Glendalough Distillery, a craft producer of Irish whiskeys, gins and poitín, has raised €3.5m in investment from US drinks giant Mark Anthony Group.

Founded 1972, the Mark Anthony Group is the largest RTD (ready to drink) company in North America and the fourth largest in the world.

The company's founder & CEO, Anthony von Mandl, is also the proprietor of three award-winning wineries, all located in Canada’s Okanagan Valley.

Mark Anthony Group’s RTD business deals with over 450 distributors in the US, delivering more than 21 million cases of its brands each year. In Canada, the company delivers more than eight million cases of RTDs, beers and ciders, as well as wines.

Founded in 2011, Glendalough Distillery brought its first product to market – a poitín – in 2012. It tapped into the US market a year later, securing an importer to sell its drinks in Boston and New York. The business set up its own distillery in Wicklow the same year.

In Association with

Glendalough was founded by Barry Gallagher, Brian Fagan, Kevin Keenan and Gary McLoughlin, who funded the venture from the outset. The business quickly drew other investors, among them former rugby star Brian O’Driscoll, who put €60,000 into the Glendalough in 2014.

The startup whipped up €603,000 from private investors in 2013 and another €678,000 in 2015. The most recent account filings for Glendalough are from 2014, when it booked a loss of €70,000 but finished the year with cash of €159,000 and net worth of €608,000.

Glendalough Distillery’s products are currently sold in 16 markets, with the US accounting for most of its turnover.

Photo: L-R Glendalough Distillery founders Brian Fagan, Kevin Keenan,Barry Gallagher and Gary McLoughlin