Ahascragh Distillery

Gareth and Michelle McAllister conceived Ahascragh as both a whiskey distillery and a statement about the future of sustainable food and drink production in rural Ireland. Construction began in 2020 and the distillery opened in 2023. While awaiting the mandatory minimum three-year maturation of their own spirit, the McAllisters entered the market through carefully selected sourced expressions — UAIS Irish Whiskey and Clan Colla Irish Whiskey — curated under their Family Bond series and positioned as premium small-batch releases. Xin Gin is also produced on site using the distillery's own equipment. The zero-emissions technology attracted coverage from Tourism Ireland and the Irish Whiskey Magazine, and the Galway tourism body listed the distillery as a 2026 visitor experience.

The distillery eliminates emissions from distilling through a combination of wind power, solar panels, very high temperature heat pumps, and optimised heat recovery systems with energy storage. This makes Ahascragh one of the most environmentally advanced distilleries in Ireland or Britain. Specific still type, sizes, and annual production capacity have not been publicly detailed. The distillery's own new-make spirit is maturing as of 2026, with the first own-distilled expressions expected to flow into the UAIS brand upon maturation. Gin (Xin Gin) is also produced on site.

The Clan Colla and UAIS expressions currently reflect hand-selected sourced releases from the McAllisters' Family Bond curation — premium small-batch Irish whiskeys chosen for quality and character while own-distilled spirit matures. Xin Gin is a distillery-made product. The final character of the own-make Ahascragh whiskey will be determined by the local Galway microclimate and the zero-emissions production regime. The McAllisters have indicated that UAIS will be the brand to carry the first own-distilled whiskey.

Tours and visitor experiences are available at the distillery in Ahascragh, County Galway. An online shop is available at ahascraghdistillery.com and a physical shop is on site. The Galway tourism board lists the distillery as an active visitor attraction.