Dingle Distillery

About the distillery

Dingle Distillery is located in Dingle on Ireland’s dramatic Atlantic coast, where the Wild Atlantic Way and Slea Head Drive set the scene for a distillery with a clear local anchor. Here, handcrafted Irish whiskey, gin, and vodka are made with a clear ambition to express the character of the place. For whiskey lovers, it’s especially interesting that the distillery works independently, at small scale, with a distinct combination of tradition, craftsmanship, and coastal identity.

History

Dingle Distillery was founded in 2012 by three friends, Oliver Hughes, Liam LaHart, and Peter Mosley, who first made a name for themselves in Ireland’s craft beer scene. They set out to bring whiskey back to small-batch production and artisanal maturation, and they chose Dingle for more than just the beauty of the town: the place had the spirit of community and the human presence they wanted to build something lasting upon. That same year, the distillery began distilling, and since then it has grown into one of Ireland’s most respected independent distilleries. Along the way, it expanded with both Single Malt and Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, as well as gin and vodka, and in more recent times it has launched a new brand identity together with new whiskey releases, placing the 10-year single malt and single pot still whiskey side by side with the existing core single malt.

Ingredients and production

The production is clearly shaped by handwork and small-scale thinking. The whiskey is distilled, matured, and bottled at the distillery, and the spirit is triple distilled. Three stills are used, with a capacity of 3,000 liters, which run for six to eight hours at a time, and production is carried out by a team of 20 people under the leadership of Paddy Foley. Mashing takes place in a traditional wooden mash tun, and the distillery uses locally sourced malted barley for single malt, as well as locally sourced malted and unmalted barley for single pot still. The casks are filled by hand, and maturation is closely monitored through observation and sampling until the distillery deems the whiskey ready. Even the gin production shows a practical, detailed approach: in the Orange & Sea Salt edition, the orange is treated separately—washed, sliced, de-pulped, macerated, and distilled in a small copper still—before it’s blended into the gin base.

Maturation and cask types

Dingle works with a fairly classic, but broad, range of casks. The single malt is composed of bourbon, oloroso sherry, and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, while the 10-year single malt has spent a decade in bourbon, port, and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. Single Pot Still combines bourbon, oloroso sherry, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and red wine casks. Maturation is described as cask-filled and guided through ongoing observation and tasting, and the 10-year single malt is highlighted as being shaped by the distillery’s coastal microclimate, where time and tides play a role in its development.

Whiskeys

The core range of whiskey consists of three distinct expressions: a core single malt, a 10-year single malt, and a single pot still whiskey in small batch. Together, they show a distillery that holds on to Irish classics, but interprets them with a strong local signature and a relatively clear focus on casks. The single malt stands as the house’s foundational expression, the 10-year release provides depth and age, and the single pot still showcases the classic Irish style with both malted and unmalted barley. The range is complemented by gin and vodka, but the whiskey line is clearly built around the three expressions.

Whiskey style and tasting profile

Across the products, there’s a clean, bright citrus line: Dingle Gin delivers flavors of juniper, citrus, and freshness, while Orange & Sea Salt adds orange, subtle salinity, and floral balance. In the whiskeys, the direction is more classic and structured, with bourbon-, sherry-, and port-influences that support a profile of depth and individuality. Overall, the expressions point toward fresh citrus, spicy juniper, and a clear coastal minerality.

Visit the distillery

The distillery can be visited, and the tours are built around the entire production process. You go through mashing, fermentation, distillation, and onward to maturation, before the experience ends with a tasting of the distillery’s handcrafted spirits. Visits take place as booked tours, so planning is simple and tailored for guests who want to get close to the work behind the bottles.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

Dingle Distillery works from a strong belief in authenticity and the importance of place. Every detail should express a love of quality and pride in coming from Dingle. The distillery describes itself as strongly independent, and it places emphasis on handcrafted products, small-batch sizes, and an approach where the team’s dedication and the spirit of the local community shape everything from distillation to bottling.