Bishop’s Water Whiskey
About the distillery
Bishop’s Water Whiskey is an Irish whiskey brand with roots in Wexford and a contemporary base in Dublin. The story is based on the historic Bishop’s Water Distillery, which was founded in 1827 and became known for triple-distilled old pot still whiskey. Today, the name is associated with a modern expression, but with clear respect for the old Irish distilling tradition.
History
Bishop’s Water Distillery was established in Wexford in 1827 and built its reputation on triple-distilled old pot still whiskey. In its early years, the business was run as a consortium, Devereux, Harvey, and Co., Distillers, and Nicholas Devereux came to manage the business entirely from 1833, after Maurice Harvey’s death. When Nicholas Devereux died in 1840, his son Richard took over the operation. During the Great Famine in 1847, Richard chose to close temporarily to ensure that the grain could be used for food.
In 1868, management passed to Richard Devereux’s daughter Mary Anne Therese and her husband, John Locke. Later, the distillery was named Nicholas Devereux and Company, and in 1881 the annual production was recorded at 100,000 gallons of spirit. A visit from Alfred Barnard in the 1880s provides an image of a small but active business with large stocks and whiskey in maturation. Despite exports to, among other places, London, Liverpool, and Bristol, the period around the turn of the century became more difficult, and in 1914 distilling ceased when the company went bankrupt. After more than a century without new production, Bishop’s Water Whiskey was revived in 2019 as a contemporary continuation of the historical legacy.
Ingredients and production
Bishop’s Water Whiskey works with barley as its raw material and states that the barley is locally sourced before it is malted, dried, and milled. The water comes from the Bishop’s Water stream, and the historic style is closely tied to the old pot still tradition. The distillation itself takes place as triple-distillation through three separate copper pot stills—a method intended to produce a smoother and more refined spirit. It is precisely this triple distillation that defines the house identity and connects the modern brand with the original Irish whiskey-making tradition.
The production emphasizes traditional steps and a clear anchoring in the raw materials. This is not a brand trying to push forward by using many different production methods; instead, it is the classic old pot still style, locally sourced barley, and pure water that carry the story. This provides a clear picture of a whiskey house that prioritizes continuity and a recognizable Irish profile over experiments for their own sake.
Maturation and cask types
The whiskey is matured in oak casks for at least 10 years. This maturity suits the traditional old pot still style and explains why the whiskey’s profile is described as both smooth and complex. The documented information points to classic cask maturation, where oak plays a central role in shaping color and character, and where the long maturation period is part of the house’s quality story.
Whiskeys
The range in the delivered material is very focused and centered around Bishop’s Water Triple-Distilled Old Pot Still Irish Whiskey. This is the brand’s main expression and also the product that most clearly carries the historical legacy forward. The style is Irish and classic, and the focus is on triple distillation, old pot still character, and a minimum maturation of 10 years. It is a small and clear range rather than a broad portfolio with many variations.
| Whisky | Type / series | Age | Cask and style | Flavor profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop’s Water Triple-Distilled Old Pot Still Irish Whiskey | Irish Whiskey | 10 years minimum | Oak casks | Triple-distilled old pot still Irish whiskey made from locally sourced barley and water from the Bishop’s Water stream, matured in oak barrels for at least 10 years.; Nose: Vanilla, caramel and oak; Taste: Smooth and complex | Current; Core range; Current product |
The style and flavor profile of the whiskeys
The recurring style is smooth, complex, and clearly shaped by oak. In both aroma and flavor descriptions, vanilla and caramel show up again and again, while oak is a central part of the overall impression. The combined profile therefore describes a whiskey with rounded sweetness, a woody character, and a balanced, mature feel rather than smoke or a pronounced peaty note.
Visit the distillery
There is contact information and a physical address in Dublin, but no public visitor experience, tours, tastings, or visit facilities are described. For the curious whiskey lover, this means that the brand presents itself as available via contact, but not as a place with documented, fixed public offerings in the delivered text.
Philosophy and craftsmanship
Bishop’s Water Whiskey builds its identity on combining historical heritage with contemporary production. The key choice is to stick with triple distillation, locally sourced barley, and water from the Bishop’s Water stream. At the same time, the brand’s ambition is clear: to bring back an old Irish whiskey name and let the old Wexford story live on in a modern version.
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