The Dingle Distillery, Ireland's fourth distillery, is to begin exporting its own branded gin to the US, following a distribution deal with American importer A Hardy USA.
The Dingle Distillery has grown out of The Porterhouse Brewing Company which opened Ireland’s first brewpub in Dublin in 1993 and which spearheaded the now thriving craft brewing movement in Ireland.
At present there are only two gins made in Ireland and one of these is the hand-crafted, artisan Dingle Original Gin which is made in small batches of 500 litres.
Oliver Hughes, founder of the Porterhouse group and Dingle Distillery, said the US was the first major export market for the gin, adding he hopes to reach the four corners of the world ultimately.
On top of the gin, the distillery is also producing its own branded vodka, which Hughes hopes to bring to the US at a later stage. It is also producing whiskey, with the first casks expected to be ready in 2015.