Killowen Distillery

Brendan Carty, an architect by training, visited Peter Bignell's Belgrove Distillery in Tasmania and was inspired by its commitment to sustainable, single-farm spirit production. On returning to Northern Ireland, he acquired a dilapidated shed in the Mourne Mountains and transformed it into a working distillery. Killowen began distilling its own Barántúil whiskey on site in 2019.

The flagship expression, Barántúil (Irish: "true to original"), was named to underpin the distillery's commitment to historical authenticity and revival of traditional Irish distilling methods. The Bonfire Series of limited and experimental releases has attracted significant critical attention. The Single Malt Rum & Raisin expression — finished in Pedro Ximénez butts and rum barrels — won Double Gold for Best Irish Whiskey at The Fifty Best competition for three consecutive years. In 2025, Killowen won Craft Producer of the Year Globally at the Icons of Whisky Awards, one of the most prestigious craft distillery accolades in the world.

Production at Killowen centres on two handmade artisan copper pot stills: Christoir (1,000 litres, the wash still) and Broc (800 litres, the spirit still). Both stills are direct-fired — heated by flame rather than steam — a method increasingly rare in modern distilling but considered to contribute to a more complex, robust spirit character. All distillate passes through worm tub condensers, making Killowen unique in Ireland for this feature and contributing to the heavier, sulphur-influenced, traditionally styled spirit. The distillery produces whiskey, poitín, gin, rum, and liqueurs.

Killowen's spirits draw on revived traditional Irish distilling methods and show a markedly different character from mainstream Irish whiskey. The flagship Barántúil whiskey is robust, direct, and traditionally styled — reflecting the direct-fire stills and worm tub condensation. The Single Malt Rum & Raisin expression, finished in Pedro Ximénez butts and rum barrels, delivers notes of coconut, vanilla, figs, prunes, and raisins over the core spirit's weight. The newest peated Killowen edition won Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, demonstrating that the traditional production approach amplifies rather than restricts the distillery's range.

Tours are available at the Mourne Mountains distillery and can be booked through the online shop at killowendistillery.com/shop/. The distillery welcomes visitors to its atmospheric Kilfeaghan Road site. No separate physical retail shop is recorded; merchandise and spirits are available online.