New tipple is just off the still

Kilbeggan distillery is shortly to offer a new nip or three as it launches a triple pack of 'fresh spirit' which will allow connoisseurs to get a flavour of how the famous whiskey tastes before it is casked and matured.Visitors to Locek"s Distillery and Museum will soon be able to purchase the whiskey that they have seen made on two working stills as they tour the premises.A still made in Tullamore in the 1840s which is used to double distil the whiskey is already operational on the site and a new specially commissioned machine which was made in Scotland will be used to triple distil the famous tipple in the coming weeks.The new product which is called Kilbeggan Irish Spirit is to be marketed for specialist shops and will be available to buy at the distillery in Kilbeggan.'The idea behind this is to give people a taste of what our whiskey is like before it is mature and the effect that the casking process has on it,' said Bernadette Quinn marketing manager with Cooley distilleries.'Some Scots distilleries are already offering the product. The idea was that the spirit would be ready by July 3 but that date has been postponed slightly. We haven"t priced the product yet but it will be available in small 10cl bottles in packs of three,' she said.