The makers of Shortcross Gin have completed a €2.8 million redevelopment of their Co. Down based distillery, which will treble production capacity.
Rademon Estate Distillery has been totally transformed with the addition of two new copper stills, which will increase the distillery’s production capacity to over 50,000 litres of alcohol per annum, marking the completion of a 20-month investment programme.
The company has unveiled its new still house with the commissioning complete of its new copper pot column stills. The new still is considered to be the most advanced gin still in use in Ireland. With a capacity of 1,071 litres, it utilises two ten-plate enrichment columns, which will allow the distillery to produce highly aromatic and flavoursome spirits. The increased capacity afforded by the new still will enable the distillery to treble its production volumes as demand for Shortcross Gin grows globally.
On the back of the ongoing growth within the Irish whiskey category, Rademon Estate Distillery has also increased both its brewing and distilling capacity by over 500%, as it continues production of its single malt Irish whiskey. This investment includes the installation of a 1,750 litre copper pot still that is dedicated to whiskey production, while additional fermentation capacity has also been added within the still house.
Commenting on the announcement, David Boyd-Armstrong, Head Distiller at Rademon Estate Distillery said, “The completion of this sizeable investment marks an important milestone for Rademon Estate Distillery, as we upscale our production to meet growing demand for Shortcross Gin. This is also an exciting time as we prepare to test the first batch of our new Single Malt Irish Whiskey, with a view to release later this year, or in early 2019.”
The investment also includes the addition of a contemporary new visitor experience centre. The completion of this phase of the development will open up new revenue streams through the provision of regular distillery tours and private events. The new visitors experience centre forms part of the Irish Whiskey Association’s Irish Whiskey Tourism Trail, which is seeking to increase visitor numbers to distillery across the island of Ireland from 653,000 visitors in 2015 to 1.94 million visitors by 2025.
