About Us

The perfect location for Ireland's only island distillery.

Our island is one of doers; we don't just dream of ideas, but work hard to realize our goals. It's Ireland's southernmost inhabited island and is proudly Gaeltacht (designated Irish-speaking area).

It's also an island that, like all Irish offshore islands, has experienced population decline over the years due to a lack of employment opportunities.

Cape Clear Island has 130 full-time residents and our school has seven students. Several years ago, some islanders got together to discuss the idea of building a distillery.

One that would employ islanders, that could one day provide an opportunity to the children in the island's school, and most importantly, that would one day produce some of the finest Irish spirits available.

We received planning permission for this state-of-the-art facility in 2016 and have been working toward that goal since.

Like many whiskey distilleries, the path toward producing whiskey involves starting with gin. Only we wanted a gin that could, and would continue to stand on its own. We wanted a gin that reflected our unique island's character, and one that could be considered among the best in the world.

After nearly a year of development, with involvement from the islanders and consultants from the mainland, we finalized a recipe that did just that. We began bottling 3 SQ. MILES in November of 2019.

Now, the distillery site is a beehive of activity. With demand increasing for our gin, we're distilling away, and happily adding employees. While most activity is handled by local islanders, the head distiller commutes via the ferry from the nearby village of Baltimore.

The distillery enjoys complete community support, with many islanders holding some equity in the company, and always available to lend a hand when things get busy. We're proud of the product we've produced and look forward to its continued success.

Meet the Team

  • Séamus Ó Drisceoil

    Founder and manager of the Distillery, with a professional business background overseeing enterprises on Cape Clear Island and beyond. He also manages the award-winning Cape Clear Ferry Service, demonstrating a commitment to building a sustainable and successful distillery on the island.

  • Máirtín Ó Méalóid

    Máirtín, the chairman of the island's co-op and a board member at Cape Clear Island Distillery.

    Along with his wife, they are a key part of the new product development committee, showcasing their commitment to innovation and contributing to the distillery's growth.

  • Christopher Mason

    Christopher, our Head Distiller and Operations Manager has lived near Schull since 2016, previously residing in Los Angeles. Coming from a digital marketing background, he's played a key role in our marketing efforts. He's a candidate for a degree in Brewing and Distilling Operations from CIT.