A modern industrial building with a steep gabled roof and a large glass facade reflecting warm light, set against a dark, moody purple and gray sky at dusk.

Tours

The Ardara Distillery Non Tasting Tour

Join us in Ardara to explore the story of Irish spirits reborn, crafted with passion in the heart of Donegal.

The Ardara Distillery is a working Distillery.

You will get to see or team of Donegal Distillers in action as they work to an output of 450k of Donegal Spirits per annum.

We built the Ardara Distillery specifically to reclaim the distilling heritage of Donegal – a county famed for it’s illicit distilling heritage (and James Doherty, our founder is the grandson of 2 illicit distillers) and well documented for its smoky approach to whiskey particularly peated malt.

Duration: 30 minutes

Two men in casual attire, one wearing glasses and a black t-shirt and the other a gray v-neck sweater, engaged in conversation next to copper distilling equipment and a spirit safe inside a modern industrial distillery.

At the Ardara Distillery we are committed to making heavily peated Irish Whiskey and harnessing the processes that are little used in a modern context.

Rather than build a conventional single malt distillery we have built a distillery around the illicit process of “all grains in” distilling that were used in Donegal in the 19th Century.

The philosophy has been to make a whiskey as distinctive and with as profound sense of place as Donegal itself.

It’s my belief that the know-how we have developed that respects the illicit process allied to the most effective of modern equipment has produced a highly distinctive style of smoky whiskey that balances sweet and smoke even at a young age.

What are some of the key highlights on the tour ?

Hammer mill

Using a hammer mill creates an even 2mm grist rather than the mixed particle sizes of a roller mill. This keeps all the character including that of the husk in the process. We have a 2 tonne batch size.

Grains in

We do not lauter at the end of mashing, we use a mash conversion vessel with no filter bed before transfer to the fermenters after mashing. The effect of this is that the hydrophobic nature of the phenols, guacols etc. remain adhered to the grain particles which would be lost in a conventional mashing when the grain is removed at the end of the mashing process. We have 2 cooks per day.

Fermenting on the grain

We ferment on the grain and have agitation in the wash backs to prevent the grain settling out. We ferment for 72 hours. Fermenting on the grain stresses the yeast as it has been bred for clearer environment. We get additional esthers from this which include the waxy mouth feel.

Three large, gleaming copper pot stills connected by intricate piping, situated on a metal grate floor inside a modern distillery with a massive glass wall overlooking green fields.

In a symmetric, wide-angle shot of the Ardara Distillery interior, two rows of large, stainless steel fermentation tanks lead the eye toward three gleaming copper pot stills in the background. The facility features a high, gabled ceiling with industrial beams and purple accent lighting, while a massive floor-to-ceiling glass wall at the far end offers a view of the landscape outside.

Two bottles of Ardara Single Malt Irish Whiskey sit side-by-side on a wooden surface against a backdrop of stacked barrel ends. The amber-colored spirits are presented in clear glass bottles with black labels featuring a dragonfly emblem.

Six small wooden barrels with glass ends showing whiskey at various stages of aging, displayed on a black wooden rack labeled with years 1 through 12.

An aerial view of the modern, black-gabled Ardara Distillery building with its expansive glass facade reflecting a nearby pond, situated among lush green hills and industrial equipment.

A black and white line drawing of numerous whiskey barrels stacked horizontally on wooden racks inside a warehouse, with several barrels in the foreground featuring labels such as

A detailed black and white line drawing of three copper pot stills connected by a network of pipes inside a distillery, with large windows in the background.

Ready to experience the Ardara Distillery?

See the methods, meet the makers.

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