Glendalough Distillery

Glendalough was incorporated in 2011 and began selling poitín in 2013 — the first product to market. The choice of poitín was deliberate: as Ireland's oldest and most rebellious spirit, it announced Glendalough's intent to look both backward and forward simultaneously. The distillery building in the Glendalough valley opened in May 2014, coinciding with a surge of interest in Irish craft distilling that would transform the country's spirits landscape over the following decade.

The founders positioned Glendalough as a distinctly Irish craft operation at a time when the category barely existed in Ireland. Their approach — using foraged botanicals from the Wicklow Mountains for their gin, and exploring a wide variety of cask finishes for their whiskey — established a template later followed by many other Irish craft producers. The brand has grown into international markets with a substantial range of whiskey expressions covering single grain, single malt, pot still, and blended styles.

The distillery produces whiskey (blended malt, single grain, pot still, and single malt), gin (using foraged Wild Atlantic Way botanicals), and poitín (made from barley malt, sugar beet, and potato). Whiskey expressions span a wide range of cask styles: Double Barrel (the flagship blended malt), single grain expressions with Burgundy, Madeira, and Calvados finishes, Mizunara Cask Finish at 7 and 17 years, and pot still variants. The Four Seasons gin series changes botanicals with the seasons.

Glendalough's whiskey range is unusually diverse in cask character for a relatively young distillery. The Double Barrel blended malt — matured first in bourbon, then finished in oloroso sherry — is the approachable flagship: sweet, mellow, and gently spiced. The 7 Year Old Mizunara Cask Finish adds sandalwood and exotic spice from the rare Japanese oak. Single grain expressions finished in Burgundy or Madeira casks are fruit-forward and distinctive. Glendalough gins use botanicals foraged from the Wicklow highlands, producing a range that changes with the seasons and reflects a genuine sense of place.

Tours are available at the distillery in the Glendalough valley, County Wicklow. A physical shop is on site. Online shop at glendaloughdistillery.com with international shipping.