Dunville's Irish Whiskey

Dunville & Co. was a tea and spirits merchant based in Belfast, County Antrim. The company initially gained success as an Irish whiskey blender, but later produced and marketed its own whiskey, having built its distillery in 1869. With production from five pot stills, and later a Coffey still, at its peak the distillery had a capacity of over 2.5 million gallons per annum, making it amongst the largest in the country.

Although Prohibition caused Dunville to lose access to the important American market, unlike other Irish distilleries Dunville ended the 1920s in good financial health. However, when the last heir and chairman of Dunville, Robert Lambart Dunville, died in 1931, the company floundered, and in 1936 Dunville & Co. was liquidated. Almost uniquely amongst the Irish distilleries that closed in the 20th century, liquidation was not forced upon the firm, as Dunville was actually still profitable when it was wound up.

For almost 80 years, the only way to purchase a bottle of Dunville’s whiskey was at an auction, and even that was a rare find. In 2012, the Echlinville Distillery (Ireland’s first farm distillery) revived the Dunville's brand, and began distilling at their facility in the Ards Peninsula. Previously they had purchased spirits from other distillers and aged it themselves. Dunville's VR Old Irish Whiskey and Dunville's Three Crowns Irish Whiskey from the Echlinville Distillery came on the market in 2016.

For more information, visit the Dunville's website.