Eva Murphy
Senior Distiller & Chief Storyteller
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The Board of Directors
Stephen Evans-Freke
It has taken Stephen, our Chairman and Chief Creator, some 50 years to figure out what to do with the law degree he received from Trinity College, Cambridge. A native of Ireland, Stephen’s meticulously planned career path has taken him from gold mining in South Africa through a career on Wall Street, to biotechnology company founder and CEO, and cattle rancher in Northern California.
Stephen Evans-Freke
It has taken Stephen, our Chairman and Chief Creator, some 50 years to figure out what to do with the law degree he received from Trinity College, Cambridge. A native of Ireland, Stephen’s meticulously planned career path has taken him from gold mining in South Africa through a career on Wall Street, to biotechnology company founder and CEO, and cattle rancher in Northern California.
Not to mention restoring ruined castles, riding out-of-control horses, deep sea fishing, mountain trekking in Afghanistan, Nepal’s Annapurna basin and Thailand’s Golden Triangle, and many other adventures along the way. It turns out there was a method to all this madness: these life experiences were preparing his restless spirit for his true calling, to create the world’s finest gin for lovers of the very dry martini, amongst whom he counts himself.
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Dominic Evans-Freke
Dominic is a co-founder and one of the family owners of Global luxury interiors company de Gournay. He is unsure which part of his Anglo-Irish heritage, English upbringing, Monastic schooling or subsequent studies, if any of them, prepared him for the fascinating, challenging and sometimes scary adventures he has had designing and building the operations and systems that manufacture de Gournay’s wonderful products in many far flung corners of the globe.
Dominic Evans-Freke
Dominic is a co-founder and one of the family owners of Global luxury interiors company de Gournay. He is unsure which part of his Anglo-Irish heritage, English upbringing, Monastic schooling or subsequent studies, if any of them, prepared him for the fascinating, challenging and sometimes scary adventures he has had designing and building the operations and systems that manufacture de Gournay’s wonderful products in many far flung corners of the globe. However now he finds that these experiences made Stephen’s declaration some years ago that he would distil the world’s best sipping gin at Castle Freke seem quite logical and here we are with a product to be proud of.
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Cornelius ‘Neil’ Prior
Cornelius ‘Neil’ Prior is our lead external investor, and fellow Irishman to our Founder. He brings to Castle Freke Distillery the acumen from a distinguished business career launched by a stint as a US Navy Officer and then an LL.B from Harvard Law School.
Cornelius ‘Neil’ Prior
Cornelius ‘Neil’ Prior is our lead external investor, and fellow Irishman to our Founder. He brings to Castle Freke Distillery the acumen from a distinguished business career launched by a stint as a US Navy Officer and then an LL.B from Harvard Law School. Neil practiced law in New York and Asia and then spent 16 years as a senior banker on Wall Street before becoming a Caribbean telecom tycoon as Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Tele-Network (Nasdaq:ATNI) until his retirement in 2008. Neil ‘in retirement’ presents a perfect oxymoron, since in his 92nd year he maintains a very active involvement in a dizzying array of Philanthropy interests (especially in education and classical music), makes wine at his Bordeaux vineyard, and invests in entrepreneurial ventures like CFD. In his ‘spare’ time he often humbles our Founder on the tennis courts.
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Henry Gwyn-Jones
Henry Gwyn-Jones is a self-taught serial property developer and entrepreneur, highly motivated with a successful 35 year career in property investment spanning commercial properties, hotels and resorts in the UK, Bulgaria and Croatia
Henry Gwyn-Jones
Henry Gwyn-Jones is a self-taught serial property developer and entrepreneur, highly motivated with a successful 35 year career in property investment spanning commercial properties, hotels and resorts in the UK, Bulgaria and Croatia. He is also a connoisseur of beauty in all its manifestations including historic buildings; having reassembled one of Ireland’s most beautiful estates at Ballynatray on the Blackwater River, he has now taken on the rejuvenation of New Wardour Castle in Wiltshire, UK. Henry manages to combine well-honed financial skills with an equally acute appreciation for the finer things in life…hence his involvement with Castle Freke Gin.
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Meet the Team
Born in West Cork, just a short curve of coastline from Castle Freke, Eva carries an innate grá for the land and its quiet, storied pull. After studying Chemical Engineering at UCD, she returned home – back to green fields, salt-kissed air, and the quiet pull of heritage – to bring a modern breath to the enduring tales of romantic Ireland. As Castle Freke’s distiller, she works in the rhythm of copper and vapour, transforming botanicals into spirits worthy of the estate’s long history, which she then translates into social media storytelling. Her love of old buildings and their crafted intention mirrors her approach: engineering and craft meet storytelling. For Eva, luxury is intention – excellence, provenance, and creating something which is enduring and true.
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Alex Vajgel
Facilities Manager
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As our Chief Problem Solver, Alex is the quiet presence behind the daily rhythm of Castle Freke Distillery while bringing steadiness to an estate shaped by centuries of weather and craft. Moving between the farm and the distillery, he knows how things are built, how they age, and how to restore them with patience. When the stills need attention, he answers with calm, methodical solutions, keeping the operation’s heartbeat steady through subtle fixes and well-timed interventions. He is also our beekeeper, responsible for tending the estate’s gardens and wilder corners that provide botanicals for the gin and forage for the native Irish bees who produce the renowned Castle Freke honey. In his care, estate and distillery move in tandem, guided by respect for legacy and attention to detail.
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Kristina Kupcova
Director of Distillery Operations
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At Castle Freke Distillery and Castle Freke Farms, Kristina Kupcova manages operations and financial oversight, ensuring the distilling craft of Castle Freke Gin is matched by operational excellence in our supply chain, warehouse management, Health & Safety compliance and human resources. Drawing on her background in banking, she also oversees operations at the castle and on the estate. With diligence and deep pride in her work, Kristina guides both distillery and farm teams, ensuring that Castle Freke remains enduring, distinctive, and unmistakably rooted in West Cork.
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Dave Alton
Director of Digital Strategy & Marketing
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Dave Alton is Director of Digital Strategy and Marketing at Castle Freke Distillery, blending academic insight with industry know-how to shape and spread our brands story. His PhD in play theory makes him an oddly suitable fit, well matched to a brand that leans into story, creativity, and just the right amount of playful charm. A Lecturer in University College Cork’s Business School, his teaching and research focus on multiple aspects of digital marketing, whilst he also maintains extensive industry links, working as a consultant, advisor, and company director. Once loyal to high-end whiskey, he now admits Castle Freke Gin has conquered his drinks cabinet – a development he assures everyone is due to impeccable taste, not the slightest hint of bias.
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Daniela Kauffman
Chief Financial Officer
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As CFO, Daniela is really an oxymoron, in that she manages to combine German efficiency and precision with an easy charm and strong sense of humor. She left Germany three decades ago with a business degree from Munich, obtained her CPA license in California, and has served in accounting and finance roles for several companies around the world. Most recently she served as Financial Controller for Auven Therapeutics, the private equity firm for which Stephen Evans-Freke was co-Managing General Partner, and continues in that part-time role for its successor entity. Her journey has taken her from Munich to San Diego to the Virgin Islands, and today she calls Utah home. Outside of work, she finds joy in life with her husband and two sons, gardening and hiking in the countryside near their home.
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Jessica Ramos
Investor & U.S. Public Relations Manager
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As Investor & U.S. Public Relations Manager, Jessica brings more than a decade of experience as the trusted right hand to Castle Freke Gin’s founder, Stephen Evans-Freke. Skilled in translating vision into momentum, Jess is a world-class multi-tasker as she juggles the many balls that are constantly in the air around her, while keeping her errant boss more or less on track. Now she will be spreading the good news of our Fine Irish Sipping Gin to the U.S.’s Dry Martini afficionados with equal parts strategy and charm. Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Jessica can often be found at the National Mall running off her stress, her jet lag, or the crumbs from her daughters’ snacks. In her downtime she enjoys life’s finest pairings: her husband, their two ridiculously cute young daughters, and a well-earned dry martini.
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