A new craft experience has arrived in the heart of Galway – inspired by its history as a center for quality whiskey over two centuries ago.
Galway City Distillery invites customers to learn how to brew their own spirits at home and create their personal signature drinks by adding world-class botanical products.
Based in the art deco former Tribeton building on Merchants Road, there will be a bar, café, brewery school as well as a brewery where customers can watch as their favorite drink is created from scratch from a shiny new 150-liter German hybrid still .
Invented by Dubliner Jim Flynn, he believed there was a huge gap in the market for a distillery in the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way, where high-quality food has become a real selling point.
“If you Google the best things to do in Galway, the eight best are outdoors, yet it rains 221 days a year. There is a fantastic museum, the food supply is excellent with the Michelin restaurants, all of which excel at offering local food. “Local suppliers. I felt like no one had done it with drink,” Jim reveals. 
“My background is working with small independent craft producers. And then I learned about the history of Burton Persse and how his whiskey was the favorite whiskey in the British House of Commons and Harrods and everything from his distillery in the heart of the city. “
Sitting in a dusty room while builders hurry about a week before opening, he points out all the features that will make this a unique Galway experience.
In one room, the alembic pots – or mini-stills – where students will distill their own blend of spirits are overheated, with flavors and tinctures added based on personal taste. Classes costing € 100 will last up to three hours while diving into the intricacies of brewing. This includes drinks, food and a personal recipe bottle.
“It’s about taste and pleasure. We encourage people to try new things using sensory analysis – how you flavored something you want to drink. “
The day of the Galway City Tribune’s visit is the first time British distiller Jamie Baxter is distilling gin on Merchants Road. For this batch he has put ethanol, juniper, coriander seeds, celery root, orange peel and licorice inside. When it boils, it turns into a steam that rises. An oil is formed which carries the taste. This is then passed through a condenser to create 85% alcohol, which in turn is diluted to bring it to a normal strength.
In another part of the ground floor there will be a café serving coffee mixed in the Oughterard and cakes baked in the Twelve in the Children.
At the bar, customers will be encouraged to try cocktails that change seasonally according to the lunar calendar. Non-alcoholic cocktails will also be on the menu.
Involved in creating these inventions will be Claire Davey, whose America Village Apothecary Tasting Room on Dominick Street boasted signature drinks like The Gather Forth with white port wine, tonic and rosemary and The Communion with vermouth with smoked spruce.
Before it closed during the shutdowns, the McKenna guide described it: “People, we’re far from the plain here. We’re in the deep space, in terms of drinks, we’re off with the aliens, and it’s exciting. Don’t miss it: there is nowhere as it pleases. “
Locally produced beers like Galway Hooker and Pale Ale Galway will be on sale rather than pints from the big brands. This is a return to Jim’s involvement for ten years with Porterhouse in Dublin, one of the first craft breweries and distilleries in Ireland. He has also worked with bars and breweries in the UK as a project manager.
“I have engaged here with investors who want to stay in the background. They knew I had a background in hospitality, and they were looking to get involved in a really exciting project on a par with Midleton in Cork and Jameson in Dublin, and the best location for it is a top tourist spot.
Their company, Galway Spirits Company, has purchased the building from developer Gerry Barrett. There are plans to celebrate the history of Persian Whiskey on the top floor, which is scheduled to open this summer.
The whiskey returned to the headlines when one of the last remaining bottles of ‘uisce beatha’ was sold to an Irish collector for over € 100,000 at an auction in Glasgow.
The Nuns Island distillery thrived for more than 60 years, generating 10,000 gallons a week and employing over 100 people at the height of its success before closing in 1908.
Classes and tables can be booked online at GalwayCityDistillery.ie