Killowen Distillery Showcase | Belfast Whiskey Week 2023

Name: Belfast Whiskey Week 2026
Start: 2026-07-24
End: 2026-08-01
Location: Belfast

Filed: 15 Jul 2023
By: Belfast Whiskey Week
Read: 5 min
Ref: BWW/23/236

There are distilleries, and then there is Killowen. On Tuesday 25th October 2023, Belfast Whiskey Week welcomed Brendan Carty and his team down from the Mourne Mountains to the grand surroundings of the Merchant Hotel for an evening that felt less like a tasting event and more like a homecoming — one of those rare nights where the duchas of a place and the spirit of a craft converge in a glass.

About This Event

Killowen Distillery is nothing more than a small miracle within the Irish Whiskey Industry. From day 1; Brendan Carty has stuck by his many principles, he has pushed limits, he has never given up, nor will he ever. The smallest licensed distillery in Ireland, with the biggest of ambitions! Killowen have stepped away from the Distillery this year as they are making some major upgrades to double production. This means we welcome Killowen to Belfast, to the Merchant, where they will be treating us to a Masterclass and dipping into casks of the future. We have been blessed to have Killowen support the festival since we started. We remember Brendan in the Duke of York handing out his Gin, Poitín and his New Make Spirit. His enthusiasm, his dedication and his passion has only gotten stronger; a bit like his whiskies. This year Killowen have teamed up with Neary Nógs Stone Ground Chocolate, just down the road from the distillery. Neary Nógs have some epic chocolates, as well as hot chocolate drinking packs that are Devine. Enjoy the bespoke chocolate pairing with Neary Nógs Nogs, and the light bites from the prestigious Merchant and savour one of Ireland’s most progressive whiskies while listening to what the future holds for Killowen. Timeslot: 6pm-9pm Start Time: 6pm Duration: 3hrs Venue: The Merchant Drinks: 5 Drinks Type: Showcase Disclaimers Please note that individual dietary requirements are not being catered for with any food at this event. Each Brand/Distillery and Collaborative Partner have agreed to our Min/Max Pour Policy. Please Respect this, and enjoy your festival responsibly. Festival Participants who are deemed to be too inebriated, or are not respecting themselves, will not be permitted into events and venues. ALL Hosts/Ushers/Collaborators and Venue Staff have the right to refuse participants without question and recourse. Please Drink Responsibly. All events are only available to those 18 years old and over. Do not purchase tickets if you are under the age of 18. Be prepared to produce ID if required. Venue staff & ushers may ask you to provide ID when showing your valid tickets. You may be refused enter to events if you can’t prove your age. Some venues may change, if they do, you will be notified. All events are subject to changes out of the control of the festival organisers. Any issues, please contact us @belfastwhiskeyweek on socials, or via email on marketing@belfastwhiskeyweek.com or 07773675179 (8am-8pm) to discuss. NO Refunds will be given. Please only buy tickets if you are prepared to attend the event. Tickets are transferable. If you are going to transfer tickets please email, marketing@belfastwhiskeyweek.com

Looking Back

Killowen Distillery is, by the numbers, the smallest licensed distillery in Ireland. By every other measure, it is one of the most significant. Nestled in the shadow of the Mournes, Brendan Carty has spent years making craft Irish single pot still whiskey that has had the entire whiskey community quietly leaning in, passing word, and watching with the kind of reverent attention that no marketing budget can buy. This year, with major production upgrades underway back at the distillery — work that would eventually double capacity — Brendan brought the show to Belfast instead, and the Merchant Hotel was all the better for it.

Those who had followed the Killowen story since the beginning felt the weight of that journey in the room. The early days, when Brendan stood in the Duke of York on Commercial Court, pressing samples of his gin, poitín and new make spirit into curious hands with the fervent energy of a man who had nothing but belief and a still — that seanchas, that living memory of where the brand came from, hung warmly over proceedings. From those improvisational, generous beginnings to a three-hour masterclass in one of Belfast's most prestigious venues, the arc of Killowen's story is one of sheer, principled perseverance. The uisce beatha in the glasses told that story without a word needing to be said.

The evening's programme was structured around a masterclass and a privileged glimpse into casks yet to be released — futures expressed in oak and time. Five pours guided guests through the Killowen canon and beyond, with Brendan offering the kind of candid, forward-looking commentary that only someone who has built something with their own hands can give. But the masterstroke of the night was the partnership with Neary Nógs Stone Ground Chocolate, a craft chocolatier who, as fate and geography would have it, operates just down the road from the distillery in County Down. Their bespoke chocolate pairings — rich, considered, and genuinely complementary — elevated each pour, and their stone ground methodology found an easy kinship with Killowen's own refusal to take shortcuts. The Merchant's light bites provided a grounding counterpoint to what was, by any measure, a generous and multi-sensory evening. If you were curious about events elsewhere in the festival that week, the Indie Bottlers: Can We Expect Better? session offered a thoughtful counterpoint on craft and curation, while closer to home in spirit, Glens of Antrim Distillery's Showcase was celebrating another Ulster producer finding its voice.

What made this event more than a fine tasting was the atmosphere of mutual appreciation between Killowen and the festival itself. BWW has grown alongside this distillery; both have pushed at limits, both have refused to be small in their thinking even when resources demanded otherwise. For long-time festival-goers, the evening carried the warmth of something earned — a sláinte raised not just to good whiskey, but to the long road walked to get there. For first-timers, it was an immaculate introduction to one of Ireland's most progressive and principled producers. You can explore the full Killowen Distillery range and see why this is a name that continues to grow in stature and reach. The Mournes have always produced something worth coming south for — and on this particular Tuesday in October, that truth was very much alive in every pour.