3 SQ. MILES, Innovating in the Gaeltacht with Cape Clear Gin

We review an interesting mid to upper range of the market gin called 3 SQ. MILES being created on an Irish island in Roaring Water Bay. See more about their products here.

3 SQ. MILES, Cape Clear Gin reviewed

When you consider how successful the Scottish islands have been for their ventures into whisky production it is no surprise to see the upsurge in Irish gin and whiskey for production. A couple of quick things to clarify, whisky, without the e, is the Scottish spelling for the wee dram, and whiskey, with the e, is the Irish spelling. Though you do have some Irish companies making whisky, to highlight that they are making it in the Scottish style.

Creating gin is often a stepping stone to making whiskey/whisky, as (simplistic version) you can not sell whiskey for three years, but the alcohol you create can become gin. Along the way too though we saw a gin renaissance. Which then made it a logical play to go into gin production. Which the Cape Clear distillery decided to do, with some successful results.

As you can imagine it is possible to go down the rabbit hole very quickly here, in terms of whiskeys, gin, and a whole lot more. For the recipe for this initial gin the Cape Clear team have clearly had fun, been innovative, imaginative, and also come up with something that tastes good too. The ingredients are juniper berries, coriander, cubeb blended with another distillation using island-harvested fuchsia, honeysuckle, and the seaweed variety laminaria digitata.

This use of local ingredients is a smart move from a marketing point of view, but it does of course also have to taste good as well, so it is fortunately a successful ploy. As last summer was decimated in terms of summer trade to the island the islanders were creative in terms of finding other ways to sell and promote the gin.

We made a very unique delivery today – to the sailing ship Ilen, bound for Dublin on Friday! Nine cases of gin, plus two cases of the Coast Road gift pack will be delivered under sail! pic.twitter.com/UpEomZYUTe

— Cape Clear Island Distillery (@capedistillery) December 1, 2020

Next up they have also secured oak and acacia aged barrels to create new and interesting variants of their gin too. It does suggest that they are keeping the wheels spinning in terms of aiming to stay ahead of the crowd and ensure that the new, revived passion for gin, both in Ireland and further afield is one that helps to bring more trade for the Cape Clear distillery too. It could well become an interesting case study in innovation and experimentation in these challenging times. Thankfully the gin tastes great too.

Barely a year after our first batch of gin was produced, here we are loading 3 pallets of Coast Road gift packs onto the ferry! First stop, Baltimore. Next stop, your local off-license! Just in time for your Christmas shopping! @micildistillery @SliabhLiagDistl @SkelligSix18 pic.twitter.com/PnPNf5HjGH

— Cape Clear Island Distillery (@capedistillery) November 27, 2020

More about the Gin ->

The recipe for 3 SQ. MILES was developed by a dedicated committee of islanders and the gin is produced in small batches. It’s a two-day effort to create the gin, with one distillation consisting of juniper berries, coriander, and cubeb and another distillation incorporating the island-harvested fuchsia, honeysuckle, and laminaria digitata (a type of sugar kelp). These island botanicals are harvested by locals from the fields and hedgerows of Cape Clear Island, and in the case of the laminaria digitata, from the rocky shoreline directly in front of the distillery.

Our gin has won some incredible awards from prestigious international competitions, including Silver at the 2020 San Francisco International Spirits Competition, Silver at the 2020 London Spirits Competition, and Gold at the 2020 Bartender Spirits Awards in San Francisco.

More about the distillery

Our island is one of doers; we don’t just dream of ideas, but work hard to realize our goals. It’s Ireland’s southernmost inhabited island and is proudly Gaeltacht (designated Irish speaking). It’s also an island that, like all Irish offshore islands, has experienced population decline over the years due to a lack of employment opportunities. Cape Clear Island has 130 full-time residents and our school has seven students.

Several years ago, some islanders got together to discuss the idea of building a distillery. One that would provide employment to islanders, that could one day provide opportunity to the children in the island’s school, and most importantly, that would one day produce some of the finest Irish spirits available. We received planning permission for this state-of-the-art facility in 2016 and have been working toward that goal since.

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