As of today, there are at least 50 working Irish Whiskey distilleries in Ireland, with more in planning and development — a staggering turnaround from the three that existed as recently as the 1990s. Most of that growth traces back to one sale: when Cooley Distillery, County Louth, went to drinks giant Beam in 2012, it set off a wave of new Irish Whiskey makers that hasn’t slowed since. Below is a working list of the players, updated as the landscape changes — bookmark it rather than the news.
Keep in mind that a new distillery isn’t a new Whiskey. Irish Whiskey must rest in cask for a minimum of three years, and the best of it considerably longer, so several names below are still waiting on their first release.
Irish Whiskey Distilleries
- Dingle Distillery (County Kerry) — Producing since November 2012. Best known internationally for its Gin and Vodka, its Single Malt, Single Pot Still, and 10-year-old Single Malt Whiskeys stay mostly within Ireland.
- Echlinville Distillery (County Down) — Opened 2012. Makes traditional triple-distilled Whiskey alongside Irish Pot Still and Single Malt expressions under several labels, plus Gin and Vodka.
- West Cork Distillers (County Cork) — Opened quietly in 2003; early labels were unremarkable, but years of building stock have paid off. Its Single Malt and blended Irish Whiskey, sold under the West Cork name, are now genuinely worth seeking out.
- Tullamore D.E.W. (County Offaly) — Owner William Grant built a new distillery in 2013; the original (built 1829) closed in 1954, with the brand’s Whiskey made at Bushmills and Midleton in the interim. A dedicated grain distillery, added in 2017, now lets Tullamore D.E.W. produce grain-to-glass.
- Glendalough Distillery (County Wicklow) — Founded 2011, distillery built 2013. Built its early range on sourced Whiskey plus its own Gin and Poitín before releasing its first house-distilled Whiskey in 2018; has been growing since.
- Walsh Whiskey Distillery (County Carlow) — Received its pot stills in 2015. Built its reputation on the Irishman and Writer’s Tears brands before Amber Beverage Group acquired it in 2021; production and expansion plans currently appear to be in limbo.
- Teeling Whiskey (Dublin) — Launched by John Teeling’s sons using casks set aside from their Cooley days. Opened its Dublin distillery in June 2015 — the capital’s first new distillery in over a century. Bacardi Limited now holds the majority stake; production is steady and strong.
- Great Northern Distillery (County Louth) — Built by John Teeling on the old Great Northern Brewery site in Dundalk; column stills started mid-2015, pot stills that September. Ireland’s largest independently owned distillery, producing roughly 50 million bottles a year across malt and grain — primarily as a bulk producer helping other brands get off the ground.
- The Shed Distillery (County Leitrim) — Founded on the winter solstice, 2014 — Connacht’s first working distillery in 101 years. Known for excellent Gins (Gunpowder Irish Gin) and a potato Vodka, while its small-batch Pot Still and Single Malt Whiskeys matured, its Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is now on shelves.
- Waterford Distillery (County Waterford) — Launched 2015, sourcing Irish barley from 46 farms; first stills ran in 2016, resting in French and American oak. Releases are tiered, including single-farm-origin bottlings.
- Ballina Whiskey Distillery (County Mayo) — Opened in 2015 as Connacht Whiskey Company; renamed after Terroir Distillers acquired it in 2024. Also makes Gin, Vodka, and Poitín. Two core Whiskey expressions: Dúbailte (double wood) and Triarach (triple wood).
- Alltech Distillery / Pearse Lyons (County Carlow) — Kentucky roots, evident in its two Vendome stills. Whiskey is currently maturing.
- Rademon Estate Distillery (County Down) — Filled its first casks in 2015; first Single Malt matured by 2019. Also makes Shortcross Gin.
- Slane Distillery (County Meath) — Founded 2015, owned by Brown-Forman. Its Triple Casked Whiskey has wide US distribution.
- Ballykeeffe Distillery (County Kilkenny) — Farm distillery producing Whiskey, Gin, Vodka, and Poitín; first distilled Whiskey in 2017. Has released a limited Single Estate Whiskey, with Single Malt and Single Rye to follow.
- Blackwater Distillery (County Waterford) — Started production in 2018; built its name on Gin and Vodka while Whiskey slept, releasing its first Single Malt and Irish Pot Still expressions in 2023.
- Clonakilty Distillery (County Cork) — Opened March 2019. Three copper pot stills focused on Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey and Gin, known for expressions finished in Bordeaux and Port wood.
- Dublin Liberties Distillery (Dublin) — Launched 2018 with a bar and shop worth visiting; offers an extensive range of sourced Whiskeys.
- Lough Mask Distillery (County Mayo) — Started production in 2018; Gin and Vodka are available now, with its first Whiskey, Loch Measc Single Malt, still pending. (Flag: source material listed this as “due out any week now” as of March 2022 — needs a current status check before publishing.)
- Boann Distillery (County Meath) — Began in 2020 with an ambitious project recreating lost historic mash bills. Range includes Single Pot Still expressions finished in Marsala, Madeira, and Pedro Ximénez casks, plus limited seasonal releases.
- Copeland Distillery (County Down) — Offers an Irish Gin now; Single Malt and Irish Pot Still Whiskeys are maturing.
- Hawks Rock Distillery (County Sligo), Hinch Distillery (County Down), and Adara Distillery (County Donegal) — The newest wave, all pouring their first Whiskeys in 2025.
Every name on this list started the same way — with a new spirit resting quietly in cask, waiting its three years or more to become something worth pouring. Check back for updates as the roster grows.
Do you want to better understand Whiskey? May we suggest Be A Beverage Expert (BABE), a guide to understanding wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails.