Passion & Craft

Brian and Jim at Wild Atlantic Distillery are passionate about maintaining the long history of independent, traditional, and craft distilleries in Ireland and particularly in Co. Tyrone where they are based. In late 2019 a team from whisky-online.com unearthed an amazing collection of whiskey in County Tyrone, not far from Wild Atlantic Distillery, which dates as far back as the mid 1800s.

An old outbuilding in Co Tyrone was being demolished when a false wall was discovered, hiding a secret room and in the basement of this room, a collection of around 200 bottles was discovered. The bottles were lying on their sides, packed in with turf and covered with a thick layer of moss. The style of the bottles was consistent with 19th Century methods, estimated to have an approximate time frame of 1840 to 1860.

A Tatlock and Thomson Ltd (who have provided scientific services to the drinks trade for over a Century) analysis confirmed the sample they tested was whiskey. According to the team from whisky-online.com the discovery of this remarkable haul, most likely distilled almost two centuries ago and hidden away soon afterward, is a big milestone in the annals of distillation in Ireland. Each of these bottles is a time capsule, representing an extraordinary snapshot from the past: a period soon after the creation of the Coffey Still, when whiskey in Ireland was made by massive urban distilleries and by hundreds, maybe thousands, of small-scale illicit operations spread throughout the country’s rural interior. The Tyrone collection is a truly unique find: whiskey from a much-romanticised but brutal and problematic period when Ireland produced the world’s most sought-after whiskey.

Wild Atlantic Distillery are proud to be part of the new wave of independent, traditional, and craft distilleries blossoming in Ireland, making Irish Whiskey once again, the world’s most sought-after whiskey. 

Craft your own spirit under the expert guidance of the master distillers at Wild Atlantic Distillery. Discover what makes Ireland’s newest gin experience so unique as you learn about the origins of the botanicals including kelp and dillisk, that are harvested from the wild Atlantic Ocean.

Be surprised by the unexpected as your hosts Brian and Jim tell you stories of innovative distillation methods that are rooted in tradition and discover how they have been inspired by the people and the landscape of this place to create something extraordinary.  

Have your sense enlivened by the elements as you smell, taste, and touch a range of botanicals that will inspire your own spirit.  Enjoy the views of the rolling countryside as you work with your individual copper still to produce your personalised bottle to take home.  Enjoy a light lunch of local food including artisan breads, local cheeses, and charcuterie as you enjoy a gin and tonic in stylish surroundings.   

Get hands as you fill your bottle and personalise your creation by naming and labeling your spirit as you take home, a new gin made with your own hands that can't be replicated anywhere else.