Origin Spirits is the brainchild of Patrick Shelley, a longtime veteran of the fine spirits industry who has worked internationally for LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) for 15 years. In his time in the industry, he found it difficult to find a vodka he could enjoy; to that end, he returned home to his native Ireland to produce one himself, and has since added gin to his repertoire.

Located in West Cork, Origin Spirits—etablished in 2013— produces two unique spirits, both from locally-grown barley.  The south coast of Ireland bares the brunt of relentless  Atlantic storms; it also enjoys a temperate, soft climate with spells of wind swept sunshine., perfect  for growing crops like barley. In addition, some of the cleanest clouds in the world—having crossed  thousands of miles of open ocean—drop rainfall on this remote countryside, so what doesn’t water the barley filters underground, where it spends hundreds of years being purified by the porous rock. The result? A perfect combination of resources for the production of these beautiful spirits.

While Ireland is better-known for its whiskeys, this new, young distillery proves that there is more to discover from the Emerald Isle.