Overview
Dingle Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery established in 2012 and billing itself as an 'artisan' distillery. The distillery is located in a converted sawmill in Milltown on the outskirts of Dingle, in a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking region) in the southwest of Ireland. The first whiskeys distilled and matured at the distillery were released in late 2016. In addition to whiskey, the distillery also produces and markets Dingle vodka and Dingle Gin.
In 2017, Dingle Distillery became the first independent Irish distillery to release a single pot still whiskey in several decades.
To meet growing demand, the distillery has announced plans to double spirit production in 2018.
Location and contact details
Location: Dingle Distillery, Farranredmond, Dingle, Co. Kerry
Visit Type: Vistor Centre, but booking recommended
Co-ordinates: 52.142639, -10.263257
Telephone: +353 66 402 9011
Email: tours@dingledistillery.ie
Web: http://www.dingledistillery.ie 
Twitter: Dingle Distillery (@DingleWhiskey)Facts and figures
| Location | Co. Kerry |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Oliver Hughes |
| Owner | Porterhouse Group |
| Water Source | Onsite deep well |
| Stills | 3 large pot stills (whiskey) & 1 small pot still (vodka/gin) |
Opening Hours
1 June – 31 August: 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
1 September – 30 September: 12pm, 2pm & 4pm
1 October – 28 February: 2pm & 4pm
1 March – 31 May: 12pm, 2pm & 4pm
Tours
Dingle Distillery Tours
€15
The Dingle Distillery welcomes visitors to enjoy a tour of their facility where the entire production process, for all their products, are explained and a gin/vodka sample is provided. The distillery tour will give you an introduction into Irish whiskey and into the Dingle Distillery.
Review: Dingle Distillery Tour (14:00 on 19/09/2018)
Price: €15
The distillery is easy to find as you drive along the coast through Dingle and has onsite parking.
The tour was a very large one which strated off with us all sat in the bar area for about thirty minutes for an introduction to Dingole Distilleryand Irish Whiskey. I started from a position of thinking the tour wasn't going to be a good one, as the better tours generally have you going through the production areas for the eplanations.
However, the tour is an excellent one with a very well described history of both their process (mainly whiskey, but also touching on the gin and vodka) and the rise and fall of Irish whisky. I'd already heard the history of Irish Whiskey a few times by the time I toured Dingle, but the explanation here was by far the best I'd heard.
The explanation of the history is covered first while we were sat in the bar area with a sample of the whiskey . We also had the opportunity to try slightly watered down new make (spirit; we were also offered straight new make, but as I was driving I turned this one down.
We then stepped out into the production area where we were talked through the production of Dingle whiskey; thought looks to have gone into the setup of the production area as there was sufficient space for most of the large tour group to both hear the explanations and see what was being described. There were one or two older people on the tour who struggled a little to hear at a couple of times.
At the end of the tour we returned to the bar area for a sample of the gin and vodka and for any questions to be asked.
Some of the other distilleries I'd visited in Ireland before reaching Dingle, had set the bar very high, but I'd say this was the best tour I was on in Ireland.
History
The Irish whiskey industry suffered a period of severe decline in the 20th century, which saw most of Ireland's distilleries close, and those remaining in operation amalgamating under the ownership of a single company, Irish Distillers, in the 1970s. However, since then, Ireland's whiskey industry has undergone a resurgence, in particular since 2010, with a diversification of both output and ownership.
With the number of operating distilleries in the country having fallen to just two in the 1980s, Ireland now boasts sixteen operating distilleries, with many others planned. When it opened, the Dingle Distillery was Ireland's fifth, joining the New Midleton Distillery (where Jameson, Powers and Paddy are produced, among others), Bushmills, Cooley and Kilbeggan. History
The initiative to start a distillery in Dingle was that of the now deceased Oliver Hughes, who was also a founder of the Porterhouse brewing and restaurant group. The site, formerly the Fitzgerald sawmill, was converted for whiskey production in 2012, opening on 29 November. The distillery was reported to have created 25 jobs, with more anticipated with the launch of a visitors' centre. The new copper pot stills used at the distillery were designed by John McDougall.
As a promotion to attract investors, Dingle Distillery offered the first five hundred special casks to investors "Founding Fathers", to be ready for bottling from November 2016.
