New Kilbeggan whiskey well worth the half a century wait

Great excitement surrounded the launch of Kilbeggan Distillery's first new whiskey in over 53 years on Friday last week.Kilbeggan Distillery is in fact the oldest distillery in the world, founded in 1757, and for over 200 years it produced some of the finest whiskey until the stills ran dry in 1957.Now it hopes to return to its former glory with the new Kilbeggan Distillery Reserve Malt, which is produced from the oldest pot still in the world that dates back to 1830.Members of the local heritage group were in attendance to witness the launch of the new whiskey, as they played a key role in ensuring the survival of the distillery during the years it lay dormant. Also in attendance were distillery employees, without whom the world's oldest still could not have been brought back to life.The whiskey world has waited in anticipation for half a century for the first new bottling from the historic Kilbeggan distillery. Distilled from 100 percent malted barley, the Kilbeggan Distillery Reserve, due to the distinctive narrow necks of the ancient potstill design, is an exceptionally smooth and flavoursome Irish Malt whiskey of distinctive character.Speaking at the launch, John Teeling, Chairman of Cooley Distillery said it was a significant landmark in the rejuvenation of the great Kilbeggan distilling tradition:"A huge amount of hard work by Cooley employees and the local heritage committee has gone into getting us to this day. It is a labour of love to re-establish the Kilbeggan Distillery as a centre of distilling excellence,"Mr. Teeling said."Today's whiskey, though young, has a distinct character both smooth and flavoursome, a character that will only improve with age," he added.Friday also marked the unveiling of the recently rebranded Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey. Currently sold in over 35 international markets, the Kilbeggan brand is Cooley Distillery's flagship blended whiskey. The rebrand project involved creating an over-arching identity for the Kilbeggan Irish whiskey brand and the Kilbeggan Distillery. The Kilbeggan 15 Year Old Irish whiskey was honoured recently as the Best Whiskey in the World at the 2009 International Wine and Spirits Competition in London. The rebranded Kilbeggan is being rolled out in Germany and the US with all other markets following suit over the next few moths. This will be followed by the release of a range of brand extensions including a Super Premium Kilbeggan 18 Year Old.