Whisky 101: Interview with Roisin Rigney - Drumshanbo

The Curious Mind of PJ Rigney
A creator of new recipes, an inventor, an experimenter – PJ dreamed of building his own distillery, but not just any distillery. The location was crucial – it had to be wild, un-manicured, in the heart of rural Ireland. A place of curiosity & inspiration, surrounded by nature, immersed in rich history. He discovered the beautiful village of Drumshanbo Co.Leitrim, on the shores of Lough Allen, at the foothills of Sliabh an Iarainn (The Iron Mountain), and PJ knew he had found the location for his distillery.
It had to be an authentic distillery, a return to the traditional methods using gleaming copper pot and column stills, where PJ could experiment with wild grains, Irish flora, and exotic botanicals. The stills had to be state of the art to create the finest of Irish spirits. The Shed’s 5 gleaming copper pot stills – 3 focused on Irish Whiskey, and 2 on Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin – and 2 copper column stills – focusing on Sausage Tree Pure Irish Vodka – were especially made by Arnold Holstein in Germany and brought over to Drumshanbo, where PJ began his quest to make the Ordinary Extraordinary.
It was during the solar transit of the Winter Solstice sun in 2014, that saw the revered tradition of distilling Irish Whiskey, return to the Western province of Connacht. During this 21st of December, PJ and Denise Rigney, along with their dedicated team of distillers, laid down the first whiskey in Connacht in over 101 years. In fact, the distillation began even before the building of new distillery was even completed – PJ & Head Distiller, Brian Taft, have always been incredibly passionate and dedicated to their endeavours. With this, the Shed Distillery of PJ Rigney was born, and PJ, always true to his endeavours, began his quest to distil only the most premium of Irish Spirits.
It takes an inquisitive, questing spirit to produce the most remarkable results. Through the years, PJ Rigney has taken many journeys from the familiar into terra incognita. In time, those travels brought him here, to the wild and unspoiled landscape of Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim. And it was here that his curious mind, filled with the great oriental traditions of distilling fruit, herbs and botanicals, got to work. He created The Shed Distillery of PJ Rigney, with its medieval copper pot stills, and began a quest to fuse oriental botanicals with the local Irish ones. As it turned out, they got on very well indeed. The result of this passionate exploration is Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin – unique, extraordinary and as remarkable as the elusive creature PJ has occasionally glimpsed in the fields, the Drumshanbo Jackalope.
Here, in the heart of rural Ireland at The Shed Distillery, The Curious Mind of PJ Rigney is combined with the Skill of the Distiller, to create smooth flowing whiskey of exceptional quality. His obsession with excellence, tradition, and innovation has given birth to a truly remarkable Single Pot Still.
Melding the time-trusted method of blending Irish malted and Irish un-malted barley with the creamy texture of Irish Barra Oats, First fill ex Bourbon and Sherry Oloroso casks; this small batch Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is exceptionally smooth, creamy, spicy and a true delight for the senses.
The first Irish whiskey from the Western province of Connacht in over 105 years, this has been a long time coming, and has indeed been worth the wait.
“The Shed Distillery is a genuine destination which – together with other imaginative plans that PJ Rigney continues to develop for the business and the area – has transformed the town of Drumshanbo and even the county itself. A trailblazer of the current Irish drinks renaissance, The Shed was the first distillery to open in Connacht for over a century and its world class visitor centre offers entertaining and informative tours of the gin, vodka and whiskey production, complete with tasting and a cocktail to relax over in the magnificent Honey Badger Bar at the end of your tour” – Georgina Campbell