15 hours Ago By [email protected] (Joe O'Shea)
It's one of the most successful and distinctive distilleries in Ireland and you can't miss them when you are on the road through Clon while travelling in West Cork. Now, Clonakilty Distillery's award-winning Irish whiskey. gin and vodka will be sold in the UK from today as the brand has announced a big partnership with leading drinks distributor Marussia Beverages.
It marks a big move into the UK market and an important diversification as chaotic US tariffs cause concern for Cork's huge drinks sector. It's good news for the distillery, with its big visitor centre in Clon and marks the latest market expansion after breaking into key international markets in recent years. The company is now distributing in over a dozen countries – including the United States, Canada, South Africa, Japan, France, South Korea, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Italy and Austria.
One of Ireland's leading distillers of Irish whiskey and gin, products such as Clonakilty Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, their range of blended Irish Whiskeys and Minke Irish Gin and Vodka will now be available to UK customers. The distillery and warehouses are located by the Atlantic coast in south-west Ireland, and the brand has received many prestigious awards in recent years, including the World’s Best Irish New Make and World’s Best Small Batch Blended Irish Whiskey. The partnership with Marussia Beverages UK will see Clonakilty Distillery join a portfolio of successful brands, including Akashi-Tai Sake and Mozart Chocolate Liqueurs, strengthening its position with UK retailers.
Marussia’s experienced sales team, working alongside Clonakilty’s local team, will create significant scaling opportunities in 2025 and beyond. Clonakilty Distillery founder Michael Scully stated, “Given that Clonakilty and Marussia Beverages are already working successfully in other markets including France and the US, this is an exciting opportunity to introduce our brands to a wider audience in the UK and lay the foundations in making Clonakilty Irish whiskies and white spirits, the premium choice for discerning UK consumers." Managing Director of Marussia Beverages UK, Trevenon Weeks stated, “As a family-owned distillery that produces exceptional spirits, Clonakilty was a natural fit for our portfolio of artisanal producers.
The Irish whiskey market is expanding and I am delighted to be partnered with a distillery as prestigious as Clonakilty. Their credentials, coupled with our reputation for distributing leading artisanal spirits, puts us in a prime position to establish Clonakilty in the UK as a premium Irish whiskey and white spirits brand.”.
