At Glendalough Distillery we progressively-craft luxury spirits in the Wicklow Mountains. We hope these spirits evoke a sense of place through their depth of flavour as they are an expression of what we love about these mountains.
The story of St Kevin is where we draw our inspiration. He abandoned safety and comfort to follow his passion and create something more meaningful in the mountains
The Valley
Glendalough is a valley nestled deep in the Wicklow mountains. An area known for its scenic beauty. Just south of Dublin, County Wicklow is renowned for its bountiful fields, rolling mountains and deep forests. It is affectionately known as “the Garden of Ireland”, and we’re fortunate enough to call these lands our home.
Glendalough is also home to a 6th century settlement founded by St Kevin, the man on our bottle, who turned his back on a life of wealth and privilege in search of something more meaningful. After years of exploring the Irish wilderness Kevin came across the majestic valley he would come to call home. He went on to dedicate his life to nature and taking the path less travelled.
St. Kevin
One day he arrived at the deep, isolated valley of Glendalough. He stood with his arms outstretched, marveling at its beauty. A blackbird landed on his hand and laid her eggs. He took it as a sign, a test of his resolve. So, there he stood, steadfast, day and night until the eggs hatched and the birds fledged.
This story, and many others about Kevin, drew people from all over Ireland to the valley
Botanicals
To make our gins, wild plants from the mountains around the distillery are hand-picked each day. What’s foraged is brought back to the distillery within hours. They are painstakingly slow distilled to tease out delicate flavours, in tiny batches of less than 250 litres. The cut-points are decided batch by batch, by smell and taste (never timed or automated) as if each batch is the first.
