Ireland’s first whiskey hotel is being created

Leading hotelier, Adrian McLaughlin and Limavady whiskey master distiller, Darryl McNally have partnered with businessman Carl Harrison to create Ireland’s first whiskey hotel.

The consortium recently purchased the historic Londonderry Arms in Carnlough, once owned by Winston Churchill, and is investing £1.75 million in the development of the hotel, which, with its whiskey theme, is said to be the first of its kind in Ireland.

Ireland’s first whiskey hotel?

The Londonderry Arms was purchased from the O’Neill family by Adrian, Darryl and Carl who are the first new owners in 75 years. It’s situated in the Glens of Antrim, noted for being on the Causeway Coastal route between Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, a region in which some of Game of Thrones was filmed. The hotel is a popular stopping-off point for visitors and tourists with almost 30% of the visitors to the region coming from the US & Canada, according to Tourism Nothern Ireland.

The hotel started life as a Coaching Inn, built in 1848 by Frances Ann Vane Tempest, Marchioness of Londonderry. The estate passed down through the family and was inherited by Sir Winston Churchill in 1921; the Deeds of his ownership are displayed in the hotel. In 1947, Frank and Moira O’Neill took over its ownership and over seven decades they, along with their son Frankie O’Neill, restored and enhanced the hotel retaining the Georgian features.

It marks a busy period for McNally, founder of Irish single malt whiskey Limavady. The brand, which traces its origins back to 1750, has a single core expression aged in bourbon barrels and finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks but also has planning permission to build a distillery in the town of Limavady in Londonderry, which is scheduled to open in 2026.

Giving us an idea of what to expect from the Londonderry Arms, McNally says, “We are delighted to be launching Ireland’s first-ever whiskey hotel. We will be creating a retail Whiskey Chamber from which we will offer up to 400 bottles of whiskey and other items such as whiskey and hotel-branded merchandise. The hotel pub will offer a selection of whiskey cocktails and whiskey-tasting flights and we are putting together an events plan where we will offer exceptional whiskey experiences including our own Carnlough Whiskey Festival, Whiskey & Food pairing evenings, Master Distiller Dinners and talks, as well as bar takeovers from some of the World’s Best Bars”.

He goes on to say, “Whiskey will be an integral part of the hotel, even down to offering the residents’ nightcaps from a tapped unfiltered cask strength Limavady Whiskey cask and we will also be offering a turndown gift of whiskey-infused chocolates. We’re excited to be bringing the Irish Whiskey community together with Ireland’s first Whiskey Hotel.”

Sounds like our kind of place. McLaughlin adds that the project will create plenty of new jobs and that, like all good Irish pubs, the hotel will play traditional Irish music at weekends and feature classic Irish favourites on the menu such as Irish Stew, Chowder, locally sourced salmon, and aged steaks. “This is a good news story for the region and we are confident that we will be making a tangible difference to the village of Carnlough,” he summarises.

The refurbishment is due to be completed by Easter 2025.

The post Ireland’s first whiskey hotel is being created appeared first on Master of Malt Blog.