We’re celebrating more award wins for our single malt Irish whiskey

At Lough Gill Distillery, we’re in the business of raising glasses, so it doesn’t take much to coax us into picking up a dram in celebration, commiseration, and anything in-between. But, today we’re very much toasting success because our whiskeys have won not one, but two awards in the prestigious SIP Awards.
In the 2021 awards, our Keshcorran was awarded an amazing Platinum Medal and Consumer Choice award, with our Knocknarea being awarded a fantastic Double Gold and Consumer Choice Award.

This latest decoration means that all three of our Creation Trilogy series of whiskeys are now award-winners, with our Annacoona scooping the Platinum Medal in the 2020 SIP Awards.

This year’s competition was particularly tough - there was a record-breaking 1,183 submissions, which makes taking home platinum and gold awards all the sweeter. 

While any medal in recognition of your whiskey is lovely, we’re especially proud of picking up these SIP awards. Why? Well, this is an awards body where consumer feedback is taken into account rather than professional judges - it's the only international spirit competition that not only recognises the voices of the consumers but uses them to decide who’s going home with a medal. This means that when an award like this is won, it’s a pretty big deal because it’s an honest reflection of the spirit, without some of the biases that can come with traditional drinks awards. Oh, and it’s a blind tasting too, so the judges don’t know what they’re trying before they pour and sip - they just know what they like when they like it! Basically, these accolades show that whiskey drinkers enjoy the taste and complexities of Athru - and that’s great news for us because we know to keep making more of what you love!

Our Keshcorran, which scooped the Platinum Medal and Consumer Choice Award, takes its name from the mystical fairy mountain near Sligo, the reputed birthplace of King Cormac, the first great high king of Ireland. This single malt Irish whiskey is aged for 11 years in American oak casks and finished for 3 in the finest Tokaji casks from one of the oldest vineyards in Hungary. It’s warm gold in colour, and on the palate, there’s an abundance of delicious, fruity notes, from fresh green apple to honeydew melon.

The second whiskey to take the win was our Knocknarea, which was awarded Double Gold and Consumer Choice Award. This exceptional single malt Irish whiskey is aged for 11 years in American oak casks and finished for 3 in the finest Oloroso sherry casks, and gets its name from the monolithic mountain to the west of Sligo town which is the final resting place of the legendary warrior Queen Maeve. The liquid is light chestnut in colour, and on the palate, there’s hints of raisins, brown sugar, mince pies and caramel.

“We are beyond thrilled to learn that consumer judges have validated all our hard work in producing the highest quality single malt Irish whiskey,” says Lough Gill Distillery founder David Raethorne. “It’s fantastic to receive these awards when the competition this year was so tough. Alongside our wins last year for our Annacoona single malt whiskey and our Athrú Platinum branding medal and Innovation award, we’re very proud of our achievements - let’s raise a glass to Irish whiskey!”

Fancy celebrating the Athrú way? We have all of our award-winning single malt whiskeys available to buy, as well as gift sets (if you’re feeling particularly generous), and even casks to purchase, so you can invest in a whiskey-filled future with us.

See the full list of award winners at the SIP Awards here.