There’s something remarkable about Dingle Distillery. Located in the far west of Ireland in County Kerry, perched between the Glanteenassig hills and the wild North Atlantic, the distillery was making headlines far before its whiskey came of age. Founded back in 2012, this family business was one of the first to fire up its stills at the start of the island’s new-wave distilling boom. And today, as it announces the launch of its flagship Dingle 10 Years Old Single Malt and a permanent Dingle Single Pot Still expression, it’s still at the forefront of Ireland’s craft whiskey movement.
Everything that Dingle releases is made entirely on-site in its namesake town. From its unusual wooden mash tun to its trio of copper pot stills, Dingle champions fully hands-on, considered whiskey production. Layer that over a meticulous focus on hand-selected fortified wine casks, and this independent Irish distillery is overflowing with distinctive character.
“I talk about all the benefits of having a very people-run, craft-focused business, but other people tell me it would be far more efficient if it were run by machines,” muses Elliot Hughes, Dingle’s managing director. “For us, it’s never, ever been about accountants, the numbers. It really is about how we get the best product out there.”
Dingle is living up to that ambition, with its gins and vodka, as well as its whiskeys, scooping up all manner of awards, with Dingle Single Malt most recently being named Whisky Magazine Editor’s Choice. Now, 13 years on from its founding, two new whiskeys are taking centre stage. First up is Dingle 10 Years Old Single Malt, a fruit-forward, dessert-like expression that proudly proclaims its age statement. What's more, it's already been given a Master award at the Irish Whiskey Masters 2025. Then there’s the twist-on-tradition, a Dingle Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey matured in four cask types.
It’s almost unheard of for an Irish craft distillery to have its own 10-year-old whiskey. The structure of the industry means that most of Ireland’s age-stated whiskeys are sourced from the bigger players, but Dingle has done it all in-house from grain to glass.
The result? The Dingle 10 Years Old single malt is a vibrant marriage of bourbon, port, and Pedro Ximénez casks, offering an exacting balance of fruity distillery character, bold oak influence, and the elegance only time can impart. Dark fruits and stewed plums emerge first on the nose, followed by luxurious Black Forest gateau and ginger biscuits on the palate, with butterscotch and orange blossom on the smooth, meandering finish. Bottled at 46.5% and non-chill-filtered, it’s a statement whiskey packed full of that signature Dingle complexity.
The 10-year-old single malt’s release marks a huge moment for Hughes and the team. “This 10-year-old means a lot to us,” he says. “It’s a real milestone and a reflection of the passion and hard work our team puts in every day. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built here at Dingle — this whiskey is a big part of that story.
While the 10-year-old speaks to Dingle’s pioneering position at the forefront of Ireland’s craft whiskey scene, the distillery’s first flagship Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey shows the distillery has a deep respect for heritage, too. As the style dictates, it began life as a mash of malted and unmalted barley, before being triple-distilled and then matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, and red wine barriques.
It’s a recipe that has resulted in a rich, robust and intricate expression with nutmeg and cinnamon on the nose, dark fruits and brown sugar on the velvety palate, and a meandering finish evolving from classic pot still spice to honey and toasted oak.
A distinctly Irish style, Hughes confirms that pot still whiskey was always part of the plan, but he’s glad they approached it from a new angle. “It’s something we’re very excited about,” he says of the four-cask maturation process. “A lot of care and dedication has gone into bringing this to life, and we believe it truly reflects the spirit of our distillery and the team behind it.”
These whiskeys don’t just taste extraordinary, they look striking as well. That’s thanks to a Dingle brand refresh, which blends compelling design with an important local tradition.
“It’s all to do with Wren’s Day,” explains Niall O’Connor, Dingle’s senior marketing manager. A celebration that grips Dingle town every St Stephen’s Day (26th December), the Wren’s Day sees four distinct groups dressing up and, led by straw-clad ‘Wren Boys’, marching through the town in distinctly coloured costumes, before meeting to celebrate together.
Starting out centuries ago as a St. Stephen’s Day wren hunt, today it’s a much-loved (and hunting-free) local event: the one day of the year when everyone in Dingle town is home and locals can come together to celebrate their community.
“There’s a lot of pride in what Wren you’re associated with,” O’Connor says. “You spend Christmas Day with your family, and then on Wren’s Day you celebrate the best local tradition of the year with your best friends.”
The colours from the spectacle play out across the new-look Dingle collection, while the brand’s icon depicts the silhouette of the ‘Wren Boy’ in full straw costume, holding a sheaf of barley and a sickle. It’s a nod to the celebration that unites the community and speaks to the distillery’s values.
More than just an homage to an important local celebration, Dingle’s design links to the Wren’s Day represent its very real connection to the local community. After all, people are at the very root of Dingle’s operations. Whether it’s mashing, fermenting or distilling, the human touch is one element that sets Dingle apart in an industry constantly chasing automation. “Everything is very much manual,” Hughes explains. “We probably have more people working in production than at some of the biggest distillers.”
Given that Dingle intentionally operates in the space between small-scale heritage whiskey making and conglomerate-backed industry giants, it’s interesting to consider what the future looks like. For Hughes, it’s about continuing to grow the age-statement portfolio and doubling down on the distillery’s wood policy. “We’re working with fortified wine casks in particular,” he says, explaining that the dense richness they impart is central to the Dingle character, and will continue to be so.
“The future plays through what we are and what we’re good at,” he continues. “We could try to be the most innovative or most disruptive distillery. But we know what our strengths are.” He looks back at the obsession with craft, hands-on production, and a commitment to both the community and quality. “Like anything in life, knowing who you are and sticking with that is really important.”
Slow, steady, people-first whiskey-making, with an obsession for flavour and a drive to do things properly, Dingle is going to be around for the long haul. The Dingle 10 Years Old Single Malt and Dingle Single Pot Still bottlings are delicious, but they’re also a powerful statement of intent signifying what’s being laid down for the future. And, clad in the new Wren Boy-inspired packs, those West Ireland community roots are enshrined in design for all to celebrate.
Learn more at www.dingledistillery.ie
