Skellig Six18 Irish Gin: 618 Steps to the Top — Seven Separate Distillates Blended Over Six Weeks with Kerry Botanicals

Item: Skellig Six18 Irish Gin: 618 Steps to the Top — Seven Separate Distillates Blended Over Six Weeks with Kerry Botanicals
Rating: 8
Author: Ash Carrington

Ash Carrington February 26, 2026 1 views

8 /10

EDITOR

Distillery: Skellig Six18 Distillery
Type: Contemporary
ABV: 43.4% ABV
Price: £37.50
Botanicals: juniper, Douglas fir, birch sap, yarrow, dillisk seaweed, grapefruit, citrus peel, angelica, coriander

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Tasting Notes

Nose

Herbal anise and juniper — Douglas fir's forest freshness, citrus brightness, the seven distillates creating remarkable aromatic complexity

Palate

Sweet sap and citrus — birch sap adding gentle sweetness, dillisk seaweed providing maritime minerals, yarrow's bitter herbal character, Douglas fir's resinous freshness, pink grapefruit cutting through, the six-week blending producing seamless integration

Finish

Bittersweet with pleasing minerality — the dillisk seaweed's maritime quality persisting, juniper dryness, the 618 steps rewarded in every sip

First Impressions

Skellig Six18 — named for the 618 steps from the base of Skellig Michael (Star Wars' Jedi temple) to the 6th-century beehive huts — is distilled in Cahersiveen, County Kerry. Seven separate distillates are blended slowly over six weeks. Botanicals chosen with renowned Irish chef Ross Lewis: fresh Douglas fir needles, birch sap, foraged yarrow, and dillisk seaweed. Ten botanicals total.

Tasting

Ten Kerry botanicals in seven distillates blended over six weeks. Herbal juniper nose with fir. Sweet sap palate with seaweed minerals, yarrow, and grapefruit. Bittersweet mineral finish.

The Bottom Line

Skellig Six18 earns an 8 — the seven-distillate, six-week blending method is extraordinary craft. Chef Ross Lewis's botanical selection is inspired. At £38, Kerry's Star Wars island gin with serious culinary pedigree.