IRELAND’S OLDEST LICENSED DISTILLERY

HISTORY AND INTRODUCTION

Kilbeggan Distillery is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in Ireland. Matthew MacManus obtained the license to produce whiskey in 1757. The Locke’s family took over in 1843 and ran the distillery until it ceased production in 1954 and closed in 1957. Most of the surviving machinery dates from this period. The distillery closed for several reasons. The business was never thoroughly modernised. There were high taxation and transportation costs. Economic depression reduced demand for whiskey in Ireland in the 1920s and 30s while beer, being cheaper, grew in popularity. Additionally the American market was closed between 1920 and 1933, due to prohibition.

Cooley Distillery bought the distillery and the license to make Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey in 1988. In 2007 a working distillery was established in one of the old bonded warehouses where we are still producing malt whiskey today. Together with Cooley Distillery we are now the Kilbeggan Distilling Company. We have been part of third largest spirits company in the world Beam Suntory since 2012.

THE TOWN THAT BUILT THE WHISKEY

The places and faces of Kilbeggan.

THE PUBS OF KILBEGGAN

As the only all-day establishment, it owns the daytime trade in town. Set on a corner beside the town’s historic market square, itself dating back to 1606, Saddler’s is an old-fashioned workingman’s pub and it puts on no airs to suggest otherwise.

Whereas McNamara’s and Saddler’s are relaxed Irish cozy, Larrigy’s plays host to a bustling crowd of locals who come for live music and pints of the black stuff. And though nights in Kilbeggan often end early, it’s not uncommon that nights at Larrigy’s last deep into the wee hours.

A sort of social hub for locals and nearby villagers alike, McNamara’s is exactly the type of pub one imagines in small-town Ireland. A string of cozy rooms, den-like low ceilings, a roaring fire, and a troupe of local musicians playing Celtic standards. McNamara’s began its life as a corner store in the 1860s where customers would down a pint purchased on premise before heading home with their groceries.

A WORD WITH FRANK KEOGHAN,  THE RESTORATIONIST

I was born in 1943, right here in Kilbeggan. My father was working at the distillery at that time. It was a going place. There were up to a hundred people working here during the busy time. As I grew older, my father would take us down occasionally, and bring us through the whole place, and explain the way things were done. My father was a small man, but he had great ideas.

The distillery stood here for thirty years until a group of us got together and decided we’d try to do something. It was a full attack from people, and it was hard work. It was a very proud moment to see the wheel moving. My brother Sean knocked out the peg and it took a second or two for the water to take over. We were delighted to see it running, particularly because our father was the man who was sent out to shut off the waterwheel in 1953.

VISITOR CENTRE, BAR AND SHOP

Kilbeggan Distillery marks the halfway point between Dublin and Galway, which makes it the perfect place to stop on your journey. While you are here, you can browse our Whiskey Shop and the Warehouse Bar and enjoy a whiskey tasting, tea/coffee and soft drink.

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DISTILLERS CASK BOTTLING

We invite you into our Distiller’s Office, where we will talk about our distillery, and we will guide you through your bottling experience. Each exclusive cask is specially selected by our Blender. This whiskey is a distillery exclusive therefore will not be available anywhere else in the world!

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TOURS AND EXPERIENCES

The tours will take you back in time to discover how Irish whiskey was made during the 19th century. Then leap into the present where you savour the aromas of fermentation and distillation in our boutique distillery. You will have exclusive access to our maturation warehouse and tastings from the award winning Kilbeggan Irish whiskey portfolio.

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