The Knappogue Castle Distillery is not an independent distillery but a brand of premium single malt Irish whiskey produced by Irish Distillers, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. The name Knappogue Castle comes from the historic castle in County Clare, Ireland, originally built in 1467 by the Clan MacNamara. The connection between Knappogue Castle and Irish whiskey began in the 1960s when Mark Edwin Andrews, a former US Navy officer, bought the castle and started acquiring aged casks from Irish distilleries to further mature and bottle them.
One of the most famous bottlings from Knappogue Castle is the Knappogue Castle 1951, a 36-year-old single pot still whiskey, considered one of the oldest and rarest commercially available Irish whiskeys. Today, the base whiskeys for Knappogue Castle come from carefully selected casks from the Bushmills Distillery. The brand offers various releases, including 12-, 14-, and 16-year-old versions, each distinguished by their individual aging and flavor profiles.
The current product range includes well-known releases such as the Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old, known for its light fruitiness and smooth character. The Knappogue Castle 14 Year Old is also highly regarded and stands out due to its special aging in Oloroso sherry casks, giving it a deeper and spicier note. The Knappogue Castle 16 Year Old, also known as "Twin Wood," combines aging in bourbon and sherry casks to create a balanced and complex flavor profile.
