| Country | ireland |
| Region | County Wexford |
| Established | 1827 |
| Owner | Devereux, Harvey and Co. (later Devereux/Locke family) |
| Type | Pot still Irish whiskey |
| Number of stills | |
| Visitor center | No |
| Status | Closed |
| Phone | n/a |
Bishop's Water Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery that was located in Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland. It was founded in 1827 and closed in 1914 after a long decline in output. It was once described as "the most perfect and complete of the kind in Ireland" and was named after a nearby stream said to carry the blessing of the sainted Bishop of Ferns.
Bishop's Water Distillery was established in 1827 by a consortium of local businessmen trading as Devereux, Harvey, and Co., Distillers, at a cost of around £30,000. The founding partners were Nicholas Devereux, his father John Devereux, and Maurice Crosbie Harvey. In 1830 Maurice Harvey died in an accidental shooting at the distillery, and in 1836 the partnership was dissolved, leaving Nicholas Devereux as sole proprietor. On Nicholas's death in 1840, control passed to his son Richard. In 1868, Nicholas's daughter Mary Anne Therese became involved in running the business following the death of her husband, John Locke (of the Locke's Distillery family in Kilbeggan).
The distillery produced triple-distilled pot still whiskey that was exported to London, Liverpool, and Bristol. Output peaked at around 200,000 gallons a year in 1833, but by 1886 annual production had fallen to roughly 110,000 gallons, among the lowest of the Irish distilleries operating at the time, reflecting the broader downturn faced by Irish pot still distillers in the late 19th century.
Weakened by decades of falling demand for Irish pot still whiskey, the distillery was put up for sale in 1909 but found no buyer, and it ceased operations in 1914. The site was subsequently taken over and converted into Pierce Ironworks. No original Bishop's Water bottlings are known to survive on the collectors' market, and the distillery is remembered today chiefly through historical records of 19th-century Irish whiskey production rather than through any whiskey still in circulation.
Bishop's Water distillery is located at Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland.
Bishop's Water distillery was founded in 1827.
Bishop's Water distillery is owned by Devereux, Harvey and Co. (later Devereux/Locke family).
Bishop's Water distillery is from County Wexford, ireland.
You can buy Bishop's Water whisky at Glenbotal.co.uk. We currently stock a selection with free UK delivery on orders over £99.
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About Glenbotal
The idea of Glenbotal came to us naturaly: as whisky lovers, we were always on the lookout for new experiences in the whisky world. That’s why we created Glenbotal and became our very own first customers. We buy unique and hard to find spirits from auctions, ballots, and private collections. Then, we share them with a small circle of friends and people who can appreciate a good dram.