The Ardara Distillery is a working Distillery.
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
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 ?
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.
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.
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.
Ready to experience the Ardara Distillery?
See the methods, meet the makers.