Porto Whiskey Weekend

Overview

The city of Porto, nestled along the Douro River, is a charming coastal city in northern Portugal, known for its colourful buildings, historic bridges and relaxed, old world vibe. It has a rich maritime history and is famous for its narrow cobbled streets, baroque churches and the iconic Dom Luis II Bridge. It has also been the hub for ageing, blending and shipping Port for centuries, and is home to some of the world’s most recognised brands such as Sandeman and Taylor’s.

We’re taking you on a journey to learn all about Port. Port wine is a fortified sweet wine from the Douro Valley in Portugal, made by adding grape spirit during fermentation to stop it early, preserving natural sugars and increasing alcohol content. It comes in several styles, including Ruby Port, which is young and fruit-forward, Tawny Port, which is aged in wood and develops nutty, caramel flavors, Vintage Port, a high-quality style meant for long aging; Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), which offers a similar profile but is ready to drink sooner, and White Port, made from white grapes and ranging from dry to sweet.

Ex-Port casks go on to become an integral part of the maturation process for some of the world’s most loved Irish whiskeys.

Join us as we take you to the Douro Valley to see the vineyards where the grapes are grown, watch casks being constructed and toasted, sipping Port in warehouses and of course tasting some Port-aged Irish whiskeys along the way!

We’ll be joined by Adrian McLaughlin, Founder of Ireland’s first whiskey hotel, The Harbourview Hotel, as he explains his journey of travelling to Porto to source his very own Port casks to age Carnlough Irish Whiskey.

Launching mid-May. Stay tuned!