Dunville’s Have Just Unveiled the Best Packaged Whiskey of the Year – 18 Year Old Port Mourant Rum Finish

The Echlinville Distillery (County Down, Northern Ireland) has unveiled its highly anticipated award winning Dunville’s VR 18 Year Old Port Mourant Rum Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey, which is quite possibly the best whiskey packaging we’ve ever seen in Irish Whiskey.

 

This 18 Year Old Whiskey is something that the team in Echlinville have been working on for some time. This cask strength (57% abv) limited release whiskey is from the first of eight incredibly rare casks from the lost Port Mourant Estate Distillery in Guyana.

With four international awards already to its name, this 18 Year Old will now take its place as the jewel in the Dunville’s crown, joining the 12 Year Old PX finish Single Malt, the Dunville’s Three Crowns and the Dunville’s Three Crowns Peated.

Thankfully, earlier this year, I sat down with the good folks at Echlinville to taste through this new release and discuss the level of work that goes into a launch like this. Unsurprisingly, Jarlath Watson of Echlinville, informed me that it was quite an undertaking to deliver both a stellar whiskey while also crafting a package that reflected the whiskey’s premium qualities.

For instance, the casks used for creating this rum finish were some of the last rum barrels from the lost Port Mourant Estate Distillery in Guyana. They had previously matured an exceptional 41 year old Demerara Rum from the world’s last surviving double wooden pot still. If that wasn’t impressive enough, every bottle of Dunville’s Rum Cask Finish is accompanied by a sample of the 41 Year Old Rum that was matured in these Port Mourant barrels. Which is simply the cherry on top for this fantastic whiskey, which is presented alongside this rum sample in an exquisite collector’s box, the contents of which have been carefully curated to reflect both Dunville’s rich heritage and the unique provenance of the rare rum casks in which the whiskey has been finished. The accompanying Dunville’s book brings you on a visual and informative tour of the brand’s long and successful history throughout the years, while the bespoke hand painted Dunville’s Whisky mirror makes a great addition to any whisk(e)y fans’ collection.

Jarlath continued: “Dunville’s VR 18 Year Old Port Mourant Rum Finish is the perfect marriage of mature Irish Single Malt and exquisite Caribbean Rum, having been masterfully finished in some of the last remaining casks from the famous Port Mourant Estate Distillery.

“Founded in 1732, the Port Mourant Estate Distillery produced some of the world’s finest Demerara Rums. Each of their casks was lined with rich dark molasses treacle before being filled with rum from their iconic wooden still.

“The 2015 bottling of an exquisite 41 year old Port Mourant Estate Demerara Rum presented us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to obtain eight of those exceptional casks, with a level of quality and provenance seldom seen in ex-rum barrels.

“From the moment we got our hands on these Port Mourant Estate casks we knew this whiskey was going to be very special indeed. The intensity of flavour that is so unique to these casks now resonates through the nose, palate and finish of our whiskey.

Jarlath continued: “Originally produced at the Royal Irish Distilleries in Belfast, Dunville’s was among the world’s most iconic whiskey brands until production fell silent in 1936.

“As custodians of the Dunville’s name, we are hugely proud of the brand’s rich heritage – a heritage that is celebrated in the beautifully ornate box in which our rum finish whiskey is presented. Alongside a replica of an original Dunville’s mirror, the box also includes a book detailing the story of the brand from its birth in 1808 until its rebirth here at Echlinville and beyond.

“Today marks a new chapter in that story and we are very excited to see what lies ahead for The Spirit of Belfast.”

Dunville’s VR 18 Year Old Port Mourant Rum Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey is available from The Echlinville Distillery and select retail outlets RRP £585.

For more information visit www.echlinville.com