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food-drink · Saturday 25 July 2026 · By appointment 
Sling Shot Gin School at Lough Ree Distillery
At Lough Ree Distillery · Churchtown Stores, Lanesborough, Co. Longford
At Lough Ree Distillery · Churchtown Stores, Lanesborough, Co. Longford
Lough Ree Distillery in Lanesborough runs the Sling Shot Gin School, a hands-on gin-making workshop where visitors design and distil their own bottle to take home. Named for the family-owned microdistillery’s flagship gin, the session is run by the Clancy family, who have been distilling on the banks of the River Shannon since 2018. Sessions run by appointment throughout the year for individuals, couples and groups of up to sixteen people, making it one of the few genuinely hands-on distillery experiences in the Irish midlands rather than a standard tour and tasting.
Over roughly two and a half hours, participants taste a selection of rare botanicals before choosing their own blend and distilling it fresh on site. Each person takes home a personalised 70cl bottle of the gin they created, along with three gin and tonics and finger food served during the session. Groups can add a full dinner package for an extra €30 per head, and the distillery also takes corporate, team-building and private party bookings outside its regular hours. Lough Ree Distillery began as a gin and vodka microdistillery in 2018 and started laying down Irish whiskey in 2022, so the gin school sits alongside a working production site rather than a purely tourist-facing tasting room. Booking ahead is essential, as sessions are scheduled around group size rather than a fixed public timetable, so the date above should be treated as a guide to availability rather than a fixed sitting.
The distillery is based at Churchtown Stores on the edge of Lanesborough, beside the River Shannon and close to Lanesborough Bridge, on the N63 between Longford and Roscommon town. There is parking on site, and Lanesborough is roughly 25 minutes’ drive from Longford town.
Lanesborough sits right on the Shannon, and a gin school session pairs easily with a walk along the river or a stop at one of the town’s pubs afterwards. There is more to see in Lanesborough and across Co. Longford.
Heading to Lough Ree Distillery in Lanesborough? Longford has plenty more to see. Read the Lanesborough area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
In town for Lough Ree Distillery? These Dublin tours book out in summer.