Donegal Whiskey company Sliabh Liag Distillers has announced plans to raise €2m through crowdfunding as part of a new equity round to facilitate its latest phase of development.
The award-winning company is seeking to boost production capacity amid increased export demand, and the additional investment would see production in its Ardara Distillery move to a 24/7 basis, increasing annual output from 440,000 litres to 600,000 litres.
Sliabh Liag is the first legal distiller in the Ireland's north-west for 175 years and aims to revive the smoky sub-section of Irish whiskey from the edge of extinction following the move from dry smoky, peated profile to lighter, sweeter flavours throughout the last century.
Pre-registration for the Crowdcube campaign has opened and it will officially launch on 20 June before running for four weeks. The funding round follows a major investment by Japanese drinks giant Asahi Group Holdings Ltd, the owner of brands such as Grolsch and Peroni.
Sliabh Liang has since built the Ardara Distillery and increased its global footprint to 40 countries, including the US where its Legendary Silkie range has been made available in 41 states in what the company describes as "a significant milestone in a critically important market that accounts for half of all Irish whiskey sales."
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Sales volumes for all Sliabh Liag brands -- Silkie Irish Whiskeys, An Dúlamán Gin and Assaranca Vodka -- grew 166% in 2021, and the company is seeking to take advantage of an expected surge in sales across the Irish whiskey category, with Ibec forecasting sales of 25m nine-litre cases by 2030.
"The world is once again waking up to Ireland’s whiskey prestige and demand for our style of soft drinking, hard spirits is growing fast. The role of a smoky spirit is vital in this renaissance, and now is the time to lay down stocks to fully capitalise on the opportunity ahead," said James Doherty, managing director of Sliabh Liag.
“The demand we anticipate in the coming years means we need to invest in boosting our production capacity now to ensure we can bring as much of Donegal’s whiskey to the world as we can when demand should be at its highest.
"We know Donegal’s reputation is rapidly on the up, to which any of the rising numbers of tourists to our dramatic section of the Wild Atlantic Way will testify.”
Sliabh Liag is aims to make Donegal to Irish whiskey what Islay is to Scotch, partially by growing annual sales of its Legendary Silkie range from 5,500 cases to 150,000 cases by 2030.
Investors above £20,000 will have their name engraved around the bases of the three copper whiskey stills where the whiskey is made at Ardara, with other gifts available depending on the level of investment.
Photo: James Doherty.
