Flying Tumbler Irish Whiskey has begun construction on a whiskey maturation, blending, bottling, and brand home at the Walsh family farm in Larch Grove, Ballytarsna, Carlow, Ireland. The brand, founded by brothers Thomas and Patrick Walsh, has also unveiled two new expressions — The Tippler and The Roller — to complete a trilogy of core products alongside its existing release, The Bird.
The project will repurpose a number of farm outbuildings into bonded maturation and blending warehouses along with a craft bottling line. Funding was secured through the LEADER Programme 2023–2027, co-funded by the EU.
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Thcoda Contractors is carrying out the work, with completion expected by September 2026. The project is expected to create 15 jobs for the local area — 10 during construction and a further five over the coming years.
"For us, Flying Tumbler Irish Whiskey was always about returning home," said Patrick Walsh, founder of Flying Tumbler Irish Whiskey. "The farm at Larch Grove has been in our family for generations and we wanted to create a new farming future for generations to come."
"We are extremely grateful to the Carlow County Development Partnership and their programme for their help in realising our vision," Walsh added.
The brand, launched during COVID, has gained a strong following in the US, particularly in Massachusetts, where co-founder Thomas Walsh lives.
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The Roller is a non-age-stated single grain Irish whiskey. The Tippler is a blend of single pot still and single grain. Both expressions will launch in the coming months and be available for export to key markets.
They join The Bird, a triple-distilled blend of single malt and single grain currently retailing in the US for $38.
The team has also launched a revamped interactive website at www.flyingtumbler.com to enhance its consumer experience and support global expansion.
"There was a lot of negativity around the industry in 2025 but we are already seeing the positive headwinds in 2026," said Walsh. "Our first quarter has been focused on driving forward, with new bottlings, our new website and our production project taking shape, and now we are focused on the year ahead and expanding our reach across Europe and beyond."
The brand draws its name and identity from the Flying Tumbler pigeon, a breed known for its acrobatic mid-flight tumbling and its instinct to return home. Ireland’s whiskey sector has seen a wave of independent and farm-based producers emerge in recent years, with brands increasingly investing in on-site maturation and visitor experiences to differentiate in a competitive market.
