Grán na hÁite - Harvest 2022
Friends of Irish Whiskey
1/30 Cast Share Exclusive
Extra Fees ----- # Bottling fees - Alcohol Duty - VAT - Shipping #
All fees are due before bottles can be shipped
The Grán na hÁite came about from a chance meeting with a local man who lives in London, but returns regularly to his home here in Carrigart, Donegal. He paid me a visit and I mentioned to him my wish to grow some barley and oats locally for use in the distillery. Luckily he had a field I could sow and he knew the man (Billy) to sow it. We sowed 3\4 of an acre of Oats and harvested 500kg. That small harvest in 2021 set myself and Billy off on sowing 7.5 acres for the 2022 Harvest, 3 acres of Barley, 3 acres of Oat, 1 acre of Distillery barley and 1\2 acre of Rye (eaten by deer). The fields were ploughed and sown over a long weekend. The weather was fair all summer and we expected a good harvest. When the harvest came and we weighed the grains, it was quiet a bit less than expected, grain yields were down across Donegal but we are farming poorer ground right on the Atlantic coast. In Munster, barley yields are 3+ tons per acre, East Donegal 2 -2.5 tons per acre and here in Gortnabrade, Carrigart 1-1.5 tons per acre but the low yield is more than out weighted by the unique flavour. If we get a good summer for Harvest 2023 a 1.5 ton per acre yield is possible.
The Grán na hÁite - Harvest 2023 will consist of approximately 13.5 acres with a mix of Barley, Oats and Rye, we will have to see how the harvest goes.
The total mash bill for the Grán na hÁite - Harvest 2022 will be approximately 4.5 tons of Barley and 3 Tons of Oat. The harvest 2022 grains will be processed in 23 mashes and 26 distillations, double distilled over a period of 2 months in April and May 2023. 20-25% of the mash bill is malted barley which was malted on site, the malting process takes place in small batches of 220-280kg per week over the period of distillation. We expect 1500 - 1800L of spirit to be produced in total. The exact mash bill will be totalled up at the end of distillation.
The 128L Oloroso Cask is now on it way from the cooperage and should arrive in a few weeks with casking taking place in early June.
The bottling of the Grán na hÁite - 128L Oloroso cask will be determined by the distillery in conjunction with the administrators of the Friends of Irish Whiskey group. I would expect a 3-5 year timescale for the cask.
The cost of the 1\30th cask share is €220,
Extra costs including bottling costs, alcohol duty, vat and shipping will be payable after the cask is bottled.
Many Thanks to everyone who is purchasing a share in the cask, your support is much appreciated by this small distillery in the Hills of Donegal, I hope you look forward to tasting this whiskey as much as I do.
Kind Regards Michael