Blog Type: Visit

We are delighted to unveil the latest phase in our distillery’s development and the enhancement of our visitor experience with the addition of The Echlinville Pathways and Distiller’s Rest Café.

Visitors to Echlinville can enjoy the our acclaimed Tour & Tipple experience and take in the beauty of the historic Echlinville Estate thanks to newly constructed walking trails developed with support from Tourism Northern Ireland’s Experience Development Programme 2020-21.

Peter Rogan from The Echlinville Distillery said: “We are delighted to relaunch our popular Tour & Tipple experience and welcome visitors back to Echlinville to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and flavours of Ireland’s first farm distillery and the beauty of the Echlinville Estate and the surrounding area.

Distillery Tour and Tasting

“Our visitors hear all about our field-to-glass approach, which sees our whiskey and gin distilled from barley grown, harvested and malted on our distillery farm. We are one of very few distilleries to produce spirit from the ground up, and that is something we are hugely proud of.

“Our distillery tour also includes a visit to our whiskey maturation warehouse, where our casks of single malt and pot still whiskies are gently ageing to perfection. Our guests get an insight into the whiskey maturation process and the various casks we use to age and finish our spirit. Having worked up a thirst, the tour finishes with a choice of two drinks from our range of award-winning whiskeys, gins or poitín.

Walking Trails and Café

“We are also thrilled to unveil our new distillery and woodland walking trails – a network of paths that allow visitors to enjoy the beauty of the historic Echlinville Estate. The trails wind around the stunning Echlinville Manor House and through our barley fields with views of the beautiful stone bridge that crosses what was once the Echlinville Canal and Ireland’s oldest coral clad Folly – a stunning ornamental garden feature built in by the Echlin family in the eighteenth century as a statement of their wealth and status.

“With the opening of our new Distiller’s Rest Café, visitors are also welcome to call in for a coffee, a walk and browse through our distillery shop, regardless of whether or not they are partaking in a tour.”

Visit Strangford Lough and Ards Peninsula

Located near the shores of Strangford Lough, The Echlinville Distillery is just a one hour from Belfast and ten minutes from Portaferry and the scenic Strangford Lough ferry crossing. With the stunning scenery, beautiful beaches and several great restaurants within a short drive, a visit to Echlinville can be combined with local attractions for a wonderful day out in the Ards Peninsula.

Peter added: “In terms of tourism and hospitality, this little corner of Ireland has much to offer visitors from all around Ireland and beyond, and we at Echlinville are proud to be a part of it. We thank Tourism Northern Ireland for their support for this latest phase of our development and we look forward to working with them in future to continue to put Strangford Lough and the surrounding area on the global tourism map.”

Eimear Callaghan, Head of Programmes at Tourism Northern Ireland, said: “We are delighted to support the newly constructed walking trails at Echlinville Distillery which will add another important dimension to the tour and tasting experience. The evolution of tourism experiences like this shows that innovation continues to be at the forefront of the development of the industry here. I have no doubt that this exciting addition will be central to the visitor experience in County Down, creating new and compelling reasons to visit the area.”

The Echlinville Distillery Tour and Tasting is priced at £20 per person and booking is advised. Book here or contact us to arrange a bespoke group experience. Distillery walking trails and Distiller’s Rest Café are open  from 10am-5pm Wednesday to Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday.

The Echlinville Distillery is located on the Ards Peninsula near the shores of Strangford Lough. We consider ourselves very lucky to call this place home. With stunning landscapes, fabulous food and lots to do for all the family, it’s the perfect place for a Northern Ireland staycation.

What can you expect from a visit to Strangford Lough?

In this part of the world, we take pride in taking it slow. From pace of life, to food and entertainment, we find strength in simplicity. Away from the crowds, Strangford Lough is the perfect place to relax, unwind and leave your stresses behind.

Just 30 minutes from Belfast and 90 minutes from Dublin, you will find water teeming with wildlife, hills piled high with 9,000 years of history, holy wells and ancient abbeys. Strangford Lough is an internationally recognised Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Area of Special Scientific Interest. One of the most richly bio-diverse regions in Europe, it’s no wonder there’s an unmistakable tranquility to the place we call home.

Visitor Experiences

Here are just some of the amazing visitor experiences on offer on and around Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula.

• Spend the day kayaking on Strangford Lough with Mobile Team Adventure before stopping off on one of the lough’s hundreds of islands to cook and enjoy some freshly caught mussels.
• Bake your own traditional Northern Ireland breads on the griddle in a 17th century farmhouse at Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen.
• Discover our unique landscape, heritage and people on a guided walking tour with Sustainable Journey’s Ireland.
• Pour the perfect pint of Guinness, learn a cúpla focal in the Irish language or try Irish dancing at Denvir’s of Downpatrick.
• Enjoy an underwater adventure, meet the crocodile, penguins, otters and more at Exploris, Northern Ireland’s only aquarium. Feed the rescued seals at the Seal Sanctuary and even help release one back in to the wild .
• Discover the best local sights and artisan food and drink producers on the Strangford Lough Tasting Tour with Indie Fude.
• From architecture to the United Irishmen, discover the timeline of the Ards Peninsula or enjoy a concert or comedy gig at The Portico.
• Escape the stress of daily life and try your hand at bushcraft, forraging and wild cooking at the beautiful Finnebrogue Woods.  
• Enjoy seasonal local produce, a friendly welcome and a room with a view to enjoy sunset over Strangford Lough at the Portaferry Hotel.
• Get up close to Ireland’s largest collection of native and exotic water birds, ducks and geese at Castle Espie.
• Enjoy an exquisite dining experience at the home of the Game of Thrones door at The Cuan.
• Walk through the ruins of a 12th century Cistercian Abbey, the only Abbey in Ireland founded by a woman and the first example of Gothic architecture on the island, at Grey Abbey.
• Immerse yourself in the legacy of Saint Patrick, Ireland’s Patron Saint, at The Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick.

And remember to pay us a visit at The Echlinville Distillery. Enjoy our distillery Tour & Tipple or visit our distillery shop.