Royal Oak Distillery — County Carlow Single Malt Whisky

Royal Oak Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery located near Bagenalstown, at Royal Oak, County Carlow, Ireland. It was founded in 2016 and is currently owned by Illva Saronno, the Italian spirits group. It sits within the grounds of Holloden House, a Georgian estate on the banks of the River Barrow, and is one of the largest independent whiskey distilleries built in Ireland in the modern era.

History

The site was developed by Bernard and Rosemary Walsh, founders of Walsh Whiskey (established 1999, known for The Irishman and Writers' Tears brands), who partnered with Illva Saronno to build a purpose-designed distillery on the historic Holloden House estate. Construction, backed by an investment of around €25 million, began in the mid-2010s and the distillery officially opened on 21 June 2016, becoming the first new distillery built in County Carlow in over 200 years. In 2019 Illva Saronno took full ownership of the site, and it was subsequently renamed Royal Oak Distillery after the townland in which it stands. The distillery was built with capacity for pot still, single malt, single grain and blended whiskey production, and matures stock on site. Holloden House itself, dating to around 1755, has been undergoing restoration with a longer-term plan to serve as part of the visitor experience.

Quick Facts

• Region: County Carlow, Ireland
• Founded: 2016
• Owner: Illva Saronno S.p.A.
• Status: Active
• Stills: Three copper pot stills (Forsyths of Scotland, largest at 15,000 litres) plus column stills for grain whiskey production

Core Range

Royal Oak Distillery's whiskey is released under the The Busker brand, spanning several styles produced on site: The Busker Triple Cask (a blend of malt, grain and pot still whiskeys), The Busker Single Grain, The Busker Single Malt, and The Busker Single Pot Still, along with limited small-batch and cask-finish expressions. The range is typically bottled at 40% ABV.