In June, before our summer break, we will welcome Micil Distillery to a cosy wee room in Foxy Johns on Main Street.
Micil Distillery is Galway’s first legal distillery in over 100 years. It’s headed up by Pádraic Ó Griallais, a 6th generation distiller passionately continuing a longstanding family tradition.
The family has been producing poitín on the shores of Galway Bay for over 170 years. The name, Micil Distillery, honors Pádraic’s great-great-great grandfather, Micil Mac Chearra who began distilling in 1848 in Connemara, when it was outlawed under British rule.
The modern, licensed distillery opened its doors in 2016 and began distilling poitín, following the family’s original recipe. In 2018, they began distilling gin, utilizing Connemara flowers and herbs, and by 2020 Micil Distillery was awarded the silver medal in the ‘Contemporary Style Gin’ category at the 2020 World Gin Awards ceremony in London.
Micil Distillery then turned its attention to whiskey.
In 2020 they filled their first casks with the new-make spirit which will be Galway’s first Irish whiskey since 1911. While waiting for their own whiskey to mature, they’ve introduced a collection of Micil Whiskeys.
These are crafted from sourced spirits, which are finished and independently bottled by Micil, drawing inspiration from the historical ‘fuisce’ distilling traditions of Galway City and Connemara. Aged in their own casks, these whiskeys offer a glimpse into the ‘Galway Whiskey’ style that Micil is reviving, serving as a preview of what’s to come
An on-site visitor center at Micil Distillery opened to the public in July 2018, offering tours and tastings at their working distillery.
Whiskeys tasted
1.
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