Glendalough Distillery

About the distillery (briefly)

Glendalough Distillery is located in the Wicklow Mountains in County Wicklow and builds its identity around the place around it. Here, it is the nature, the mountains, and the distinctive casks that carry the story, resulting in a range that spans from single malt and pot still to single grain and poitín. The distillery is especially interesting for its targeted use of Mizunara oak—Irish oak from Wicklow—and wine and sherry casks with a clear focus on ingredients and origin.

History

Inspiration from Glendalough and Wicklow

The distillery draws inspiration from St. Kevin and from the mountains’ nature around Glendalough. The story centers on a home place in the Wicklow Mountains, where taste, aroma, and landscape are meant to be felt in the finished spirits.

A team with international results

The producer describes its team at the heart of County Wicklow as global award-winners who have worked with both innovative Irish single malts and a range of botanical-forward gins. Among the highlighted breakthroughs are Irish single malt aged in rare Japanese Mizunara oak and in Wicklow Irish oak.

Ingredients and production

The production is built around barley and classic Irish pot still craftsmanship, as well as single grain whisky. Pot still expressions are made with both malted and unmalted barley and distilled in traditional copper pot stills, while poitín is described as triple-distilled in a traditional copper pot still with malted barley and clean spring water. The distillery also works with peated malt, which adds smoke to Pot Still Peated. On the single grain side, it uses a clearly cask-focused approach, where the neutral grain base gets character through first maturation in flame charred ex-bourbon casks and later finishing in Oloroso, Burgundy, Calvados, and Madeira. A special feature is the way Wicklow Irish oak is incorporated as a local material, and that the trees are harvested under a Continuous Cover Forest Management System, where seven new trees are planted for each oak tree that is felled.

Maturation and cask types

Maturation is one of the distillery’s strongest hallmarks. Glendalough works with ex-bourbon American oak, rare Japanese Mizunara oak, slow toasted Irish oak, Virgin Irish Oak from Greenan Forest, Grand Cru Burgundy casks, XO Calvados casks, Oloroso casks from Montilla, and Madeira casks, described as canteiro-aged. Mizunara is highlighted as particularly rare and difficult to work with, while the Oloroso casks are chosen together with the bodega, liquid, casks, and cooper to deliver a terroir-driven expression. The 17-year-old Mizunara expression is a clear example of long maturation in ex-bourbon casks followed by a finish in Mizunara, and Pot Still Peated shows how extra years in Irish oak can add wood, vanilla, and spice on top of a lightly smoked base.

Whiskies

The core range revolves around a small but distinct family of whiskies with different raw material profiles and cask character. Single Grain Double Barrel, Single Grain Burgundy Cask Finish, Single Grain Calvados XO Cask Finish, and Single Grain Madeira Cask Finish show the fruity and cask-driven side of the house. Pot Still Irish Oak Finish and Pot Still Peated represent the more barley-forward and spiced line, where Irish oak and light smoke provide different angles on the same style. Single Malt Mizunara Cask Finish serves as the flagship for the distillery’s Japanese wood experiment, while the 17-year-old Mizunara expression marks the more exclusive and limited end of the spectrum. Poitín stands as a historical precursor and an expression of the distillery’s connection to Irish spirit tradition.

Whisky	Type / series	Alcohol	Age	Cask and style	Tasting profile	Status
Glendalough Pot Still Peated	Irish Whiskey	46 %	Over 7 years	Ex-bourbon American oak and Virgin Irish Oak; smoked/peaty	Limited-time only Pot Still Irish Whiskey, created with both malted and unmalted barley, distilled in traditional copper pot stills and matured for over seven years with both ex-bourbon American oak and Virgin Irish Oak from Wicklow.; Nose: Delicate earthy peat smoke, honeyed malt, green apple, clove, citrus and toasted oak.; Taste: Creamy and full-bodied with baked apple, warming spice, almond and subtle smokiness.; Finish: Ginger spice, almond and earthiness.	Current; Sold out
Glendalough Pot Still Irish Oak Finish	Irish Whiskey	43 %		250 litre hogshead; finish: Finish	Pot Still Irish Whiskey finished in Irish oak from Wicklow Mountains to highlight the site’s own oak and give classic pot still spice a distinct wooden profile.; Nose: Sweet and citrus with vanilla, caramel, banana, treacle and earthy, herbal undertones of oak spices and leather.; Taste: Chewy, warm and buttery with pot still malt and spices, toffeed pears, treacle, cinnamon, nutmeg and toasted, tannic oak.; Finish: Long with creamy vanilla, almond, forest fruit and toasted Irish oak.	Current; Core range; Sold out
Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish	Irish Whiskey	42 %		Ex-bourbon American oak and Oloroso casks; finish: Finish	Single grain whisky with first maturation in flame charred ex-bourbon American oak and subsequent finishing in Oloroso casks from Montilla.; Nose: Rich dark fruit, cherry, raisin, fig and Christmas pudding with floral notes, lemongrass, citrus and nutmeg.; Taste: Sweet and smooth with butterscotch, honey, peppercorn, dried fruit, maraschino cherries and brown sugar.; Finish: Ginger spices, almond and earthiness.	Current; Core range
Glendalough Double Barrel Cask Strength	Irish Whiskey	61.3 %		Ex-bourbon American oak and First fill Oloroso casks; finish: Finish	Bottled straight from the cask as a single grain expression at 61.3% ABV.; Nose: Rich dark fruits, nuts and citrus with nutmeg.; Taste: Sweet and smooth with cherries, honey and peppercorn spices.; Finish: Long finish with warming ginger spices and hints of nuts.	Current; Sold out
Glendalough Single Malt Mizunara Cask Finish	Irish Single Malt Whiskey	46 %	7 yo	Ex-bourbon barrels and Mizunara oak; finish: Finish	Irish single malt finished in rare Mizunara oak from Hokkaido and described as the first Irish whisky distillery to use this type of wood.; Nose: Vibrant, fruity and floral.; Taste: Fresh and citrussy with orchard fruits, biscuity malt, vanilla, fudge, honey, dark chocolate orange, sandalwood and cinnamon.; Finish: Exceptionally long finish of toasted oak and spices, with dark chocolate lingering even longer.	Current; Core range
Glendalough 17 Year Old Mizunara Finish	Single Malt	46 %	17 yo	Ex-bourbon barrels and Mizunara oak; finish: Finish	An exclusive 17-year-old single malt, matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished in rare Mizunara oak.; Nose: Dark chocolate, honeycomb, sandalwood, warm baking spice and delicate incense.; Taste: Silky, complex layers of toasted oak, vanilla cream, dried fruit, clove, nutmeg and Mizunara sandalwood character.; Finish: Long, warm and evolving with spice, cocoa, incense and sweet oak.	Limited; Sold out
Glendalough Single Grain Burgundy Cask Finish	Irish Whiskey	42 %		Grand Cru Burgundy casks; finish: Finish	Single grain whisky finished in Grand Cru Burgundy casks from France, which previously held full-bodied Pinot Noir.; Nose: Light but rich, leafy and leathery with vanilla and dark cherries.; Taste: Fruity and fresh, with citrus but dry with rich berry notes, toasted oak and leafy earthiness.; Finish: Earthy, tannins and peppery wood spices.	Current; Core range
Glendalough Single Grain Calvados XO Cask Finish	Irish Whiskey	42 %		XO Calvados casks; finish: Finish	Single grain whisky finished in XO Calvados casks from the fruit orchards of Normandy.; Nose: Floral, with vanilla and orchard fruits up front.; Taste: Butterscotch, toffee, stewed apple and pears with pepper and oak spices.; Finish: Orchard fruits with a hint of spice in a long finish.	Current; Core range
Glendalough Single Grain Madeira Cask Finish	Irish Whiskey	42 %		Madeira casks; finish: Finish	Single grain whisky matured in canteiro-aged Madeira casks against the backdrop of a warm and tropical coastal climate.; Nose: Rich sultanas, exotic fruit, mango, pineapple, orange zest and marmalade.; Taste: Light and lively, rich and rounded with raisins, dark cherry, plum, vanilla, sweet grains and peppercorn spice.; Finish: Dark stone fruit, oak spices and a slight nuttiness.	Current; Core range
Glendalough Poitin	Poitín	55 %			Triple-distilled poitín based on malted barley and clean spring water, bottled at 55%.; Nose: Rich sultanas, exotic fruit, mango, pineapple, orange zest and marmalade.; Taste: Light and lively. Rich and rounded with raisin, dark cherry and plum notes, vanilla and sweet grains with peppercorn spice.; Finish: Dark stone fruit, oak spices and a slight nuttiness.	Current

Whisky style and tasting profile

Glendalough’s style brings together fruit, cask and spice in a fairly clear house expression. Across the whiskies, orchard fruit, citrus, dark berries and dried fruit show up again and again, often accompanied by malt, vanilla, honey and butterscotch. There is also a clear spice line with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger and peppercorn, while the more distinctive casks add sandalwood, toasted oak, dark chocolate and a light touch of smoke in Pot Still Peated. This makes the overall impression fruity, spiced and wood-driven rather than heavy or monolithic.

Visit the distillery

The contact page provides only a short message that response times may be slower during high season, and refers further to FAQs. There are no descriptions of tours, tastings, visitor center, shop, café, opening hours, or booking conditions in the text provided. For the visitor, this means that there is no documented public visit offering to describe here.

Philosophy and craft

The distillery’s philosophy is clearly stated as a search for a more meaningful product, rooted in the Wicklow Mountains and inspired by St. Kevin. They want to create progressive-craft luxury spirits and establish a distinct sense of place through depth of flavor. Nature, the home region, and working with local materials like Wicklow oak are central choices, and the long maturation and rare casks demonstrate a strong respect for patience and craft.

Sustainability

Continuous Cover Forest Management System is used when harvesting Irish oak, with 7 new saplings for each oak tree felled.
Virgin Irish Oak from Greenan Forest in Wicklow is described as sustainably sourced.

Awards and recognition

Double Gold (2022, Double Gold, Glendalough Single Malt Mizunara Cask Finish)
Double Gold (2022, Double Gold, Glendalough Single Malt Mizunara Cask Finish)
Gold (2022, Gold, Glendalough Single Malt Mizunara Cask Finish)
Double Gold (2023, Double Gold, Glendalough Single Malt Mizunara Cask Finish)
Gold (2019, Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Burgundy Cask Finish)
Gold (2022, Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Calvados XO Cask Finish)
Gold (2024, Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)
Gold (2024, Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)
Gold (2023, Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)
Gold (2022, Double Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)
Gold (2021, Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)
Double Gold (2021, Double Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)
Gold (2017, Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)
Gold (2017, Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)
Gold (2015, Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)
Double Gold (2015, Double Gold, Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish)