designed and built much of the small distillery himself. He opted for a classic copper pot still technique for his first gin and rum offerings; subsequently establishing an enviable reputation among worldwide whiskey connoisseurs for his small-batch

whiskeys. Finished in one-of-a-kind casks at the distillery he is now anticipating the release of his first whiskey made on-site.

Poitin, he believes, has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Irish whiskey leaders like Old Bushmills in worldwide markets.

They have a goal of revolutionizing poitin and people’s perceptions of it. They have a lot of intriguing upcoming releases like the new Stone Soup.

From 1661, distilling poitin was prohibited in Ireland because the Dublin authority found it impossible to tax properly.

As a result, they chose to completely ban it, further driving it underground.

Whiskey was handled in a different way. In 1608, King James I granted Sir Thomas Phillips, a significant landowner in Co Antrim, a royal license to distil whiskey. It became the first legal distillery in Ireland, right before poitin, a much older liquor, was outlawed.

Many Scotch Irish emigrants brought various poitin recipes to America, where they were utilized to make moonshine. This eventually influenced the manufacture of bourbon by distilleries in the highlands of Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

The prohibition on poitn was lifted on March 7, 1997, in the Republic of Ireland for licensed distilleries. In 2008, the spirit was granted EU protection, and since then, it has only been made in Ireland. Irish whiskey bears a similar moniker.

There are two additional licensed makers of poitin in the area, in addition to Killowen; Warrenpoint’s Mourne Dew, which has won international honors for the spirit, and Echlinville near Kircubbin, which produces Ban. All three have full distillation licenses for alcohol like whiskey.

Poitin has now shed its stigma as illegal moonshine and is now available at supermarkets in the UK.

Off-licenses, pubs and bars across the country also stock it where it is gaining popularity among a new generation of drinkers, particularly for cocktails.

Poitin, according to Brendan, should be considered a small batch premium spirit rather than a whiskey. Killowen is made from the finest ingredients, including turfed malted barley, unmalted barley, turfed malted oats, malted wheat, and malted rye.

He notes that the distillery’s eccentric Stone Soup brand can be traced back generations to an established folk story about sharing meals in Eastern Europe. The moral of the story is about the importance of sharing food and drink.

It recounts the story of two types of people; a strong influential individual who is cut off from the rest of the world and finds himself unable to feed himself. The one day a regular everyday person chooses to cook him a delicious cup of soup using very basic ingredients.

The bottling in Killowen was inspired by the same disconnection that exists with some spirits. Poitn must be stored for no more than 10 weeks to comply with legislation. Also no mention of barrels, maturation, or age on the label, appearance, promotion, or packaging material is permitted.

As with any creative job, such as architecture or distilling, a multitude of constraints can actually aid in bringing out the best ideas. In terms of innovation, flavor, and premium quality, Brendan believes his poitin is unquestionably among the best.

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The recognition is based on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and Japan. This came into effect in February of last year. To honor the bilateral trade agreement’s second anniversary, each side offered 28 more GIs protection starting in February 2021.

Protected EU geographical indications designation has been granted to Irish whiskey, Irish cream, and now poitin.

This means they can only be produced lawfully within Ireland. It’s in accordance with a technical file that has been approved to safeguard them against counterfeiting.

Vincent McGovern is the head of Drinks Ireland|Spirits. He has stated that Ireland’s GI spirits exports have increased dramatically in recent years. They increased by 5.95 per cent between 2018 and 2019; from 18.5 million nine-litre cases to 19.6 million nine-litre cases. Exports of Ireland’s three protected spirits have surged by 34.2 per cent since 2014.

Irish whiskey and Irish cream liqueur have led this rise, but Irish poitin makers also expect to experience a growth in sales in the coming years. This is partly due to the special benefits of having GI status.

Premium spirits have been growing in popularity in Japan in recent years. While premium gin and whiskey have benefited the most so far, this expansion opens up more options for Irish producers in general.

Irish cream liqueur and Irish whiskey are already protected in Japan but independent Irish poitin producers will welcome their newfound GI status.

The post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and Japan, according to UK International Development Secretary Liz Truss, may also boost NI poitin producers.

While the Japanese demand for poteen has yet to be properly tested, many believe the spirit’s cultural background will help it continue to grow in popularity.

Shochu is a distilled spirit from Japan similar to poitin in that it is typically clear and can be made from a variety of raw materials. It is most commonly distilled from barley, rice, sweet potatoes, or buckwheat. Barley is used to make more than half of all shochu, making it the best choice. However, the production method for shochu is significantly more complicated than that for poitin. There are a variety of styles dependent on whether it is distilled once or numerous times. It can also be fermented with mould or aged in wood like a whisky.

Shochu has a low alcohol content for a distilled spirit, averaging around 60 proof. This makes it easier to consume and has fewer calories than vodka for example.

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