Connacht

Location and contact details

Location" Location: Connacht Distillery, Belleek, Ballina, Co. Mayo
Visitor Visit Type: Vistor Centre, but booking recommended
Co-ordinates" Co-ordinates: 54.122131, -9.143779
Telephone" Telephone: +3539674902
Email" Email: hello@connachtwhiskey.com
Web" Web: https://connachtwhiskey.com
Twitter" Twitter: Connacht Whiskey (@connachtwhiskey)

Facts and figures

LocationCo. Mayo
Founded2014
FounderDavid StapletonTom JensenPJ Stapleton

Opening Hours

Wednesday to Saturday at 12:30 PM And 15:30 PM (subject to change)

Tours

Connacht Discovery Tour

€10

Guided tour followed by a non-alcoholic beverage

Connacht Craft Experience

€15

Guided tour followed by a sampling of our Ballyhoo Whiskey and a Straw Boys Poitín

Connacht Ultimate Craft Experience

€20

Guided tour followed by a sampling of our 4 current offerings, presented neat: Ballyhoo Whiskey, Straw Boys Irish Vodka, Straw Boys Poitin and Conncullin Gin

Connacht Special Select

€22

Guided tour followed by a sampling of our specially selected whiskeys presented neat: Ballyhoo Irish Whiskey, Brothership Blended Whiskey and Spade and Bushel 10 Year Old Cask strength Whiskey

Review: Connacht Craft Experience (12:30 on 21/09/2018)

Price: €20

The distillery was easy to find by SatNav and has a good amount of onsite parking.

I did the premium tasing tour so got to try the vodka, gin, poitin and Ballyhoo whiskey (93% grain whiskey).

This distillery is too new to have their own whiskey as yet. The tour itself falls into the "it was okay" range; it covered the process of whisky making quite lightly.

My main problem with the tour was not the content, but the attendees who were allowed on the tour. A distillery is a place for making whiskey; on this tour were two couples, each with a small baby. I'll admit to not especially liking children in general, but the constant noise from two small babies (actual babies, not toddlers or children) was very disruptive and made following the tour somewhat harder than it should have been. The only other distillery I've had that problem with, was Glenkinchie, earlier this year, where there was a couple of familes with three toddlers between them. A lot of distilleries ban children younger than x age which avoids this problem.

In the tasting these familes sat away from the bar area, which meant that the guide ran through each of the samples separately for those at the bar and those sat away, which lead to pointless duplication and delays.

If this distillery was out on it's own, I would be unlikely to return, but with opening nearby, I'll probably stop by when I return to Ireland in two/three years time.

[nearby type="distillery"]Information correct as of 22/05/2020

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