Article appeared in issue 3, 2020

From salt to sprinkles to supplements, it seems we can't get enough of seaweed, and Origin Spirits is the latest brand drawn to this superfood. Currach Single Malt Irish Whiskey is the first of its kind to be finished in seaweed charred virgin oak casks. The first expression will use naturally grown and organically certified Atlantic Kombu Kelp, which is sustainably hand-harvested off the wild Atlantic coast of Clare by fourth-generation seaweed harvesters, the Talty family.

According to Patrick Shelley, founder of Origin Spirits: "Our vision on Currach was to create a single malt Irish whiskey based on various elements of the Irish terroir. Our land produces some of the best malted barley in the world and our seas yield wonderful organic and sustainable seaweed. Never before have these two elements been brought together in a whiskey and we are proud that this is a world's first. The union of land and sea has become the backbone of Currach.”

The resulting whiskey is rich and multilayered with a delicate umami character that has found a strong fanbase both at home and abroad with stockists lined up in the UK, Germany, Slovenia, Poland, France, Singapore and Japan.