September 2026 promises to be an exceptional month for golf in County Clare.

Within the space of just over a week, the county will host two of the biggest occasions in the golfing calendar. The Walker Cup comes to Lahinch Golf Club on 5–6 September, followed just days later by the Irish Open at Doonbeg from 10–13 September.

For anyone travelling to Clare for either event, it is an opportunity to experience far more than great golf.

Because while the courses of Lahinch and Doonbeg have earned international reputations, much of what makes them special can also be found throughout this part of Ireland: an extraordinary landscape, exposure to the Atlantic, a strong sense of place and a character that simply cannot be replicated elsewhere.

At Burren Distillers, we understand that idea very well.

Two Great Golf Events. One Extraordinary County.

Lahinch has long been regarded as one of Ireland’s great links courses. In September it will welcome the leading amateur golfers from Great Britain and Ireland and the United States for the Walker Cup.

It is one of golf’s great team competitions and an event steeped in tradition.

Only a few days later, attention will move further down Clare’s Atlantic coastline when the Irish Open arrives at Doonbeg.

Together, the two events will place County Clare at the centre of the golfing world.

For visitors, however, the journey between the two venues also provides an opportunity to discover a county that rewards anyone prepared to explore it.

Cliffs, limestone landscape, Atlantic roads, small towns, great food, music and generations of local craft are all part of the Clare experience.

And north of Lahinch lies one of Ireland’s most distinctive landscapes – The Burren.

Beyond the Golf – Discover the Burren

The Burren is unlike anywhere else in Ireland.

Its limestone pavement, underground water systems, Atlantic climate and extraordinary flora have shaped the lives of generations of people who have lived and worked here.

It is also where we make our whiskey.

Burren Distillers is based in Ballyvaughan, in the heart of the Burren, and our approach to whiskey has always started with one simple belief:

Where a whiskey comes from should matter.

That means taking control of the process from the beginning rather than simply sourcing mature whiskey elsewhere and placing our name on the bottle.

Our barley is grown locally. We floor malt our own grain. We use water from our own well. We distil here in the Burren and mature our whiskey in carefully selected casks, including Irish oak.

It is slower.

It requires more work.

But we believe that is the point.

Great Places Shape Great Golf. We Believe They Shape Great Whiskey Too.

There are similarities between great links golf and great whiskey.

Neither can be rushed.

Both are influenced by landscape, weather and tradition.

And the best examples have a character that is difficult to reproduce anywhere else.

Walk the fairways at Lahinch or Doonbeg and the Atlantic is never far away. The land dictates the golf course rather than the golf course overpowering the land.

Our philosophy at Burren Distillers is much the same.

We want the whiskey we make to reflect where it comes from.

From locally grown barley and traditional floor malting to Irish oak and the water beneath the Burren itself, each part of the process contributes something to the final spirit.

We produce whiskey in relatively small quantities and intend to keep it that way.

The objective is not to make as much whiskey as possible.

It is to make whiskey with identity.

Whiskey Made in the Burren

Visitors to Burren Distillers can see much of the whiskey-making process for themselves.

Our distillery experience is intentionally personal.

Rather than moving large numbers of people through the building, visits are kept small so that guests have the opportunity to understand what we do, ask questions and spend time exploring the different elements that influence our whiskey.

You can see where we floor malt our barley.

You can learn about fermentation and distillation.

You can understand why we have chosen to work with Irish oak and other carefully selected casks.

And, of course, you can taste the whiskey.

For someone already interested in provenance, craftsmanship and the effect that a particular place can have on a product, it is an experience that sits naturally alongside a visit to some of Ireland’s greatest golf courses.

Make Burren Distillers Part of Your Clare Visit

If you are travelling to County Clare for the Walker Cup at Lahinch or the Irish Open at Doonbeg, consider taking some time away from the golf course to discover the Burren.

Ballyvaughan sits on the Wild Atlantic Way and provides a natural starting point for exploring the north Clare coastline and the Burren landscape.

A visit to Burren Distillers offers the opportunity to experience another side of Clare – one built around barley, water, oak, patience and place.

There are no shortcuts in what we do.

There is no bought-in whiskey.

What you taste has been made here.

That matters to us.

And we think it matters to the people who visit us too.

A Taste of Clare Beyond the Fairways

September will undoubtedly belong to golf in County Clare.

The Walker Cup and Irish Open will bring some of the world’s finest golfers and thousands of visitors to one of Ireland’s most beautiful counties.

But the best trips are rarely defined by one event alone.

They are remembered for the places discovered along the way.

If your journey brings you to Clare this September, come and discover the Burren.

And while you’re here, discover the whiskey being made within it.

Burren Distillers, Ballyvaughan, County Clare.

Small batch. Irish made. Shaped by the Burren.

Book your experience here…