Rugby star and family to open new distillery in Westmeath
Former Ireland rugby star Dan Leavy and his family have plans to open a whiskey distillery at their farm in Castletown Geoghegan.
Grand slam winner Dan, his brother Adam, who played for the Irish Rugby Sevens team at the Tokyo Olympics, and their father, Mullingar native Donal, have joined forces with Doug Leddin (formerly of Dingle Distillery) to create Ogham Irish Whiskey, which is being launched this Thursday, May 18.
The idea behind Ogham first came about in 2019 when the Leavys were discussing what they could do with the farm in Adamstown, Castletown Geoghegan, which has been in the family for seven generations, and where in recent years Donal has established a popular Christmas tree operation.
In an interview with the Sunday Business Post, Dan explained that he and Adam have been looking at options for their post-rugby careers for a while. “Adam and I knew how short our rugby careers would be and wanted to get started on something else. When I got an injury that caused me to retire, I got in touch with Doug and approached him with the idea.
“We’re starting with a couple of small releases. Then we will look to scale up quite soon. Right now, it’s about executing this launch the right way and presenting that in the right fashion.”
Adam says he and his fellow co-founders are looking forward to the launch and establishing Ogham as a brand.
“Whiskey is what we are passionate about. Irish whiskey is a spirit that has been crafted for centuries, with a unique combination of art and science, and we are passionate about our past and ensuring it lives long into the future.”
The boys’ father Donal told the Westmeath Examiner that while Ogham is currently being produced under contract by a supplier, there are plans to develop a small specialist distillery and visitor centre at the farm in Adamstown, Castletown Geoghegan.
He said that he and his sons are “very excited” about their new partnership with Doug Leddin and are targeting the Irish market, particularly rugby fans, before expanding internationally.
The Ogham creators say that it is “important for us to focus on quality and to ensure our audience knew that we put time and care and effort into every element of Ogham”.
The first release of Ogham Irish Whiskey will go on sale this Thursday, May 18. It can be purchased online at oghamwhiskey.com, which is powered by Irish Malts.
To mark the launch of the whiskey, Ogham are giving away two tickets to Saturday’s eagerly anticipated Champions Cup final in the Aviva Stadium between Leinster and La Rochelle – see the Ogham Whiskey Instagram page.