We are thrilled to bring you an iconic Gin Box this month. Why? Until just two months ago, we were unaware of the existence of The Pearse Lyons Distillery in Dublin 8. Not only did we not realise there was a distillery there, we didn’t realise there was a Gin School, for private party hire, and a fully restored and renovated church / distillery too. It has been in the making for the last ten years and finally opened its doors in 2017.

The distillery was the dream of Dublin Born and Dundalk raised, Pearse Lyons. Pearse was an agricultural scientist who in his early days, worked at the Harp Brewery, and at the Midleton distillery in Cork. In the early 1980’s he saw a gap to provide sustainable solutions using his fermentation expertise, for the agriculture industry in America. He created a company called All Tech and went on to employ over 6000 people. He always dreamed of one day coming home and building a distillery in his native Ireland.

In 2012 He purchased the Old St James Church in the Liberties in Dublin 8, and he and his wife Deirdre set about its restoration over the following 4 years. Initially they distilled and released a number of whiskies, a 5-year, 7 year and a 12-year-old whiskey range were produces, as well as a range of Dublin inspired gins, taking their name after the Ha’penny bridge, less than 1km away.  In 2018, they released their first fusion gin, Míl Gin, and took inspiration from the Camino del Santiago in Northern Spain. The church itself had great ties to the Camino and it is said that the great apostle St James is buried in the cemetery too. The cemetery is just 1.5 acres big and houses over 100,000 people, so it holds an incredible cultural significance for the Liberties. A conservation project is currently underway to restore the area, but it is a special sight even today.

The team at Pearse Lyons were thrilled to have the opportunity not just to have Míl Gin featured and shipped to Gin Box subscribers all over the country, but at the opportunity to welcome you to the distillery yourself. They have given us an invitation for you and one other person to do a distillery tour and tasting at a time that suits you when you are next in Dublin. We can attest that it is worth making the journey to Dublin for this tour alone, such was our joy at seeing a great restoration project. They have managed to preserve the steep history of the area whilst bringing the building to life once more. The steeple which had been missing, was replaced, with a new distinctive glass steeple.

We are delighted to include some Spritz Cans of Míl Gin in two different flavours too. These are ready to drink, so add some grapefruit to a glass of ice, and pour, for an instantly wonderful gin and tonic with no fuss whatsoever! We would love you to take up the distillery tour, so call us and book in your own tour and tasting in your own time. It is an exclusive offer for Gin Box subscribers and we trust you’ll enjoy Míl all the more, when you see where it has come from!