Pearse Lyons Distillery

In the heart of Dublin's Liberties district, a converted 18th-century church holds working copper stills instead of pews. Pearse Lyons Distillery occupies the restored St. James Church at 121-122 James St, and the building's history is part of the draw: stained glass, stone arches, and a working pot still operation under one roof. The Sentinel Room carries HA'PENNY Rhubarb Gin from this producer, a small-batch expression that reflects the same hands-on, family-run approach found throughout the Lyons portfolio.

History & Heritage

Dr. Pearse Lyons and his wife, Deirdre Lyons, founded the distillery, laying down spirit as early as 2012 in Carlow, Ireland, to have stock maturing ahead of the eventual Dublin opening. Distilling continued in Dublin through 2012 and 2013 while the historic St. James Church was being restored for its new life as a working distillery. Pearse Lyons Distillery officially opened its doors to visitors in 2017, giving Dublin a whiskey experience built inside a genuine piece of the city's ecclesiastical architecture rather than a purpose-built visitor center.

Dr. Pearse Lyons passed away in March 2018, and leadership of the family businesses passed to his son, Dr. Mark Lyons, who represents the seventh generation of the Lyons family in brewing, distilling, and cooperage. As of July 2026, the distillery and its sister operations are owned and led by the Lyons family under the global brand name Lyons Brewing & Distilling Co., a structure Mark and Deirdre Lyons developed to unify the family's breweries and distilleries under one identity. Dr. Pearse Lyons was posthumously honored with a 2020 Chairman's Award from the Drinks Ireland Irish Whiskey Association for his contribution to the category, and he was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, a nod to the family's parallel bourbon ties through their sister distillery, Town Branch, in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Whiskey

Production runs on traditional pot stills, individually named Little Lizzie, the spirit still, and Mighty Molly, the larger wash still, both sourced from the United States. The spirit still is a hybrid design, a pot still bottom paired with a column still top, which the distillery describes as producing a "two-and-a-half still" spirit character distinct from a standard double or triple distillation. Fermentation takes place first in steel and then in Oregon pine open washbacks. Wash enters the stills at roughly 7.5% ABV and comes off at about 72 to 74% ABV before being reduced to cask strength around 62.5% ABV.

Pearse Lyons Distillery produces both single malt and single pot still Irish whiskey. Maturation typically relies on ex-bourbon casks from Kentucky, many sourced directly from Town Branch, with sherry and other cask types used for the blended expressions. Because the historic church has no room for warehousing, maturation and bottling happen off-site. Since 2020 the distillery has used barley grown exclusively on the family's own farm, and spent grain from distillation is repurposed as animal feed for local farmers, a closed-loop detail that reflects the family's agricultural roots.

The range extends from the entry-level Pearse Original 5 Year Blended Irish Whiskey through the Pearse The Distiller's Choice 7 Year and up to the Pearse Founder's Choice 12 Year Single Malt, alongside a Pearse 5-Year-Old Single Malt. The gin side includes the Ha'penny Dublin Dry Gin and the HA'PENNY Rhubarb Gin, the latter made by proofing down the standard Ha'Penny Gin with freshly pressed rhubarb juice, which supplies its natural pink color without artificial additives. Ha'penny Irish Whiskey Four Cask and Mil Gin round out the notable expressions.

Why It Matters

The whiskeys have picked up recognition at the World Whiskies Awards, and Pearse Whiskey 12 Years Founder's Choice won The Irish Whiskey Masters Master title in 2022. The Marriage Of Malt Whiskey took Spirit Gold Outstanding at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2021. Beyond the liquid, the site itself has been recognized as a destination: Best Dublin Visitor Experience in 2019 and a Trip Advisor Travellers' Choice Award in 2020, credentials that speak to how effectively the church setting and the whiskey program work together.

Visiting the Distillery

Pearse Lyons Distillery offers guided distillery tours, whiskey tastings, a Whiskey Blending Experience, a Food Pairing Experience, and a Gin School Experience that opened in 2022. The site is wheelchair accessible and includes a gift shop and tea room. Hours and tour availability change seasonally, so checking the booking calendar on the distillery's own website before planning a visit is recommended.