THE north’s newest hospitality offering Hinch Distillery has opened its booking system for guided whiskey and gin tours as restrictions ease.
Set in the heart of Co Down at the Killaney Estate, and home to the globally acclaimed Hinch Irish Whiskey and Ninth Wave Irish Gin brands, the venue will have its inaugural gin tour on August 1, accommodating 10 guests and gradually increasing capacity to 16 guests as restrictions allow. Whiskey tours are available to enjoy during June, and beyond.
'The Experience' will unwrap the mastery behind making a world-renowned whiskey and gin, as well as the story behind the business.
Guests will also soak up the individual steps of the distilling process on the tour including the Ingredients room, mash house, still house, spectrum room and the tasting room where they can sample some whiskeys while enjoying the sleek, modern decor that has been masterminded by the same team behind New York’s Dead Rabbit.
The Ninth Wave Gin tour will allow guests to not only uncover the craft involved in making gin, but lend their hand in making their very own bespoke gin to bring home by attending the Gin School Experience.
The full reopening of the distillery, including its new restaurant, retail shop and events spaces has been a long time coming for the business, which opened its doors in November 2019, with plans to launch its £15 million facility and visitor attraction last summer.
Pandemic-induced restrictions on social establishments saw it postpone that launch until May 24 when it opened the doors to its Hinch Brasserie restaurant, the newest culinary offering in Northern Ireland, featuring a menu of Irish fusion dishes.
The Hinch Distillery complex was founded by entrepreneur Dr Terry Cross OBE, who previously owned Delta Print and Packaging Limited.
No stranger to the drinks sector, Dr Cross took over Château de La Ligne, a Bordeaux vineyard, over 20 years ago, and restored it to its former glory. He has been carrying on the tradition of the estate by producing a variety of Bordeaux Merlots and more over the years.
He said: “For many people, Hinch Distillery is a brand new asset in the tourism crown here, but for us it’s already been a wild and wonderful journey of securing massive contracts internationally and beckoning prestigious awards.
“We’ve been very innovative in this time launching a wide and varied selection of spirits; from small releases of beer cask finished whiskeys and others finished in unusual casks, to our new Ninth Wave Export Gin which at 46 per cent has even bigger and bolder flavours than its classic sibling’s 43 per cent ABV. This is available from June 25.
“To finally be able to launch our tours and expose that range to the public is a very proud moment. We can’t wait to showcase what we’ve been doing, how we’ve been doing it and begin what will be a story of indigenous NI craft, skill and hospitality.”
Alan Greer, Hinch visitors centre sales development manager, added: “Hinch Distillery has been working hard behind the scenes since its production lines opened in November 2019 and distilling started on site last November and to be able to unveil that process in its entirety to the Northern Ireland public and our visitors has been a highly anticipated moment.
“The visitor tour experience will be unlike no other and really enrich the drinks tourism sector in Northern Ireland. We hope to educate and indulge whiskey connoisseurs and novices alike in the coming months and expect big demand for both our whiskey and gin tours.
“As the staycation market is extremely strong this year, we do believe booking slots will sell extremely well and urge interested individuals and parties to book today for the coming months.”
Each whiskey tour will last approximately one hour with prices ranging from £18 to £27. Ten guests at a time will undertake each tour with a specialist guide.
Among the tours are The Classic Whiskey Tour (£18) which will conclude with a duo of whiskey tastings while the Premium Whiskey Tour (£27) will incorporate a tasting of four Hinch whiskeys.
Gin Tours last 1.5 hours and cost £45 including a 50cl bottle of a personally blended gin to take home. Additional bottles can also be ordered for gifting. For further information, visit hinchdistillery.com.
