Gin innovation: new aged gin flavours on Ireland’s only island distillery, Corentin Simon, Cape Clear Distillery

We chat with Corentin Simon, master gin distiller about his journey from the French spirits industry to moving to Cape Clear island during lockdown and his work creating and developing a completely new type of aged gin at the Cape Clear Distillery.

Gin innovation: aged gin, Corentin Simon, Cape Clear Distillery

More about the distillery

Cape Clear is a Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) island eight miles off the southwest coast of County Cork; it’s a stunningly beautiful place. Though our island continues to experience a decline in its population, there is hope. We’ve produced a gin that has proven capable of winning awards at the most prestigious and competitive events in the world. We’ve been granted planning permission for a state-of-the-art whiskey distillery building. The tide is rising; please join us on our journey.

THE PERFECT LOCATION FOR IRELAND’S ONLY ISLAND 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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