Welcome To Lockes Museum!

Locke's Distillery is the last remaining example of a small pot still whiskey distillery in Ireland. It was licensed in 1757 and whiskey production continued until for 200 years until 1957, when the distillery closed its doors. For more information head straight to the History section!

In 1982, the local people began restoring the old distillery and today it is open to the public as a Museum. The Museum is open seven days a week and there is a choice of a self-guided or guided tour. The guided tour takes about 40 minutes and shows the ancient process of whiskey making from the mill stones, to the mash tuns, underbacks, fermentation vats and pot stills to the casking of the final product.

" Believed to be the Oldest Pot Still Distillery in the World"

The two sources of power, the steam engine and the water wheel are always of great interest. The tour is complemented by the tales and stories gathered from the workers from the distillery. Over 85% of the original distillery machinery remains intact and restoration work is ongoing. In July 1997, the machinery turned again for the first time since closure. The drive shaft, pulleys and pumps are all working on a daily basis. An exhibition in the front grain loft was opened by Her Excellency, Mary McAleese, President of Ireland on June 17th 1998. It presents a large part of the collection of distillery artefacts. This new addition greatly enhances the visits.

The Museum also houses the Pantry Restaurant, as well as a Whiskey Bar and Gift Shop. Kilbeggan is a traditional North-South, East-West crossroads, making it a perfect stop-over for your journey!

We hope you find our web site useful and informative and if you need any further information please contact us or if you need to book a visit use our online booking system to schedule a visit.