The Shed Distillery

PJ Rigney founded The Shed in 2014 with the ambition of reviving distilling in Connacht — a province that had been without a legal distillery for over a century. The tiny town of Drumshanbo was chosen deliberately: surrounded by lakes and unspoiled countryside, it offered both the pure water and the symbolic connection to an older, slower Ireland that Rigney wanted to capture in his spirits.

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin launched to considerable acclaim, quickly establishing itself as a premium offering on back bars across Europe and North America. The distinctive ceramic apothecary bottle became a recognisable design statement. The gin's unusual botanical list — which includes slow-cooked gunpowder tea alongside more traditional botanicals — set it apart from every other Irish gin on the market.

The 2019 debut of the Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey was one of the most celebrated Irish whiskey launches of that year. Whisky Advocate named it among the world's top 20, and international distribution grew rapidly. In 2025 the distillery released the Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Tawny Port Cask expression, extending the whiskey range with a rich, wine-finished variant. The same year saw the launch of a Fig & Laurel expression within the Gunpowder Gin family.

The Shed Distillery is situated in Drumshanbo, drawing on local Leitrim water sources for both distilling and the distinctive clean character of its spirits. The distillery operates traditional copper pot stills for both the pot still whiskey and the gin. Gin is produced using a slow-distillation process emphasising the cooked-down botanicals. The Single Pot Still Whiskey — which uses a mix of malted and unmalted Irish barley, as is traditional for the style — is aged in a combination of cask types including American oak and specialist wine casks.

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is defined by its slow-cooked botanical approach: Chinese gunpowder tea imparts a distinctive oriental complexity — earthy, slightly tannic — that interplays with more conventional juniper, citrus, and herbal notes. The result is a gin with unusual depth and a slightly savoury quality that rewards sipping as well as mixing. Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey carries the classic creamy, spicy character of the pot still style — green apple, barley malt, cinnamon, and a long, warming finish — with elegance and balance that belies the distillery's youth. The Tawny Port Cask finish adds dried-fruit richness, raisin, and a touch of chocolate.

The Shed offers "The Curious Journey" distillery tour seven days a week (10am–6pm), covering the full distilling process from grain to bottle. The on-site Honey Badger Bar serves cocktails and spirits, with extended hours on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Jackalope Café provides food, and the Curious Gift Shop stocks the full range plus exclusive distillery items. Private events are catered. Full details at thesheddistillery.com.