Kentucky-Ireland whiskey connection strengthened

A Vendome copper still.

Irish whiskey is known worldwide, but there are only four producing distilleries in Ireland. That number now is about to be bumped up by one.

The Alltech all-manual craft distillery has just finished installing pot stills at its Carlow Brewing Company in Bagenalstown, County Carlow.

The stills, made in Louisville, KY, by Vendome Copper & Brass Works Inc., are about to go online to begin the process of creating Alltech's first made-in-Ireland whiskey to be released some time in 2015.

"Our whiskey is 100% malt, made with only two other ingredients -- water and distiller’s yeast," said Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech and a native of Ireland.

"As yeast technology forms a large part of our core business, we have developed our own distiller’s yeast to use in the whiskey making process. Once the distillation process has finished, the whiskey will then be aged for three years in barrels from Alltech’s Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company in Lexington, Kentucky. ... This way we will keep the Kentucky-Ireland connection alive."

Alltech’s Town Branch Bourbon and Pearse Lyons Reserve Single Malt Whiskey, both made in Kentucky, won gold medals in the 2012 World Spirit Awards.

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