Castle Freke Distillery

For the discerning few who sip with intent.

Above the Atlantic shore of West Cork stands Castle Freke, home to the Evans-Freke family for more than four centuries. It stood abandoned for many years before Stephen Evans-Freke brought it back into the family in 1999. Its restoration remains a work of patience, honouring a historic estate while opening a new chapter in its story: the making of fine Irish gin.

A devoted lifelong lover of the Very Dry Martini, Stephen spent more than a decade in pursuit of a gin worthy of the glass, one made to be savoured neat or in the driest of Martinis. The result is Castle Freke Gin, an Elemental Irish Fine Sipping Gin. It is a spirit not of fashion but of philosophy, composed for those who value purity, depth and provenance over novelty.

Its character begins with place. Atlantic air, the estate’s own spring water and wild myrtle from the grounds meet botanicals gathered from distant corners of the world: organic Macedonian and Tuscan juniper, coriander from the Nile Delta, African myrrh, angelica, vetiver and rare citrus fruits sourced through the specialist producer Agrumes Schaller.

Heritage here is paired with exacting modern craft. Years of experimentation have joined traditional distilling skill to scientific precision, all in service of a single ideal: the perfect Very Dry Martini.

In 2026, Castle Freke Gin was awarded Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, a distinction for a young West Cork distillery whose reputation is growing.