ABOUT our founder
Mourne Dew Distillery was established in 2017 by our current MD Donal Farrell.
A native of Rostrevor with a Mourne ancestry going back centuries, Donal used to be a practising barrister and chartered accountant but some years ago he acted in a court case which led to him going down a totally different career path. The case involved the use of cold distillation by forensic scientists for the purpose of DNA extraction. Cold distillation had to be a gentle and delicate process so as to avoid damaging the complex DNA molecule and that led Donal to think about its potential commercial in the world of spirits.
Many years ago Donal’s great-grandfather and grandfather both had a reputation as poitín and whiskey distillers and the once in a lifetime chance to resurrect a family tradition seemed too good to pass over, so he resigned from his legal career and started to learn about the world of whiskey and gin and distillation.
The result was the setting up of a distillery, which, along with the making of traditional Irish whiskeys, aimed to develop cold distillation as a way to make ultra high-quality spirits, whose ultimate quality depended on the purity of the distillate. Old handed-down recipes and mash bills were used for our whiskeys, and poitíns and gins were developed using a combination of botanicals native to the Mourne Mountains along with some from more exotic climes.
About mourne dew
We are a fusion of ancient and modern in that old recipes have been updated using modern technology. Tried and tested techniques are augmented with cutting edge distillation and flavour development processes to produce outstanding award-winning spirits.
Our family connection with distilling goes back to (at least) the 1870s when, my great-grandfather and my grandfather were known for their poitín and whiskey making skills. The stories I heard as a child remained with me through to adulthood and were the inspiration behind the setting up of Mourne Dew Distillery. I wanted to reawaken the spirit of those days and also to bring something new to the world of spirits. Accordingly, we created our whiskeys from old mash bills and chose wood policies for optimum maturation of each individual whiskey spirit before finally deciding on a blending for both our Blended Irish and our Single Malt whiskeys.
We also started to develop an expertise in vacuum distillation and build a knowledge base of how various botanicals and distillates behave when subject to low temperature distillation. This resulted in us building our own pot stills for poitín, gin and vodka distillation. We now distil liquors which contain all the desired flavours from the source botanicals whilst leaving all the unpleasant elements that can be produced by conventional distillation behind in the residue.
In the past seven years have achieved so much more than we ever thought was possible with the result that we are now producing spirits of a quality to match any distillery in the world.
Our range of award-winning Irish whiskeys, gins, poitíns, vodkas and liqueurs are the finest examples of their genres that you will come across. I hope you will agree!
our identity
The Mourne Dew Lunula
The lunula is a style of Neolithic jewellery found in Ireland and other parts of Europe, reputedly made from gold from the Mourne Mountains. Dating back to between 2400 and 2000 BC, over 80 of these beautiful necklaces have been unearthed in Ireland. They symbolize fullness and the realisation of all possibilities, making it a fitting emblem for Mourne Dew Distillery. It represents our goal of realising our ambitions of creating the best spirits and liqueurs possible.
Our Colours
Our brand color is Irish blue, as used in the Coat of Arms of Ireland dating back to 1392. While we employ modern technology in our distillation processes, our roots are deeply grounded in the ancient soil of Ireland, reflecting our strong Mourne heritage.
THE FAIRY POITÍN STILLS OF MOURNE
Somewhere between the steely granite outcrops and the lush woodlands of the southern slopes of ancient Mourne, lie hidden fairy stills, ancient vessels in which the finest poitín this side of heaven is created. The enchanted Mourne liquor, more precious than any gold, has been distilled from the fairies’ own herbs and berries, drenched in the dew of early dawn and kissed by the rising sun…
Artist Collaboration - Capturing Spirits
Our bottles are adorned with the captivating artwork of local artist Kathryn Callaghan. Instead of using brushes, she pours inky mixes freestyle, capturing energy and spirit much like we aim to do at Mourne Dew.
Kathryn’s technique is driven by her desire to capture the essence of her subjects. She strives to represent feelings and memories, rather than produce exact visual representations. Art, from her perspective, has the power to connect with our inner thoughts and memories, thus igniting emotions.
Kathryn’s studio, located near Strangford Lough in County Down, is open by appointment, and you can explore more of her work on her website or social media.
Website: kathryncallaghan.co.uk
Facebook and Instagram: @kcfineart
