Glendalough
Type: Distillery and brand
Glendalough has released whiskey distilled in its own operation and previously sourced whiskey from Cooley Distillery. Its own first whiskey release arrived in 2019, a single pot still whiskey matured in bourbon casks and finished in virgin Irish oak.[6]
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Address | A trade account gives Newtown Business and Enterprise Centre, Newtown Mount Kennedy, but the production site's location is not reliably established.[6] |
| Founded | 2011, according to the owner's account reported in the sheet.[3] |
| First distillation | 2016, according to the trade account.[6] |
| Ownership | Mark Anthony acquired the remaining shares on 12 December 2019, according to the sheet's ownership account. Exact holding entity not reliably established.[3][5] |
| Distilled at | Glendalough for its own production; Cooley supplied whiskey for earlier releases.[6] |
| Styles documented | Single pot still, single malt and single grain Irish whiskey.[6] |
| Business status | Cannot confirm from the supplied record. |
| Distilling status | Cannot confirm from the supplied record. |
| Visitor access | Cannot confirm: the supplied accounts disagree about tours and a visitor centre.[6] |
| Site status | Cannot confirm from the supplied record. |
| Stills and capacity | Number of stills and installed capacity not reliably established. |
What Glendalough is known for
Glendalough's documented whiskey range puts considerable emphasis on wood and finishing. The casks listed in the trade account include ex-bourbon barrels, Oloroso butts and Japanese Mizunara oak, while named releases also include single grain whiskeys finished in Calvados XO, Burgundy and Madeira casks.[6]
That makes the distinction between distillation and maturation particularly useful here. The place that distilled a whiskey and the casks subsequently used for it are separate parts of its identity. Glendalough's early use of Cooley whiskey should not be confused with its later releases of spirit from its own operation.[6]
The company also began by selling poitín, and its documented range extends beyond whiskey to Wild Botanical, Wild Rose and Four Seasons gins.[3][6] Those products belong to the business's wider story, but the whiskey's origin and maturation are the central questions when reading a Glendalough bottle.
From sourced whiskey to its own spirit
The trade account places the official start of distilling in 2016, after the purchase of a Holstein still from Germany. It also records that Glendalough sourced whiskey from Cooley while its own spirit matured.[6] Readers interested in that earlier source can continue to the separate account of Cooley Distillery.
The first whiskey from Glendalough's own production appeared in 2019. It was a single pot still whiskey made with malted and unmalted barley in a 1 to 2 ratio, then matured for three years in bourbon casks before spending up to a year in virgin Irish oak.[6]
These details describe that first release, not every whiskey carrying the name. They should not be extended to other expressions without a matching production account: the sheet separately records single grain and single malt whiskeys, as well as pot still releases.[6]
Production timeline
| Date | Documented development |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Founding year given in the owner's account.[3] |
| 2016 | Distilling officially began after the purchase of a German Holstein still, according to the trade account.[6] |
| 2019 | First release of whiskey from Glendalough's own production, a single pot still whiskey.[6] |
The founding story and its limits
The supplied accounts agree on a 2011 beginning but differ over who should be counted as a founder. The owner's account names Barry Gallagher and Brian Fagan; the trade account lists those two alongside Gary McLoughlin, Kevin Keenan and Donal O'Gallachoir.[3][6]
Story box
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Story title | A business before its first whiskey |
| Founding story | The owner's account names Barry Gallagher and Brian Fagan as founders in 2011; the trade account names five founders. Sources: owner account, trade account. |
| Turning point | Distilling began in 2016 after the purchase of a Holstein still from Germany, according to the trade account. |
| Documented record | The trade account distinguishes sourced Cooley whiskey from the first release of Glendalough's own whiskey in 2019. Source: trade account. |
| Last checked | 7 November 2026 |
Claim: The founding group consisted of two people rather than five.
Verdict: Disputed
What the record shows: The sheet preserves a two-person owner's account and a five-person trade account.[3][6]
Evidence against or gap: The founder count is not reliably established.
Earliest known source: Not established from the sources checked.
Sources: Whisky Clan, publication date not supplied; WhiskeyAtlas, publication date not supplied.
Last checked: 7 November 2026.
Ownership and the whiskey range
Mark Anthony Brands International took a 40 per cent minority stake in August 2016.[4] The supplied record places Mark Anthony's acquisition of the remaining shares on 12 December 2019 and says Glendalough subsequently remained a separate company run by Gallagher and Fagan.[3][5] The acquisition sources and exact holding entity require verification before publication.
The named whiskeys in the sheet include Pot Still Irish Oak Finish, Pot Still Peated, Single Grain Double Barrel Finish and Double Barrel Cask Strength. It also records a 7 year old Single Malt Mizunara Cask Finish and a 17 Year Old Mizunara Finish.[6] These are documented names, not a statement that every expression remains available in every market.
The producer has also claimed firsts involving Irish single malt matured in Mizunara oak and Wicklow Irish oak. Those remain producer claims reported by the trade source, rather than independently established priority claims.[6]
The name, the labels and visiting
Glendalough means “the glen of two lakes”. The trade account connects the name with the sixth-century monastic settlement founded by St Kevin and records his depiction on the labels.[6] That cultural reference should not be used to locate the production site.
For visiting, confirm the destination and arrangements directly before making plans. The sheet gives a business address at Newtown Mount Kennedy but preserves conflicting accounts about tours, a visitor centre and a location in the Glendalough valley.[6] A description of the valley is not confirmation of access to the distillery.
Where to go next
- Cooley Distillery: Connemara and Tyrconnell: follow the source of Glendalough's earlier whiskey.
- Dingle: continue exploring Irish distillery profiles.
- Powerscourt and Fercullen: read another distillery and brand account.
Sources
[3] Whisky Clan. Glendalough Distillery: History, Owner and Range. Publication date and revision not supplied in the fact sheet.
https://www.whisky-clan.com/post/glendalough-distillery-history-owner-and-range
[4] Made Good Designs. Glendalough Brand Guidelines. Publication date and revision not supplied in the fact sheet.
https://madegooddesigns.com/glendalough-brand-guidelines/
[5] Glendalough Distillery. Our Story. Producer's account; publication date and revision not supplied in the fact sheet.
https://www.glendaloughdistillery.com/pages/our-story
[6] WhiskeyAtlas. Glendalough Distillery. Trade account; publication date and revision not supplied in the fact sheet.
https://www.whiskeyatlas.co.uk/distillery/glendalough
This desk-researched draft uses the supplied verified fact sheet, retaining its distinctions between trade reporting, producer accounts and unresolved claims.
Last checked: November 2026