About Boatyard
Boatyard was founded in 2013 by Joe McGirr, who had spent a decade in the Scottish whisky industry and worked at London's first whisky distillery in over a century before returning home. He converted an abandoned boathouse on the shore of Lough Erne into a working distillery and visitor centre, reachable by both car and boat, and the first distillery in his native Fermanagh.
The flagship is Boatyard Double Gin, made alongside a field-to-glass vodka, using botanicals such as bog myrtle grown on the McGirr family farm and surrounding land. Much of the equipment is repurposed from local dairy farming, from stainless tanks to vintage milking-parlour jars.
Sustainability runs through the operation. In 2023 Boatyard became the first Irish distillery to gain B Corp certification, and it has cut glass from its tours and introduced lightweight eco-pouches to reduce packaging.