by Louise Doyle
The bar area of Crolly Distillery.
I’LL admit it, I was never a whiskey drinker but a tour of Croithlí (Crolly) Distillery might just have changed my mind.
Located in the heart of the Donegal Gaeltacht, the drive to Donegal’s first fully operational Whiskey Distillery in 180 years is something of a glorious wonder even before a foot is set in through the front door.
En route, we were spoiled for unrivalled landscape beauty as the distillery is nestled in rugged heartland surrounded by Errigal and the Church of the Sacred Heart, Dunlewey.
The Crolly Distillery opened on September 24, 2020 and laid down its first cask of Donegal single malt in October 2020, followed by Pot Still casks in September 2021.
Located at the old Crolly doll factory, the historic building was constructed in 1902 and has been completely transformed as part of a €1.3 million refurbishment supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta, transforming new life to the former factory to a distillery and state-of-the-art visitor centre for specialist whiskey tours and tastings.
The distilling room at Crolly Distillery.
Whiskey was last legally produced in Donegal by William Leatham at the Bohillion Distillery in Burt but that ended in 1840.
The journey to revive the craft began a number of years ago when friends, Joe Devenney from Annagry, Conor McMenamin from Ballybofey and Letterkenny’s Kieran Davis set the wheels in motion.
The friends set about bringing to life the craft within the then unused building, a prime location just 5km from Donegal Airport.
Built among the hills of Donegal, close to the Atlantic Ocean, the location of the distillery beside the Dore River was carefully selected.
It is thought to maintain the ideal conditions for slowly aging high-quality, single malt Irish whiskey.
In its previous incarnations, The Crolly Distillery building started its life as a carpet factory, spent some time as barracks for the Royal Irish Constabulary, and until the 1970s housed the world renowned Crolly Doll Factory.
Some of the casks.
The new distillery houses ex-cognac copper pot stills and takes a ‘grain to glass’ approach.
The founders say that they will rely on three simple, quality ingredients to produce the finest organic spirit: West Donegal spring water, East Donegal home grown barley and yeast strains of the highest quality.
Upon arrival we were given a warm welcome to the distillery by Catherine Nic Grianna and had time to enjoy a coffee while we waited for the others who were taking part in our tour.
Our tour included a family from Kildare, a couple from Dublin and a woman from Leitrim, a sure testament that the wonderful experience to be enjoyed at Crolly distillery is reaching an audience far and wide.
Our tour guide Pól Sharkey led us on what was to be a one-hour tour but Pól was generous with his time, allowing us to ask as many questions as we wanted along the way and offering to take group photos, the tour spilled over an extra 20 minutes.
We begin our tour at a wall marking The Founders 180 Club.
The investment programme gives whiskey lovers the chance to acquire one of the very first casks of Donegal-produced Irish whiskey from the Crolly distillery.
There are 180 individually numbered casks available, and owning a cask allows members to be part of an exclusive Crolly Club.
A wall acknowledging The 180 Founders Club.
Those in the ‘club’ include Celtic FC Foundation, Darran Brennan and Jason McGinty.
From there, we watched a short film on the origins of the distillery as we sat on seats replicating church pews.
Crolly dolls are dotted around the room in homage to the fact the building was formerly, from 1940 to 1978, home to the production of Crolly Dolls, a famous and established worldwide brand.
A large carpet hangs on the wall, a nod to the Crolly Distillery building having started its life as a carpet factory.
The next stage of the tour is a walk through the distilling process from grain to liquid gold.
We are given lots of time to ask questions and take photographs before going into the distilling room where we see just how the promoters have invested in a ‘green’ approach.
The founders have sourced two beautifully restored ex-cognac copper pot stills from the south of France and a grade A ex-bourbon oak casks from the US.
Pól tells us that people from around the world including France, Canada and Australia have taken the tour. Snippets of history and shared stories have been enjoyed by many who have taken the tour.
Everything within the visitor centre is up-cycled or recycled, something the distillery team are rightly proud of.
From the bar counter which originated from Sister Sara’s in Letterkenny to the green covered tables, which Martin McGuiness, John Hume and Gerry Adams are understood to have sat around in Donegal around when trying to strike a peace deal.
Following the tour you will enjoy a free tipple or three, depending if you opt for the trilogy experience.
The trilogy includes Quercus Petraea Sessile, which had a sweet woody oak taste, finished in notes of Créme brulée, black pepper and soft tannin.
The Quercus Alba was dry and spicy with a taste of ethereal green fruit and verdant oak.
The Quercus Robur had a deep redcurrant fruitiness with rich winter spices, ginger, clove and nutmeg. A robust and dry finish with wood smoke and dark chocolate.
Sharing stories and sips, you will sip Donegal’s heritage with visitors from near and far. Sláinte.
For more information see https://thecrollydistillery.com/Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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