The Limavady Distillery (1750–1915) was the name given to the distillery founded in 1750 in the borough of

Limavady Limavady (; ) is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying east of Derry and southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 12,032 people at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

, Ireland, close to Binevenagh mountain. All of the whiskey bottled under the Limavady whiskey brand was produced at the Limavady Distillery and used water drawn from the

River Roe The River Roe is a river located in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It flows north from Glenshane in the Sperrin Mountains to Lough Foyle, via the settlements of Dungiven, Burnfoot, Limavady and Myroe. The River Roe's length is ...

History

The Limavady area (also known as O'Cahan's country) has a long tradition with distillation. In 1608, a licence was granted to Sir Thomas Phillips by

King James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

to distill whiskey.

for the next seven years, within the countie of Colrane, otherwise called O Cahanes countrey, or within the territorie called Rowte, in Co. Antrim, by himselfe or his servauntes, to make, drawe, and distil such and soe great quantities of aquavite, usquabagh and aqua composita, as he or his assignes shall thinke fitt; and the same to sell, vent, and dispose of to any persons, yeeldinge yerelie the somme 13s 4d...

1613 - Sir Thomas Phillips, who was granted by King James I the first licence to distil whiskey in Ireland in 1608, founded newtown Limavady. 1750 – Irish whiskey distillery was established in Limavady by John Alexander in 1750 on his family lands. 1805 - A David Cather took over the Limavady distillery and added a brewery on the outskirts of the town and records confirm that a lineal descendant of the O’Cahans clan, a stonemason by trade, built the chimney stack of this distillery. 1864 - The brewing and malting firm James Galloway & Co acquired the business from the Cather family. 1880 – James McLoughlin acquired the Limavady distillery from James Galloway & Co. 1883 – James McLoughlin sold Limavady Distillery Co to Young, King & Co Ltd a Belfast Whiskey Blending Firm. 1886 - Alfred Barnard visited Limavady Distillery and said Limavady whiskey "cheers the heart of many an ‘Exile of Erin’ in distant colonies of the Empire". 1890 – Production hits 1.2 million litres of pure alcohol per annum. 1913 – Young, King & Co become part of the Distillers Finance Corporation (DFC), a primarily a Scotch whisky company. 1915 – Limavady Distillery closed – DFC rationalised the distilling industry by acquiring more Irish distilleries and closing them within two years of their acquisitions.

Gallery

File:Old Limavady Distillery.jpg, Original Limavady Distillery

References

{{Location, 55, 3, 27, N, 6, 56, 55, W, type:landmark_region:GB-DRS, display=title 1750s establishments in Ireland 1915 disestablishments in Ireland

Distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

Defunct distilleries in Ireland Distilleries in Northern Ireland