Royal Oak Distillery: Carlow, Walsh Whiskey and the Ilva Saronno Split

Royal Oak Distillery is a large Irish whiskey distillery on the Royal Oak estate near Carlow town. It was built for Walsh Whiskey, the company behind The Irishman and Writers’ Tears, and its ownership changed in January 2019.

Walsh Whiskey

Walsh Whiskey was started by Bernard Walsh and his wife Rosemary, with a producer profile dating the family business to 1999. Its brands, The Irishman and Writers’ Tears, were produced to Walsh specification through a partnership with Irish Distillers at Midleton before the Carlow distillery produced its own whiskey (Whiskey Blogger, January 2019).

Building the distillery

Whiskey Blogger reports that Walsh Whiskey attracted an investment partner, the Italian drinks company Ilva Saronno, who funded a 25 million euro distillery at Royal Oak. It opened in 2016 with a production capacity of 400,000 cases a year and began distilling single malt, single grain and single pot still spirit. The first whiskey was due to reach the three-year mark for Irish whiskey in 2019.

The 2019 split

In January 2019 the partnership between Walsh Whiskey and Ilva Saronno was dissolved, with the press release saying the Irish and Italian directors differed on how to develop the combined business. Under the settlement, as reported:

• The Irish directors took full control of the Writers’ Tears and The Irishman brands, which continued to trade as Walsh Whiskey.

• Ilva Saronno took full ownership of the distillery, renamed Royal Oak Distillery.

• No employment redundancies were announced.

Walsh Whiskey and Royal Oak

BevNET says Walsh Whiskey was established in 1999 by husband and wife Bernard and Rosemary Walsh. Its distillery stands at Royal Oak in County Carlow. Westmeath Whiskey World reported in February 2026 that Bernard Walsh had lost control of Walsh Whiskey and planned another Irish distillery in Carlow.

• Brands: Writers' Tears and The Irishman, among others

• Releases: Writers' Tears Double Oak launched in 2019

• Awards: two gold medals at the Irish Whiskey Masters, per a distributor post

Sources and gaps

• Sources: Whiskey Blogger, Stuart McNamara, 27 January 2019, quoting the company press release; a Bottle of Italy producer profile for the 1999 start.

• Gaps: everything since 2019 is unconfirmed here, including current ownership, brands, production, visitor tours and any official website. Update this draft before publishing.

Further source read on 21 October 2026: BevNET report of 14 May 2019 and Westmeath Whiskey World.