Ireland’s most anticipated craft distillery launched today, as The Dublin Liberties Distillery opened its new €10m state-of-the-art whiskey distillery and visitor experience on Old Mill Street in Dublin’s Liberties. After two years of construction, An Tánaiste – Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Simon Coveney T.D., officially opened the new distillery, by closing the still door and commencing spirit production. More than 20 new jobs have been created at the new distillery and visitor experience.
Production of the Dublin Liberties Distillery’s whiskey portfolio – which includes award-winning brands, The Dubliner and The Dublin Liberties – has now commenced at the distillery under the supervision of renowned Master Distiller, Darryl McNally. The range of products in The Dublin Liberties and The Dubliner portfolios currently sell in more than 30 countries with sales in excess of 37,000 cases (9L) in 2018.
The new distillery site boasts a world-class cocktail bar and an industry-leading visitor experience, providing an exciting addition to Dublin’s increasingly vibrant whiskey tourism scene, which saw over one million visitors to Irish distilleries and whiskey experiences in 2018. The visitor experience will open to the public on Monday 25thFebruary, offering visitors an unrivalled, up-close view of modern Irish whiskey-making as it happens, with daily tours around the working distillery. It will be able to accommodate up to 80,000 visitors in its first year.
Located in the heart of Dublin’s Liberties district, the historic capital of Irish whiskey, the development of the new distillery has seen a complete renovation of a 400-year-old building preserving its original architecture and facade. The distillery will combine traditional distillation practices with the very latest in modern technologies and features a unique natural spring water source on site to be used in the distilling process.
Speaking at the launch, An Tánaiste – Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Simon Coveney T.D., said: “Irish Whiskey is one of the fastest growing spirits on global markets and one of the leading lights of our food and drink export industry. Government is fully committed to supporting Irish Whiskey’s continued growth, working with the industry to further expand exports. I am delighted to turn on the Dublin Liberties Distillery’s stills today, as the first liquid gold flows into casks for expert maturation with the promise of a premium, uniquely Irish product.”
Darryl McNally, Master Distiller at The Dublin Liberties Distillery commented; “Making whiskey is my passion, my lifeblood, and to be doing it in the heart of Dublin’s historic distilling district is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I believe the future for Irish whiskey is in innovation and pushing the boundaries – and that’s what I’ll be working with the team here to deliver – the best Irish whiskey you could have the luck of getting on your lips. We’re inspired by the past, but not bound by it, and can’t wait to show the world just how diverse Irish whiskey can be.”
Shane Hoyne, Chief Marketing Officer for Quintessential Brands, majority owner of The Dublin Liberties Distillery, adds; “Irish whiskey’s rise over the last few years has been phenomenal, but with talented visionaries like Darryl emerging, I believe we’re now entering its most exciting era yet. Darryl is a constant source of ideas and combined with his unrivalled distilling skill, there’s no limits for Irish whiskey. Right now, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the team’s achievement in building this fantastic distillery but with much more to come from us this year, I believe this is the year the Dublin Liberties Distillery will make its mark on the Irish whiskey category.”
The Dublin Liberties Distillery team has also revealed a new Cask Programme, offering whiskey enthusiasts the opportunity to purchase the casks of single malt produced at the new distillery. For a significant sum, they can witness its development from new make spirit to full maturity, and become the owner of these most exclusive whiskies. The first distillation will see 150 casks of single malt produced at the distillery, each of which will be numbered and sold with prices reaching €150,000 for the first cask filled once production commences at the distillery.
