The spirit of Ireland
Once synonymous with secrecy and rebellion, and often dubbed Ireland’s original spirit, Poitín is emerging from the shadows of history into the spotlight of a modern, global drinks market. Traditionally distilled in remote cottages and mountain stills, this once-illegal spirit was long viewed as a relic of the past, associated more with folklore than fine spirits. But today, poitín is undergoing a renaissance. With a growing number of craft distillers championing its revival, the spirit is being reimagined for a new generation of consumers who value authenticity, heritage, and bold flavours.
Distillers are drawing on centuries-old techniques while refining production to meet the standards of contemporary palates and international markets. As global interest in niche and culturally rich spirits expands from mezcal to baijiu, poitín is poised to join the conversation, offering something uniquely Irish to a world eager for storytelling in a bottle. We look at how poitín is reclaiming its place in the Irish drinks industry and setting its sights far beyond the Emerald Isle.
The original Irish spirit, reimagined
Glendalough Distillery revives this ancient craft with a bold, modern expression that blends heritage with innovation
Before whiskey, there was poitín – Ireland’s first and most rebellious spirit. Born in monastic stills like those at Glendalough in the 6th century and outlawed in 1661, poitín is the true forefather of Irish whiskey Today, Glendalough Distillery revives this ancient craft with a bold, modern expression that blends heritage with innovation. Glendalough Poitín is triple-distilled in traditional copper pot stills using malted barley and pure spring water. Bottled at 55% ABV, it delivers an unapologetically full-strength, authentic taste of Ireland’s original spirit. On the nose, it’s rich and aromatic, with sultanas, mango, and orange zest. The palate is lively and rounded, revealing layers of dark cherry, plum, vanilla, and cracked pepper. A warming finish brings oak spice and a gentle nuttiness, thanks in part to a rare short finish in virgin Irish oak casks – adding depth without masking its character.
Smooth yet spirited, this small-batch poitín is as versatile as it is historic. It’s perfect sipped neat or on the rocks, and equally at home in bold contemporary cocktails or creative twists on classics. Winner of Gold at the Irish Whiskey Awards (Poitín Category), Glendalough is arguably the benchmark for modern poitín—a premium, heritage-led spirit with real back-bar presence. For any venue looking to showcase Ireland’s native distilling craft, Glendalough Poitín is a must-have.
Connemara tradtion
Micil Distillery was named in honour of the owner’s great great great grandfather, Micil Mac Chearra, who began distilling poitín in 1848 on a Connemara hillside. For six generations and over 170 years the family has preserved this craft, distilling extraordinary spirits on small copper stills using family recipes, inherited knowledge, and time honoured techniques.
Today, they offer two core poitíns that stay true to tradition while opening up new possibilities behind the bar. The Classic Poitín, made from 100% malted barley, is unpeated and smooth, making it ideal for lighter, brighter serves. The Heritage Poitín, with a mash bill of 80% malted barley and 20% peated oats, brings a rich, smoky complexity. Both are distilled with wild Connemara bogbean, a native botanical they harvest by hand on their own land. Micil Poitíns are the perfect Irish substitute for agave based spirits. Think Irish margaritas, known as a Nóiníns, made with classic Poitín, or smoky palomas made using their Heritage expression.
Each year, they also release small batches of single cask poitíns, rested in unique barrels for up to 10 weeks to explore new flavours while staying rooted in tradition. Discover more about our Poitín range at
Bold, untamed and unapologetically potent!
Raise a glass to the wild spirit of Ireland–Straw Boys Poitín. In the windswept west of Ireland, mischief and merriment often arrive unannounced and nowhere is that more delightfully embodied than in the tradition of the Straw Boys. Masked in towering conical hats woven from straw, these spirited wedding crashers would burst into celebrations, dance with the newlyweds, share a toast, and vanish in the night, leaving only laughter (and empty bottles!) in their wake. At Connacht Distillery, they celebrate this rich heritage with Straw Boys Poitín, a tribute to joy, spontaneity, and the unruly magic of Irish tradition. Historically outlawed and often misunderstood, Poitín is Ireland’s original spirit – bold, untamed, and unapologetically potent. But Straw Boys Poitín brings refinement to this rebellious classic. Bottled at a smooth 45% ABV, it’s a gentler take on a fiercetradition—still wild at heart, but with elegance in every sip.
Ready for a good time any time
Little & Green is a flavorful expression of contemporary Irish culture. A celebration of what it is to be Irish, ready for a good time, any time. Little & Green embraces the past to inform the future, providing the opportunity for a new generation to experience, to share and to love poitín. They produce a range of premium, ready to drink canned cocktails offering flavorful, modern twists on infamous Irish classics in a convenient format. Crafted with care by Ireland’s best bartenders to showcase the quality, flexibility and versatility of the original Irish spirit.
Made with two of Ireland’s leading poitín brands, Mad March Hare and Bán, with recipes created by the mixology team at Bar 1661-Ireland’s 2023 Bar of the Year-the range launched in 2023 with a pair of delicious sparkling cocktails. Sneaky Orchard is a refreshing take on the Collins, a harvest festival of ripe pear, crisp apple, and elderflower. Shady Bramble is inspired by Ireland’s deep, dense hedgerows, bursting with flavours of wild juicy blackberry, raspberry, and violet.
Little & Green is proud to be blazing a trail with the world’s first poitín canned cocktails. They contain no artificial sweeteners and are vegan and gluten free with an ABV of 5%. Distributed by Intrepid Spirits, Little & Green is available at Tesco, Dunnes Stores and select Independent retailers across Ireland. For more details checkout www.littleandgreen.ie. and follow@littleandgreen.ie__onInstagram
Keeping the spirit of Ireland alive
Mad March Hare embodies the essence of Irish craftsmanship and the shared pride in our collective heritage. As Ireland’s and the world’s-leading Poitín brand, the multi-award winning Mad March Hare has earned a reputation for its uncompromising commitment to quality and authenticity. Crafted with locally sourced malted and unmalted barley then cut with pure Irish spring water, this poitín is distilled three times in small copper pot stills to produce a flavorful spirit that’s exceptionally smooth yet retains incredible character.
Mad March Hare is on a mission to resurrect the poitín category. Their goal is to ensure that the spirit of Ireland remains alive and thriving for generations to come, around the world but first and foremost of course, across Ireland. The undeniable upswing in the presence of this storied category across our country has been fueled by Irish mixologists embracing poitín’s unique flavor characteristics, versatility and of course its undeniably real Irishness!
After 300 years of existing in the shadows, it’s wonderful to see poitín increasingly take centre stage on cocktail menus and mixed drinks across the country! Mad March Hare has been at the forefront of that recent revival, injecting poitín into Ireland’s key tourism strongholds.
Core to the revival has been re-engaging the on premise via their Irish Poitín Parties! With garden takeovers and bartender nights at An Púcan, The Skeff, JT Pim’s and The Rag Trader already this year. This has been key alongside solid menu placements in iconic venues across Ireland including Bar 1661 Dubin, Hilliards Killarney & Paris Texas in Kilkenny.
In order to grow a category, supporting bars like Buddha Bar in Galway and Costigans, Clancy’s & Caskin Cork has been vital to reaching desirable consumers. Whilst in the prestige hotel sector, Mad March Hare Poitín is now a mainstay on the cocktail menus of The Cashel Palace Hotel, Great Southern Killarney and Mount Juliet. Whether sipped solo, mixed or shaken into a cocktail, Mad March Hare captures perfectly the character and charm of the Irish spirit! Switch things up with an Irish Margarita, a Belfast coffee, Mad March Sour or even as a shot alongside a pint of Irish Stout. Mad March Hare Poitín is owned and distributed by Intrepid Spirits, based in Dublin.
For more information visit www.madmarchharepoitin.com
