| Country | ireland |
| Region | County Cork |
| Established | 2003 |
| Owner | Independent (John O'Connell, Denis McCarthy, Ger McCarthy) |
| Type | Irish whiskey distillery (pot and column still) |
| Number of stills | 16 pot stills and 3 column stills (plus 2 gin stills) |
| Visitor center | Unknown |
| Status | Active |
| Phone | n/a |
West Cork Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery located in Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland. It was founded in 2003 and is currently owned and run independently by its founding partners, making it the largest wholly Irish-owned distillery in the country. What began as a two-still operation in a family home has grown into one of Ireland's biggest whiskey producers, exporting to around 70 countries.
West Cork Distillers was founded in 2003 by three childhood friends from Skibbereen: John O'Connell, Denis McCarthy, and Ger McCarthy. The venture started modestly during a difficult economic period, distilling in Denis McCarthy's house in nearby Union Hall using two small pot stills bought secondhand from a Swiss schnapps producer. Drawing on local heritage — one founder traced his family back to Coppeen in the Coolea Mountains, long known as part of West Cork's poitín-making tradition — the trio built the business on an unconventional, self-taught approach to whiskey making.
The company relocated to a dedicated distillery in Skibbereen in 2014, and in 2020 opened a purpose-built 12.5-acre production site on Marsh Road, Skibbereen, where distilling, maturation and bottling now all take place on-site. The distillery has since expanded rapidly, growing to more than 140 employees, sixteen pot stills and three column stills for whiskey (plus two further stills dedicated to gin), and warehousing capacity for tens of thousands of casks. West Cork remains independently and wholly Irish-owned, and describes its mission as making Irish whiskey accessible worldwide while retaining its West Cork heritage.
West Cork's core range centres on its triple-distilled, non-chill-filtered Irish whiskey, typically bottled at 40% ABV. The lineup includes the West Cork Original Blended Irish Whiskey, single malt expressions aged 8, 10 and 12 years, and a series of small-batch cask-finished whiskeys matured in bourbon, sherry, rum and port casks. The distillery also produces a peated Glengarriff Series and various cask-strength and limited-edition bottlings for its Irish Whiskey Cask Club.
West Cork distillery is located at Marsh Road, Skibbereen, County Cork, P81 XY67, Ireland.
West Cork distillery was founded in 2003.
West Cork distillery is owned by Independent (John O'Connell, Denis McCarthy, Ger McCarthy).
West Cork distillery is from County Cork, ireland.
You can buy West Cork 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.