I often wonder why James Doherty did it. Why he decided to leave a good career in an international drinks giant to build a distillery in a remote part of Ireland. Sure, Irish whiskey was booming, but there were easier ways to make a buck off it – start a brand, flip it to a […]
Recent Posts
The Year Of Natural Causes
Technically, Irish whiskey’s annus horribilis started in 2024. Around March last year there were whispers of a slowdown in the US – sales were softening, producers were shipping far less stock to the category’s promised land. The mood was still upbeat, but there was an air of caution in the industry that was unfamiliar to […]
Irish Whiskey Tourism: Is It Really Worth It?
In May this year, Teeling Distillery in Dublin announced that it had hit a remarkable milestone – in the ten years since they had opened, they welcomed a total of one million visitors. Located in the Liberties area of Dublin city, the distillery had been smart about their tourism offering; the distillery had an exhibition […]
A Time To Rebuild
Things are not great in Irish whiskey right now. After ten years of historic growth, and the number of whiskey distilleries here growing from four to almost fifty, the current crunch has come upon us at alarming speed. Headlines about distillery closures, examinerships, receiverships, extended silent seasons and significant layoffs has caused consternation. The question […]
The Fighters
Achill Island is a landscape infused with loss. Abandoned villages, dried out petrol stations, plaques commemorating those who died in the Famine, or those forced to emigrate in the almost 200 years since; it feels like everywhere you go you are confronted with the act of separation – island from mainland, kith from kin. It’s […]
Notes On A Rebrand
When the American drinks giant Sazerac bought Lough Gill Distillery three years ago, it was probably inevitable that they would change the name. A quick scroll through their brands will show you that they like plain, simple names – easy to pronounce, easy to say. Lough is not the easiest word for anyone who has […]
Irish Whiskey In 2025 – Where Are We Now?
At the end of last year I wrote a piece about Irish whiskey’s fortunes – good and bad – in 2024 and where the category was headed in 2025. The piece was published in American Distiller Magazine, but was edited for length. Here are the quotes from the people I spoke to in full. Jennifer […]
Post Resurrection Blues
Cork Whiskey Festival 2025 was a roaring success – three days, two brand expos, dozens of masterclasses, 1,500 tickets and every event sold out. If there was a downturn in the Irish whiskey category, the festival showed no signs of it – it was a celebration of a diverse and vibrant industry. In fact, the […]
Whiskey Casks Are Not An Investment
This is not investment advice. It isn’t even advice in what not to invest in, just a series of observations based on my own experience of buying and selling whiskey casks. It’s important to get that out front and centre because while the Irish whiskey category has generated a lot of buzz and drawn in […]
Cork Whiskey Festival 2025 day three
The CWF25 Sunday March 23rd events I made it to and pictured above are: 2PM Midleton’s Method Madness – The Blue Room at The Dean 2PM Vintage Irish Bottle Tasting – The Shelbourne 4PM Killowen Distillery Charity Tasting – The Macau Casino 4PM The Wine Buff Grand Cru Wine Tasting – Cask 6:30PM Redbreast Cask Masterclass – The Blue Room […]
Triple Distilled Communications 