Kilbeggan Distillery — County Westmeath Single Malt Whisky

Kilbeggan Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery located in the town of Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, Ireland, on the banks of the River Brosna. It was founded in 1757 and is currently owned by Suntory Global Spirits (a subsidiary of Japan's Suntory Holdings). Kilbeggan holds the oldest surviving licence for whiskey distillation in Ireland and is home to the oldest working pot still in the world, a nearly 200-year-old still transplanted from the old Tullamore Distillery.

History

Founded in 1757 by Matthew MacManus, the distillery traded for generations under the names Brusna Distillery and, later, Locke's Distillery, after the Locke family who ran it from the 1840s. It grew into one of Ireland's principal whiskey producers through the 19th century, powered in part by a restored waterwheel on the Brosna. Like most Irish distilleries, Kilbeggan was hit hard by the decline of Irish whiskey in the 20th century, and production ceased in 1957. Remarkably, the site's distilling licence was kept alive, and the buildings survived intact, reopening as a whiskey museum and visitor attraction rather than being demolished. In 2007, Cooley Distillery (later acquired by Beam Inc., and now part of Suntory Global Spirits) restarted distillation on site using a historic pot still originally from Tullamore, marking a 50-year gap in production. A major restoration was completed in 2010, and Kilbeggan has operated continuously since, combining its working distillery with the on-site museum, waterwheel and visitor experience.

Quick Facts

• Region: County Westmeath, Ireland
• Founded: 1757
• Owner: Suntory Global Spirits
• Status: Active
• Stills: Two pot stills (3,000-litre wash still and 1,800-litre spirit still)

Core Range

The Kilbeggan core range centres on the flagship Kilbeggan Blended Irish Whiskey (40% ABV), a light, triple-distilled blend. It is joined by the Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye Whiskey (43% ABV), the first expression fully distilled and matured on site since the 2007 restart, along with a Single Pot Still Whiskey, a Triple Cask expression matured across three cask types, and the flavoured Berry Selection.