Announcing the U.S. Debut of Castle Freke Irish Gin, the World’s First True Sipping Gin
Reimagining Gin as an Ultra-Luxury Spirit Expressing the Finest Art of Distilling, Castle Freke Gin Launches with Events in New York, Partners with Park Street and Flaviar for U.S. Sales and Distribution.
NEW YORK CITY (June 5, 2026) — Castle Freke Distillery Ltd., makers of Castle Freke Gin, the world’s first true sipping gin and one of the most highly anticipated spirits to launch this year, today announced its U.S. debut. Crafted in West Cork, Ireland, the ultra-premium brand is the creation of entrepreneur Stephen Evans-Freke, who embarked on a 10-year journey to create the world’s finest gin for the Dry Martini connoisseur, as a complement to his two-decade-long work of love to restore the family’s 300 year-old Castle Freke.
Beginning in July, Castle Freke Gin will be available across the U.S. through trade channels, and via direct-to-consumer (DTC) online ordering in participating states. All Business-to-Business (B2B) sales will be facilitated through Park Street Imports and its marketplace network, available in either individual bottles or three-bottle cases. Online DTC purchases are processed by an independent technology provider, Flaviar Checkout, and are sold and shipped by licensed alcohol retailers within the Flaviar Checkout network. The recommended retail price will be $245 per bottle.
A connoisseur of the Dry Martini since his college days at Trinity College, Cambridge, Stephen has spent over a decade in pursuit of his vision to reimagine what might be achieved with an ultra-luxury gin of remarkable purity and finesse. Castle Freke Gin is designed to be enjoyed chilled, either neat with garnishings or with a whisper of vermouth and bitters. As Julia Nourney, internationally acclaimed Rectifier of the Gin Guild, writes, “The producer’s ambition to make the perfect gin for a Dry Martini are excellently achieved.“
The Castle Freke Gin brand is inseparable from its namesake landmark and the family’s heritage as the Lords of Carbery. Once an abandoned ruin, Castle Freke in West Cork has been undergoing a meticulous restoration under Stephen’s direction. Standing boldly on a hilltop overlooking the wild Atlantic coastal scenery, the castle’s windswept setting, ancient Irish mythos and melancholic beauty infuse the brand with a timeless aesthetic of romance, resilience and rootedness. A stunning bottle design reflects this heritage: a wind-bent tree, a stopper modeled after the Carbery Celtic High Cross, and iconography drawn from the architectural detail of the castle’s interiors. “This is a spirit not of fashion, but of philosophy,” says Stephen.
This gin’s numerous rare and wild-gathered botanicals are sourced from around the world, including Tuscan and Macedonian junipers, Nile Delta coriander, Ethiopian myrrh, and myrtle from the Castle Freke demesne, along with exotic citrus fruits from the renowned Pyrenean orchards of Agrumes Schaller. Its starting material is laboratory-grade organic wheat ethanol from Holland, along with purified spring water from the castle wells. It is distilled in small batches in hand-beaten copper pot stills from Germany through a 50-step process developed over hundreds of experimental trials.
The result is an entirely new expression of what gin can be – a spirit of unparalleled harmony and balance, inspired by centuries of Irish culture and shaped by a decade of obsessive development. Castle Freke Gin will kick off its U.S. launch at Bar Convent 2026 in Brooklyn, June 9-10, followed by an exclusive, invitation-only tasting event at a historic private venue in Manhattan. The product will be available in limited quantities as production increases over the summer and fall. Premium hotels, bars, restaurants, and liquor stores can inquire about availability through:
us-sales@castlefrekedistillery.com.
