Kilbeggan

Located in the town of Kilbeggan, on the Brosna River, Kilbeggan Distillery is the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland. It was established in 1757, when Matthew MacManus obtained a license to produce whiskey. In 1843 the Locke family took over the distillery and business flourished. The family ran the distillery until production ceased in 1954. In 1982, a group of locals formed the Kilbeggan Preservation and Development Association and raised funds for restoration and the distillery was reopened to the public as a museum. In 1988 the distillery was purchased by Cooley Distillery, along with the licence to produce whiskey under the Kilbeggan brand (the owner of the distillery since its closure had continued to pay the annual licence fee). On 19th March 2007, distillation once again started at the distillery. Small batch whiskeys are made at Kilbeggan, while the larger scale production takes place at Cooley Distillery in Louth.