Ireland’s whiskey distilling heritage traced back 700 years in medieval manuscript
What is your favorite whiskey distillery visit? Did you know that Ireland’s whiskey distilling heritage, traced back 700 years, is documented in the medieval manuscript known as The Red Book of Ossory. At Cara Group Travel we often add a fabulous distillery visit to our Irish itineraries, such as Achill Island, Kilbeggan and The Shed Drumshanbo.
Kilbeggan Distillery, Kilbeggan, Co
The Shed Distillery Experience, Drumshanbo, Co
A fourteenth-century manuscript famed for having one of the first descriptions of whiskey distilling will go on display in St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, in July.
The Red Book of Ossory, which gets its name from the color of its leather binding, is an important medieval episcopal register associated with the Bishop of Ossory at St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny.
The volume is internationally renowned as it contains important information such as documents of legal interest and the provisions of the Magna Carta. It also contains one of the earliest known recipes for whiskey distillation. The book refers to aqua vitae, meaning water of life. In Irish this became uisce beatha, which is where the word whiskey comes from.
The Red Book will return to its home in St Canice’s Cathedral to mark its 700-year anniversary. It will be on public display so that visitors can see its unique content including where Ireland’s whiskey tradition began.
Although this is the first known written reference to whiskey distilling in Ireland, it is believed that the distillation process was actually introduced to Ireland by monks between the eighth and eleventh centuries. They learned the art of distillation during pilgrimages to eastern countries and brought the knowledge back with them.
No matter how it started, whiskey distilling grew to become an important industry in Ireland and Irish whiskey became famous around the world. Today, whiskey is the island’s national drink and many new craft distilleries have opened adding to the diversity of Irish whiskey.
A great way to discover new and not so new Irish whiskeys is on a whiskey tour, so during your visit to Kilkenny be sure to sign up for The Irish Whiskey Walk & Tasting. The tour starts at historic Kilkenny Castle and visits some of the fascinating medieval buildings in the city including 700-year-old Kyteler’s Inn. Here you will get to sample four specially selected Irish whiskeys.
These whiskey trails take you from the heart of Dublin’s former distilling quarter to the sumptuous Powerscourt Estate, from the bustling Titanic Quarter of Belfast to the Skellig Coast of Kerry on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Are You Interested in Bringing Your Group to Ireland?
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