Jarlath Watson: Blending Echlinville’s Innovation with Belfast’s Whiskey Traditions

The Echlinville Distillery on the Ards Peninsula became Northern Ireland’s first licensed distillery in over 125 years when distilling its first spirit in 2013. Seven years later and their whiskey is still sleeping soundly, waiting patiently for its time in the sun once more. At Echlinville you get the sense that nothing should be rushed, no shortcuts should be taken and if it costs more and takes longer to do things the right way, then so be it.

While we all wait to see the fruits of their own farm-grown barley, we’re not being left thirsty because the team at Echlinville has filled these patient years with the resurrection of one of Belfast’s most historic and impactful whiskey brands – Dunville’s. The Dunville’s range of Irish whiskeys have been winging their way around the world over the past few years and both their core range of whiskeys and occasional limited run releases are highly sought after. It’s not unusual for single cask releases bearing the Dunville’s name to sell out in minutes and for good reason.

In this episode of Stories & Sips I spent a very enjoyable afternoon chatting with Jarlath Watson, global brand ambassador and part of the founding team of this extraordinary distillery. We sipped on some Dunville’s Irish whiskey and I learned more about the history of the brand and Echlinville’s impressive approach to growing, malting and distilling.