OUR BRANDS
Croithlí Distillery
Located in the rugged beauty of northwest Ireland, Croithlí Distillery embodies the spirit of the place where pure water, patient craft, and a deep respect for tradition yield spirits of exceptional character. We are proud to represent Croithlí as part of our growing portfolio.
Distillery building & history
Nestled in the Gaeltacht village of Croithlí in County Donegal, the distillery occupies a building originally constructed in 1901 by the Congested Districts Board to help promote local industry.
Over decades it served various roles, from a carpet‐weaving factory whose products reached Buckingham Palace and the White House, through a soft-toy production facility, and then producing the world famous Crolly doll.
After lying dormant, the building has been lovingly restored and repurposed as a home for modern whiskey-making, honouring both its architectural legacy and the community it has long anchored.
Unique distillation process
Croithlí’s approach to spirit-making combines the heritage of the region with bold production choices. They source pure mountain-spring water from just metres away, use direct-fire heating of copper Charentais stills (rather than steam), and employ double distillation rather than the more common triple distilling process. The result is a new make of spirit that produces a cascade of flavour due to the maillard effect.
Each batch is matured on-site in hand-selected casks — first-fill bourbon, Oloroso sherry butts, virgin oak and more — and no chill filtration or artificial colour is used.
The result: a richly textured spirit that speaks of place, fire and tradition.
History of whiskey in Donegal
While the island of Ireland is broadly recognized as the “ancestral home of whiskey,” Donegal’s own licensed distilling history had lain dormant for some 180 years.
Croithlí Distillery revived that lineage. In 2020, it became the first fully-licensed Irish whiskey distillery in Donegal in nearly two centuries.
Drawing on a monastic tradition of distilling that, in this region, stretches back to the 6th century, Croithlí now brings the story full-circle: from heritage to innovation, within the rugged landscape of the Donegal Gaeltacht.
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Additional brands coming soon.
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