Our Story

A dream long in the making

It was evocative childhood memories of action-packed summers at his grandparents’ homestead, exploring the wild Atlantic coast and an ever-growing desire to breathe new life into an almost forgotten style of Irish whiskey that called James Doherty to bring his family back to County Donegal. The result is the Ardara Distillery.

Quote Icon
All that you expect to find in Ireland, is in Ardara.
P. J. McGill (1861–1951)
A man with graying hair and a beard smiles warmly with his arms crossed in front of two large, gleaming copper pot stills. He is wearing a green vest over a blue button-down shirt and a watch on his left wrist. The distillery equipment in the background is softly out of focus, highlighting the subject.
James Doherty in the still room

Located on the banks of the Owentocker River in the beautiful, vibrant festival town of Ardara, the striking, cathedral-esque building stands as a proud statement of what the future holds.

Dedicated to producing rich, characterful, smoky whiskeys contrary in style to those of the rest of Ireland, the Ardara Distillery is once again putting Donegal at the forefront of Ireland’s distilling reputation. (In the early 19th century, Donegal was widely known for the quality of its smoky style of spirit, much of it distilled illicitly).

The years James spent working around the world gathering experience and know-how from roles with distillers, brewers and even on tea plantations in Malawi, and Zimbabwe, where he met his wife, Moira, have allowed a dream to flourish.

You are invited to be with us, visit and taste the dream as it unfolds and experience THE SPIRIT OF DONEGAL

A man with graying hair and a beard smiles warmly with his arms crossed in front of two large, gleaming copper pot stills. He is wearing a green vest over a blue button-down shirt and a watch on his left wrist. The distillery equipment in the background is softly out of focus, highlighting the subject.
James Doherty in the still room
James Doherty's Grandfather was an illicit Distiller from Donegal. If he were to return today, he would recognise this as the same process he used 100 years ago.
We protect tradition and refine how it is done, from smoky single malts to maritime gin and delicate vodka.
Smoky by design

Single Malt and Pot Still, typically 55 ppm, a softly peated Donegal style.

All grains in

No mash tun, whole grain character carried through to the wash still.

Three copper stills

Forsyth’s copper, offset neck wash still for a distinctive first run.

Soft, narrow cuts

Lazy boil and deliberate cuts for balance of sweet spirit and dry pipe smoke.

Solera harmony

Two 6,000 L wooden vessels marry new make for consistent character.

Human craft

Head Distiller Graeme Bell leads a hands on team, not computers.

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.

Book a Tour

Our process

From Donegal’s coast to shining copper, Ardara Distillery shows how tradition evolves, character first, quietly modern, unmistakably local here today.

An infographic titled "Our All Grain In Process" against a dark teal background, detailing a seven-step distillation method at Ardara Distillery. Each step features a simplified peach-colored illustration and a descriptive paragraph: Hammer Mill: Grain is reduced to a uniform fine grist. Mashing: Use of a mash conversion vessel with no filter floor to pass all grain to fermenters. Fermenters: Grain is kept in for 72 hours to achieve an 8% ABV wash. Wash Still (10,000 litre): Outputting low wines at 22% ABV using short stills with downward sloping line arms. Intermediate Still (5,000 litre): Outputting high wines at 56% ABV. Spirit Still (3,500 litre): Final distillation with a specific top and bottom cut. Solera Vats: 6,000 litre vats used to maintain consistent style and quality. An "Interesting Fact" box notes that James Doherty's grandfather, an illicit distiller from Donegal, would recognize this 100-year-old process today.

Seanchaí cask club

Own a cask, carry the story of Donegal.

In Donegal, a seanchaí (pronounced shan-a-key) is the keeper of an area’s oral tradition. Someone who imbibes stories, myths, facts and folklore and fuses them together to recount rich tales. They are the people who give a place its true identity.

In owning a cask of Ardara Distillery’s whiskey, you become one of our Seanchaí. The stories you tell of its distinctiveness will help us reclaim Donegal’s distilling heritage and build the legend.

Some may look at cask ownership purely as an investment opportunity, and with the dramatic growth in Irish whiskey, rarity of heavily peated Irish whiskey and cast iron guarantees we offer, it can be. However, at Sliabh Liag Distillers, we like to look beyond the pure financials.

The resurgence of Irish whiskey is well documented but reclaiming peated Irish spirit for Donegal is what we are most passionate about. “Tá a fhios agat go bhfuil tú sa bhaile nuair atá an boladh de mhóin ann.” (You know you are home when you can smell the turf smoke).

And it is really only here, in Donegal, that you could expect this approach.  And that’s not because we’re a contrary bunch who like to be different…  No. It’s because we have the utmost respect for tradition.  We have gone back in time to find the inspiration to move forward, and so have become single minded about the peated style of soft Irish whiskey we distil.

It is an approach that is striking a chord with both the whiskey community and Donegal diaspora around the world who are joining the journey by investing in a cask of Ardara new-make spirit and becoming a Seanchaí.

Two men holding tasting glasses and conversing in a whiskey warehouse, surrounded by stacks of aging wooden barrels.
Two men holding tasting glasses and conversing in a whiskey warehouse, surrounded by stacks of aging wooden barrels.
A white, circular stamp for Sliabh Liag Distillers featuring

There are only 600 
Seanchaí casks available

Once they are gone, they’re gone.

Treat cask ownership with an investor’s mindset, time horizon and risk awareness. Outcomes vary with maturation, market conditions and release decisions. The programme sets storage, insurance and fees up front, provides milestone updates and sampling, and defines options at maturity, whether bottling or transfer. Full details are in the brochure.

Get your free brochure
Heritage revived
We’re single-minded about the peated, softly smoky style that once defined Donegal.
Rarity with substance
Heavily peated Irish whiskey is rare; 
Ardara is dedicated to it.
Beyond the numbers
Cask ownership can be an investment, but for us it’s about preserving tradition and community.
Book a Tour