Ballykeefe Distillery

Ballykeefe is a small farm distillery outside Kilkenny city, owned and run by the Ging family. It makes Irish whiskey, gin, vodka and poitín from barley grown on its own land, and it is one of the newer names in the Irish whiskey revival. If you want to see where a grain-to-glass Irish whiskey starts, a working farm in County Kilkenny is a good place to look.

Who owns Ballykeefe Distillery?

Ballykeefe is family owned. Morgan and Anne Ging founded it on their farm at Ballykeefe, near Cuffesgrange, and they run it with their family. It does not belong to any of the big drinks groups. For the wider picture, see our guide to who owns what in whisky.

The history of Ballykeefe Distillery

The Gings bought a 40-acre farm at Ballykeefe in 2002 and have since grown it into a mixed beef and tillage farm of around 160 acres, counting rented land. Morgan wanted a way to keep the farm viable for the next generation, and distilling was the answer. Planning permission came in 2015, building started in 2016 and the first spirit ran from the stills in 2017.

Whiskey cannot be sold until it has spent three years in the cask, so the distillery began with spirits that did not need to wait. Gin, vodka and poitín kept the business going while the first whiskey matured, and several of them picked up medals. The first whiskeys reached the shelves in 2021, led by a single pot still release, with a single malt following. It is part of the story told in how Irish whiskey collapsed and came back.

How Ballykeefe is made

Ballykeefe describes itself as a single-estate distillery, which means the whiskey is made on the farm where the barley grows. The water comes from the farm’s own aquifer, and the spirit is run through copper pot stills made in Italy by the Barison family. It is triple distilled, the traditional Irish method, which gives a lighter and smoother spirit than the double distillation used for most Scotch. For the basics, see our guide to how whisky is made.

Single pot still and single malt

The distillery makes both of Ireland’s signature styles. Single pot still is made from a mix of malted and unmalted barley, which gives a spicier, creamier whiskey. The single malt uses malted barley only. Both are bottled at 46% ABV.

Farm to bottle

Very little is wasted. The spent grain from the distillery is fed to the family’s beef cattle, so the farm closes its own loop. In 2019, the gin and vodka were reported to be made from a bought-in neutral spirit, rather than distilled from the farm’s own grain, so check the label if provenance matters to you.

The Ballykeefe range

Ballykeefe sells a small range, and the whiskeys are the reason to look. The main products are:

• Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey (46% ABV), triple distilled from malted and unmalted barley grown on the farm.
• Single Malt Irish Whiskey (46% ABV), triple distilled from malted barley.
• Limited and cask strength editions, some made with Kilkenny Crystal in hand-engraved bottles.
• Poitín, the traditional Irish white spirit, which has won medals.
• Extra Dry Irish Gin and vodka, the first products on the market.

New to the category, start with our beginner’s guide to Irish whiskey.

How to drink Ballykeefe

Both whiskeys are young, so they are best enjoyed neat or with a few drops of water. The gin works well in a simple gin and tonic, and the poitín is good in cocktails. You can also compare it with other new Irish distillers such as Waterford and Teeling.

Visiting Ballykeefe Distillery in Kilkenny

Ballykeefe is in the countryside at Kyle, Ballykeefe, Cuffesgrange, Co. Kilkenny, a short drive from Kilkenny city and about an hour and a half by road from Dublin. Tours are by appointment only, on a request basis, from Monday to Friday, except on bank holiday Mondays. The tour walks you through the mill house, brewhouse, copper pot stills, warehouse and bottling plant, and ends with a tasting in a converted horse stable.

Prices and times are not published, so contact the distillery to book: phone +353 87 700 4538 or email info@ballykeefedistillery.ie. Check the distillery website before you travel.

Ballykeefe Distillery: quick answers