Micil Distillery — County Galway Single Malt Whisky

Micil Distillery is an Irish whiskey and poitín distillery located in Salthill, on the western edge of Galway city, County Galway, Ireland. It was founded in 2016 and is currently owned and operated by the Ó Griallais family, descendants of the distillery's namesake. Micil traces its distilling lineage back to 1848 and describes itself as the custodian of Ireland's longest unbroken family distilling tradition.

History

Micil Distillery takes its name from Micil Mac Chearra, a great-great-great grandfather of the current owners who began illicitly distilling poitín on a Connemara hillside in 1848. Knowledge of the family's stills, recipes and techniques was passed down orally through six generations, largely in the Irish language, surviving more than 170 years despite poitín's long period of illegality in Ireland (the spirit was only legalised for sale in 1997). In 2016 the family opened Micil Distillery in Salthill, Galway, becoming the city's first legal distillery in over a century. The distillery began by producing poitín and gin using small pot stills, staying true to its self-description as "poitín distillers first and foremost," before laying down what it calls Galway's first legal whiskey in over 100 years in 2020. That spirit, matured in a range of cask types including ex-bourbon, red wine, Madeira and port casks, now forms the basis of Micil's Single Pot Still Irish whiskey range. The distillery operates a visitor centre on Salthill's Wild Atlantic Way promenade offering guided tastings and tours.

Quick Facts

• Region: County Galway, Ireland (Connacht)
• Founded: 2016 (family poitín-distilling tradition dates to 1848)
• Owner: Ó Griallais family (independent, family-owned)
• Status: Active
• Stills: Small copper pot stills

Core Range

Micil's core whiskey range consists of Single Pot Still Irish whiskeys bottled without chill filtration. Micil Inverin Small Batch (46% ABV) is a peated blend matured in recharred ex-bourbon quarter casks, Pedro Ximénez casks and peated poitín octaves. Micil Earls Island (46% ABV) finishes in ex-Bordeaux red wine and ex-peated whiskey casks, referencing Galway's historic wine-trading links. Micil Madeira Island (46% ABV) is finished in Madeira wine casks alongside ex-peated quarter casks. Micil Long Walk (43% ABV) is matured across port, bourbon and virgin oak casks. Alongside its whiskeys, Micil also produces Irish Poitín and Heritage Poitín, Classic Irish Gin and Spiced Orange Gin, and an Irish Cream liqueur.