“Waterford Distillery is a major new whiskey project by the man behind the renaissance of Islay’s Bruichladdich single malt whisky (aka Mark Reynier)” – this statement should on its own be a perfect reason to keep on eye on what’s going on at Waterford!
Early December, the very first trial spirit run took place at Ireland’s new Waterford Distillery, just one year and four months after Reynier bought the site.
The site is based at the Waterford Brewery, formally used by Diageo to make Guinness, and is operated under Reynier’s new company, Renegade Spirits. Located in the port of Waterford in South East Ireland, Waterford Distillery has opened with the backing of former Bruichladdich investors John McTaggart, who will assume the role of chairman, and John Adams, who will be finance director, as well as 50 private shareholders.
The distillery’s core whiskey will be a single malt made using barley sourced from 46 different Irish farms, five of which are organic – with a total of five different strains grown on 19 distinctive soil types, something Reynier claims is “unprecedented” in the sector.
Such a network of barley supply gives Waterford’s future whiskey traceability like no other, believes Reynier.
“South East Ireland is one of the best barley-growing regions in the world,” he added. “So as someone who is really interested in barley and terroir, this gave me the opportunity to set up a complete supply programme. We want to create the most profound and complex single malt whiskey anyone has ever seen. It’s taking my projects at Bruichladdich as expanding them big time.” (Read more)
The family-run Walsh Whiskey Distillery, which is celebrating its 16th year in business, already produces 60,000 cases of whiskey a year and a new €25 million distillery and visitor centre to host Bernard Walsh’ spirited babies is currently under construction in Royal Oak. The new premises boast a production capacity of six million bottles a year, the founders are optimistic that demand for Irish whiskey will continue to soar.
The distillery will produce Walsh Whiskey’s critically acclaimed, award winning, ultra-premium Irish whiskey brands – The Irishman and Writerṣ Tears. The distillery will be unique as the only distillery in Ireland to produce all three types of Irish whiskey in one still house, namely – pot, malt and grain.
Both of whiskey’s main ingredients, water and barley, will be in plentiful local supply from the surrounding barley-growing farms and the Barrow Valley Aquifer, a massive natural underground reservoir containing 200 million cubic metres of water.
So keep an eye on this one as well!
Set to open in the coming months, Boann Whiskey Distillery is based in Drogheda and marks the first time a new distillery has been built in the area for 50 years. Creating Irish whiskey and gin, the site will also house a visitors’ centre and the new Boyne Brewhouse craft brewery, bringing 80 new jobs to the local area.
It will create a range of Irish single malt, pot still and blended whiskies from “technologically advanced” and specially-designed nano-copper pot stills. A small batch gin will also be produced in a custom made 500-litre Bennett Still.
The Boann Distillery and Boyne Brewhouse are the realisation of a long held ambition of the Cooney family who have a long tradition in the Irish drinks industry. Pat Cooney built the Gleeson Group to be a major player in the Irish manufacturing and wholesale drinks business over the last 40 years with €300 million turnover and employment of 750 people. Part of this business was sold in 2012 to C&C but a cream liqueur facility and cidery were retained by the Cooney family. The addition of whiskey, white spirits and craft beers will complete a Four Pillar business of the Irish Drinks Industry with a strong focus on export markets as well as the domestic scene.
Pat is a native of Drogheda and having left in 1965 to pursue a professional career in accountancy and later in business, this is something of a home coming for him with the establishment of a new industry in his home town.
(See my recent interview of Sally-Anne Cooney regarding this exciting project)
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