Shortcross Rademon Estate Distillery Day – Belfast Whiskey Week 2025

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

Filed: 15 Jul 2025
By: Belfast Whiskey Week
Read: 4 min
Ref: BWW/25/844

On a bright Thursday in July, Belfast Whiskey Week took to the road — south out of the city, through the drumlin country of County Down, and through the gates of Rademon Estate, home of Shortcross Irish Whiskey. The Distillery Day on 24th July 2025 was one of those events that reminded us why the uisce beatha tastes best when you're standing close to where it was made.

About This Event

24th July 2025: Leaves from Room 2 Hotel
Departs Belfast: 12:00pm
Departs Venue: 17:00pm
Duration: 6hrs

If you’ve never tasted Shortcross Whiskey, you’ve definitely been missing out.

We challenge you not to be impressed by the eclectic selection of distillery-produced whiskies from Shortcross Rademon Estate.

Located just 30 minutes from Belfast, near the town of Crossgar, this historic estate stretches over 500 acres and dates back to the 6th Century. Now part of the new Irish whiskey movement, the family-run distillery quietly crafts incredible Gins, Poitín, and Whiskeys—each full of character and taste.

On this exclusive BWW tour, you’ll begin your flavour exploration with a guided whiskey tasting experience. Join the distillers at their small craft distillery and cask warehouse, including a rare sampling of Shortcross Whiskey straight from the cask.

To elevate your tasting, enjoy a fine spread of local produce—cheese, tapenade, charcuterie and more—all carefully selected to complement the rich flavour profiles of Shortcross's whiskies.

Bonus: All guests will have the opportunity to purchase an exclusive BWW 2025 limited expression with a 10% discount available only during the Distillery Day.

Whiskey, heritage, and flavour—distilled together in the heart of County Down.

Looking Back

The coach pulled away from Room 2 Hotel at noon, and by the time Crossgar came into view the mood was already warm — the kind of easy anticipation that comes from knowing you're heading somewhere genuinely special. Rademon Estate is not a manufactured whiskey destination; it carries real dúchas, real rootedness. The estate stretches over 500 acres and traces its history back to the 6th century, and you feel that long continuity the moment you pass through its grounds. That a craft distillery has been quietly at work here since 2015, producing spirits of real distinction, feels less like a business decision and more like a natural return.

The welcome from the Rademon team set the tone for the afternoon. Guests were brought through the small craft distillery and into the cask warehouse — the kind of space where the air itself seems to carry flavour, dense with the slow breath of maturing spirit. The highlight for many was the rare opportunity to taste Shortcross Whiskey drawn directly from the cask, uncut and unfiltered, a glimpse behind the curtain that most whiskey lovers rarely get. Shortcross's range is built on three copper pot stills, and standing beside them with a glass in hand made the story of each expression feel immediate and tangible rather than merely printed on a label.

To elevate the tasting further, the team had laid on a considered spread of local produce — cheese, charcuterie, tapenade and more — chosen with care to complement the character of each whiskey rather than compete with it. This is a detail that matters. Pairing good food with good spirit is an act of hospitality that belongs to the oldest traditions of Ulster welcome, and Rademon carried it off without fuss. The conversation flowed as freely as the samples, and the afternoon took on the relaxed quality of a gathering among friends rather than a ticketed event.

For those keeping an eye on their collections, the exclusive BWW 2025 limited expression available on the day — with a 10% discount for attendees — proved a popular parting gift. Limited releases tied to a specific day and place carry their own kind of seanchas; a bottle opened years from now will bring the afternoon back in full. If you're curious about other distillery experiences that have formed part of Belfast Whiskey Week's growing tradition, the Copeland Distillery Day from BWW 2024 and the Echlinville Distillery Day (Welcome to the Warehouse) offer a sense of just how richly this strand of the festival has developed.

The coach returned to Belfast at five o'clock, pulling away from Crossgar with a group visibly warmed — by the whiskey, yes, but equally by the place itself and the generosity of the people who brought it to life. Rademon Estate Distillery is one of Northern Ireland's most compelling craft spirits stories, and Belfast Whiskey Week was proud to have shared that story, straight from the source, with the guests who made the journey. Sláinte mhaith.