Sliabh Liag Distillers Podcast - My Favourite Irish Whiskey with James Doherty & Graeme Bell
On this episode of "My Favo(u)rite Irish..." I got to spend some time back in May with James Doherty, owner, and Graeme Bell, distiller, at the Ardara Distillery in Donegal which is home to Sliabh Liag Distillers.
Hands up, it was my first time visiting Donegal, and I suspect I’m not the only Irish person who’s guilty of that. I got there at the end of a wonderful 6 day road trip that took me through Galway, Mayo, Sligo, and then into Donegal and everywhere I went on the road trip the welcome was worthy of the Céad Míle Fáilte, or One Hundred Thousand Welcomes that were famous for.
Nowhere more so than at the Ardara Distillery where James and Graeme were incredibly generous with their time as we talked about lots of things. The background to Sliabh Liag, the Ardara Distillery, and their Silkie Whiskey Label. How two Englishmen ended up in this beautiful part of Ireland, sometimes referred to as the Forgotten County due to its remoteness. We touched on Donegal's distilling past and James’ ancestry which included some illicit spirit making. We talked about “grains in” whiskey making as Sliabh Liag is currently the only distillery on the island that uses this approach.
And we talked about the future, and what whiskeys we can expect to see from Sliabh Liag in the coming years as their own distilled stocks slowly come to age.
And we did all of this talking while sipping on the Irish Whiskey that brought me here, The Legendary Silkie, whiskey that’s responsible for my interest in the peated styles of Irish Whiskey.
Links for more info…
Sliabh Liag Distillery Website
Wild Atlantic Way Information
Other Donegal Distilleries
Baoilleach Distillery
Crolly Distillery
Local Pubs recommended by James & Graeme
Nancys
The Corner House
The Tavern
John Joe's Pub
Evelyn's Central Bar
Rusty Mackerel
