Kinsale Spirit Co. Three Of A Kind

Kinsale Spirit Co.'s Red Earl Blended Irish Whiskey is a blend of grain Irish whiskey aged in ex-bourbon barrels and triple-distilled malt aged in ex-sherry casks. After maturing for 45 months, these whiskeys are combined and then aged for at least an additional 4 months in ex-Rioja casks. The choice of Rioja casks, known for their spicy fruit notes, pays homage to the final resting place of Red Hugh, which is close to Spain's Rioja region.   ‘As bold as the hero that inspires it’ Red Hugh O Donnell is known as one of the great heroes of our Irish history. As chieftain of a powerful Irish dynasty in north west Ireland, he led the success of numerous battles against the forces of Queen Elizabeth I. The valiant young man became Earl of Tyrconnell after escaping five years of captivity in Dublin Castle at the hands of the English army. He fled across large mountains and the harsh Irish landscape in the height of winter and as a result suffered severe frostbite, resulting in the loss of a big toe on each foot. As chieftain, he formed a number of alliances with various Irish clans to challenge English power in Ireland. This included the powerful alliance with rival clan, the O’ Neills, led by his future father-in law and courageous leader Hugh O’ Neill. Together they fought in the ‘Nine Years War’ to drive their common enemy out of Ireland. It began promisingly as the Irish won a grave amount of victories! After persuasion from O Donnell and O Neill, in 1601 Spain’s King Philip III sent Don Juan del Águila and Don Diego Brochero to Ireland with thousands of Spanish men to help fight their common enemy. However when they arrived at the port of Kinsale they were surrounded by English troops which resulted in Irish defeat. The battle of Kinsale saw the loss of many Irish and Spanish lives! The Irish army returned to Ulster and our hero Red Hugh set off to Spain to seek further help as Ireland was now completely under British rule. Red Hugh died after just nine months of being in Spain, where it is believed he was poisoned by a British spy while he slept. Today he is buried near the Rioja wine region in Spain.

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Kinsale Spirit Co. Great Earl Single Grain Irish Whiskey is a combination of Rechar-barrelled grain Irish whiskey and virgin oak grain, matured for 45 months and then merged to spend a further minimum period of 3 months in ex-Sangiovese casks, sourced exclusively for us from the Lazio region of Italy, a nod to the final resting place of the Great Earl in the Vatican in Rome.   Hugh “The Great Earl” O Neill, a celebrated general, was undaunted despite the odds. Having rescued Red Hugh O Donnell, following his escape from Dublin Castle, they fought side-by-side with Juan del Aguila, “the Spanish Earl,” at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601. Leaving Ireland in the Flight of the Earls in 1607, he died in Rome nine years later, where he is still buried and immortalised in a fresco in Vatican City. Friend to kings, popes and leaders, we have reflected his story in this unique Single Grain Irish Whiskey, casked in Rechar and Virgin oak, then finished in Italian Sangiovese casks, a nod to his final days in Rome.

  ‘Born without fear,’ in 1545, Juan del Aguila served with valour, commanding armies across Europe and Africa. He fought alongside Red Hugh O Donnell and The Great Earl during an arduous, two month campaign at the Battle of Kinsale, the ultimate battle in England’s conquest of Gaelic Ireland and the climax of the Nine Years’ War. During this time, he lodged in Portney’s Lane, Cork, and was a popular figure with locals. This influences the stout finish of Spanish Earl Single Malt Irish Whiskey, combined with a hint of rum ageing, for extra sweetness and nose. Returning to Spain, helping wounded troops from his own funds, he died, bruised but not beaten, in 1602.

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Spanish Earl Single Malt Irish Whiskey starts its ageing in ex-Bourbon casks for nearly 4 years and then is split into two finishing casks, ex-Imperial stout and ex-aged, golden Jamaican rum. The two triple-distilled malt Irish whiskeys are then recombined after at least 3 months apart, and bottled. The stout element is inspired by Juan del Aguila’s time spent in Cork, renowned the world over for stout production for hundreds of years, while rum, being the preferred drink of seafarers of old, lends sweet toffee to the dark chocolate of the stout.