County Longford’s first distillery in 200 years to open

A family is to begin construction of a new €5 million (US$5.9m) distillery in County Longford, which would become the Irish county’s first distillery in 200 years.

Lough Ree Distillery is set to open next year by the Clancy family

The Lanesborough-based Lough Ree Distillery and visitor centre is based on the banks of the Lough Ree lake at the town’s historic crossing point on the River Shannon.

Construction will commence in the coming weeks and the site is expected to open in mid-2019.

The distillery is predicted to create 20 new jobs over the next three years.

When in full production, the site will have capacity for 50,000 cases of premium whiskey and 15,000 cases of gin and other white spirits per year.

The distillery’s inaugural product, Sling Shot gin, is the first in a line of spirits from the site. The distillery will also produce Irish whiskey, vodka, liqueurs, poitín, and fruit-based spirits.

The gin is inspired by a combination of “historical and modern elements of Lough Ree”. It is made with a unique local ingredient along with citrus and fresh Irish mint.

The official launch of Sling Shot gin will take place at the Taste of the Lakelands Festival on 5 October in Lanesborough.

Lough Ree Distillery will be opened by siblings, Peter Clancy, Michael Clancy and Sheila Mullen. Ally Alpine from the Celtic Whiskey Shop and Alan Wolstenholme, chairman at Scottish Distillers Association, have joined as non-executive directors.

Peter Clancy, CEO of Lough Ree Distillery, said: “Lough Ree Distillery is the first distillery to open in Longford in 200 years and the launch of Sling Shot gin is a landmark moment for us and the community of Lanesborough. It marks the first chapter of a new story in the Midlands.

“Over the coming decades, our goal is to produce a range of gin, whiskey, vodka and liqueurs that marry the rich heritage of the local surroundings and local talent in the region with innovation, experimentation and ingenuity.

“We want to create spirits that are modern, innovative and confident, blending hints of the past with Ireland’s youthful, vibrant flavours.

“Lough Ree Distillery has entered the market at an opportune moment. The Irish spirits market is in robust health.

“Irish whiskey is the fastest-growing spirits category in the world. Irish gin sales rose by 44% in 2017 and gin exports trebled to 130,000 cases.

“We are excited and ambitious to spur on further growth in the Irish market in the years to come.”