Micil Distillery
Micil Distillery is Galway's first legal distillery in over 100 years, founded in 2016 on the shores of Galway Bay in Salthill village on the Wild Atlantic Way. Named in honour of great-great-great-grandfather Micil Mac Chearra — who began distilling poitín on a Connemara hillside in 1848 — the distillery is run by brothers Pádraic and Jimín Ó Griallais, sixth-generation Connemara poitín distillers and direct descendants of Micil himself. Their family represents Ireland's longest unbroken family distilling tradition, spanning over 170 years and six generations. Irish is still the spoken language at the distillery, connecting the enterprise directly to the Connemara Gaeltacht heritage it celebrates.
Tours
Available
On-site Shop
Open
Online Shop
Available
History
The Ó Griallais family's distilling tradition began in 1848 when Micil Mac Chearra started producing poitín on the hills of Connemara. The craft passed through each subsequent generation, preserved as a living family tradition for over 170 years despite the legal status of poitín production remaining ambiguous or outright illegal for much of that period. Poitín was legalised in the Republic of Ireland in 1997, opening a path for the family to distil commercially.
In 2016, brothers Pádraic and Jimín Ó Griallais opened Micil Distillery in Salthill, Galway — the first legal distillery in the city in over a century. The first Galway whiskey in over 100 years was distilled here, marking a historic moment for the county's spirit-making heritage. The distillery quickly established itself on the Wild Atlantic Way tourism corridor and became a destination in its own right, combining production, visitor experience, and a gin school.
Production
Micil Distillery produces poitín, Irish whiskey, gin, and Irish cream using small pot stills. The distillery applies six generations of family recipes and techniques to each expression, using local botanicals for the gin and drawing on the clean soft water of the Galway coastline. The Irish whiskey range is built on triple-distilled single pot still traditions. The poitín expressions — the spiritual heart of the distillery — reflect the original Connemara hillside recipes that Micil Mac Chearra brought to life in 1848. The visitor centre is open daily.
Tasting Character
Poitín is the defining spirit of Micil: fierce, clean, and deeply traditional, made with small pot stills and the family's inherited recipes. The Irish whiskey range brings that craft heritage into a more structured, aged framework through triple distillation and cask maturation. The gin uses locally foraged botanicals that echo the landscape of Connemara and Galway Bay. Irish Cream adds a smooth, indulgent expression to the portfolio. The house character across all products is artisanal, provenance-driven, and rooted in the family's Connemara identity.
What They Produce
Notable Bottlings
- Micil Poitín£32.95 — Flagship spirit; six-generation recipe; authentic Connemara poitín tradition
- Micil Irish Whiskey£30.50 — Triple-distilled single pot still Irish whiskey; the family craft applied to aged spirit
- Micil Irish Gin£38.95 — Small-batch gin with locally foraged Connemara botanicals
- Micil Irish Cream£30.50 — Smooth cream liqueur; completes the core portfolio
Visiting
The visitor centre at Salthill is open Monday to Sunday, 9am–5pm. Tours are available and cover the full production story — poitín, whiskey, gin, and cream — alongside the remarkable six-generation family history. The on-site shop stocks the full range. Online shop available at micildistillery.com. The distillery's location on the shores of Galway Bay makes it an ideal stop on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Official Website
