Our Whiskey Making Process

Underbacks

You are standing on a walkway over the lower circular underback. On your right is the upper underback. From the mash tuns, the worts drained down into the upper underback, flowed out into copper piping which was laid in the bed of the river Brosna to cool the worts. The cooled worts then collected in the lower underback. The set of pumps behind the lower underback were used to pump the cooled worts up to the fermentation vats.

Waterwheel

The water to turn the wheel is brought from the river Brosna, in the mill race. The waterwheel is an undershot wheel, requiring large amounts of brisk water to keep its large paddles turning.

Drive Shaft

The drive shaft turns all the machinery in the distillery. One end is connected to the waterwheel, and the other to the steam engine. The waterwheel alone powered the distillery until the 1880s, when the steam engine was installed as an alternative source of power.

Steam Engine

A backup option much like a modern-day generator, the steam engine was used about 3 or 4 days a year if the waterwheel needed repair or if the water level was not right to turn it. The steam for the engine came from boilers in what is now the restaurant.

Old Cooperage

The cooperage is where minor repairs to casks were made. All casks used previously held other spirits. The first wave of Kilbeggan(R) casks had previously held sherry and were made of oak, which imparted a distinctive flavour on the whiskey. The cooper would remove the top and singe the inside of the cask (a process known as charring). This process gives the colour to whiskey. Today, Kilbeggan(R) uses oak casks from America that previously held bourbon.

Old Spirits Store

The spirit store consists of the Blue Vat and the filling and weighing apparatus. The freshly-distilled whiskey was moved to the Blue Vat, where distilled water was added to bring the whiskey to the proper strength before transferring it to aging casks.

Copper Pot Stills

This pot still was made in the early 1800s, and is the oldest working pot still producing whiskey in the world today. This freshly made Pot Still Whiskey is then filled into small oak casks to be matured in our warehouses.

Rackhouse

The casks here are filled with maturing whiskey. Today, by law, all Irish whiskey must mature for a minimum period of 3 years and 1 day, before it can legally be called "Whiskey", although some of our whiskeys are much older. During this period of maturation, the whiskey absorbs the majority of it flavours from the wood.

Gift Shop

Visit our gift shop to find the perfect present for a whiskey lover, or a momento from your visit.

Restaurant

Refuel after your visit with a trip to our on-site restaurant.

Brewing Vats

The water from the Brosna River filled into three large brewing vats, where it was heated by steam generated on the ground floor.

Mill Stones

These three mill stones ground all the grain needed for distilling. The top stone turned approximately 115 times per minute. The grain went down into the centre of the stones and came out, ground, at the sides. The grain elevator on the pulley belt behind the stones brought the ground grain from the millstones up to the loft.

Mash Tuns

These iron containers with perforated tile floors acted like giant food mixers. The hot water moved from the brewing vats through the perforated false floor. A mixture of grain fell into the tuns through the sacking chute from the overhead loft. The water and grain was mixed for 3 to 4 hours, breaking down the starches in the grain into sugar. This mixture was then absorbed by the water, making a sugary liquid called wort. The worts then drained out through the two openings at the side of the mash tuns. The spent grains that were left were sold to farmers which provided excellent cattle and pig feed.

Fermentation Vat

Wort was was pumped into these fermentation vats, where distillers added yeast. This yeast converted the sugars into alcohol, releasing carbon dioxide in the process. This took place over for 3-4 days until the yeast had “worked its way through”. The end product of this process was a liquid called “wash”. The wash was like a frothy beer and was about 7-8% alcohol. The workers called it “pig ale,” as it was so rough to swallow.

Customs & Excise Desk

This was the "office" of the Revenue officer for his visits to inspect all distilling processes onsite. To this day, one must have a desk available for a member of the Irish Government Revenue office should he or she choose to visit.

Old Pot Stills

The stills were first filled with wash, then fires were lit underneath. The stills were initially heated by locally produced turf, later, imported coal was used. Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water, and with steady heat the alcohol evaporated. This evaporated alcohol then condensed as it passed through copper pipes in cold water tanks. The condensed liquid collected in the canpit room. Once enough had collected, the liquid passed out to the stills to be distilled again. After distilling, a clear strong alcohol called First Shot was produced. It was not unlike good poitín (illegal Irish whiskey).

New Distillery

In 2010, the addition of mashing and fermenting equipment to the distillery allows the complete distilling processes, from grain to cask, to occur under one roof for select Kilbeggan Distilling Company whiskeys.