Skellig six18 is reportedly set to open a new €10 million mico-distillery along the Ring of Kerry, according to the Irish Times.
The micro-distillery, which intends to produce both craft gin and pot-still whiskey, will be operated by June O'Connell, who comes from the area.
The 25,833 square foot distillery takes the place of a former sock manufacturing plant, which has been vacant for over 15 years.
Skellig six18
Before the end of the year, the distillery expects to have opened a gin school, an interim visitor centre and a bottling plant.
The distillery also hopes to have a two-tonne whiskey distillery operating by the end of the year, with its own stock available from the end of 2024.
“The whiskey distillery will have the capacity for six casks per day on a single shift and the new facility has planning permission to run a three-cycle shift although it will be some time before we move up to that level,” O’Connell told The Irish Times.
“The initial plan is to produce about 33,000 cases a year and we’ll be maturing it here as well, although we won’t be bottling and selling everything that matures after three years,” she said.
O’Connell and the other founders have invested approximately €1.25 million of their own money into the project, and are seeking to raise a further €3 million for the whiskey plant.
Considering the heavy influence tourism has on the area, O’Connell said she expects over 1 million people will be passing our door, and to have 100,000 visitors in five years’ time.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
