Located in Castlewellan, Ireland, Mooney Bros. was one of the largest distilleries at the turn of the century, producing several brands of traditional Irish whiskey. It was owned by brothers Patrick and Hugh Mooney, who bought the original distillery from their Uncle. Mooney Bros. also imported vast amounts of wine and spirits, which they sold direct in their shop, and distributed throughout Ireland. The two boys were huge landowners in Co. Down, particularly around Burren, and provided the land and a lot of the trappings for the building of St. Malachy’s Church in Castlewellan. Neither married so their inheritance and the business was left to their nieces and nephew and through their life decisions it ended up that their nephew inherited it all.
St. Donard’s, commonly referred to as ‘Donard Dew,’ was one of their more popular labels. While the whiskey isn’t recalled as being especially amazing, not many bottles of Donard Dew are left out there, so they remain on a lot of collector’s grail list simply due to their scarcity. This example is well-worn, but an artifact proving that this whiskey did indeed exist!
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