Tag: Irish whiskey

The Others

January 9th, 2023

The IWA map of Ireland’s distilleries.

It feels like there are a lot of whiskey distilleries after opening in the last few years, but there are several more waiting in the wings. Some are in various stages of planning, some are built, some have yet to be comissioned. I went through the planning sites and tried to pull together all those in the Republic Of Ireland that fall into this category.

The title is the name of the person or firm that lodged the plans, address should be the location of the planned distillery, and the details are what was on the planning sites. The titles are links to the planning documents if you want to go have a nose at what the distillery is meant to look like. Some counties are missing as their distilleries were either already built or there were no distilleries on the planning pages at all. Any edits, notes or corrections to william.linnane@gmail.com.

Clare –

Name: Wild Atlantic Way Distillery Ltd

Address: Querrin, Kilkee, Co. Clare

Details: to construct a micro craft distillery consisting of ten no. modular dodecagon shaped cabins along with all associated site works to include new site entrance , car parking area, advanced wastewater treatment system and other ancillary services

Cork –

Name: Tower Development Properties Ltd

Address: North Custom House Quay and, South Custom House Quay, Custom House Street, Cork City

Details: Planning permission is sought by Tower Development Properties Ltd for: Redevelopment of the Custom House site at North Custom House Quay and South Custom House Quay, Custom House Street, Cork City to provide a 240-bedroom hotel, 25 no. hotel serviced suites, and a range of commercial uses including retail, office, food and beverage, distillery, tourism and leisure. The redevelopment will have a gross floor area of approximately 31, 604m2.

Name: Muster Developments Limited

Address: The Bodega, Cornmarket Street, Cork

Details: Permission for modifications to existing restaurant/ late night bar to include conservation works to restore the building’s original industrial character, internal alterations to include provision of a micro brewery/ distillery in part of the ground floor, first floor alterations to include an expanded open area and restaurant lightwell, and alterations to the front elevation to include a new escape doorway, at The Bodega, Cornmarket Street, Cork (Protected Structure).

Name: Sam Black (Blacks of Kinsale brewers and distillers)

Address: `Former Shirt Factory’, Cappagh, Kinsale, Co. Cork

Details: (i) Demolition of the existing annexes to the front elevation and side elevation of the `Former Shirt Factory’ (which is to become the production hall) , in addition to demolition of the steel ruin frame structure on site, (ii) Modernisation of existing building elevations (the proposed production hall), comprising alterations to the building façade, including revised material finishes to the roof and elevations incorporating fenestration changes allowing for a brewery and distillery at ground floor level, (iii) Construction of extension to the front elevation of the existing building on site (the proposed production hall) consisting of ancillary office space, retail space at first floor level with lower and upper terraces and associated signage, (iv) A storage hall, (v) The upgrading of the existing access into and through the site including a swale incorporating the length of the site with drainage to Commogue Marsh, (vi) Ancillary on-site car and bicycle parking provision, (vii) Beer storage tank farm, (viii) Malt grain storage silo farm, (ix) Plant including steam boiler unit and cooling ventilation unit, (x) Delivery yard permitting open storage, (xi) Landscaping including fencing, new boundary treatments, lighting, and pedestrian linkages to nearby footpath, and (xii) Pumping station, ground level changes with all other associated site works and ancillary services.

Name: Nigel Sweetnam/Kinsale Spirits Company

Address: Knockduff, Kinsale, Co. Cork

Details: Retention of an existing oyster processing shed, the change of use of the existing oyster processing shed to a craft distillery, and construction of alterations to the existing oyster processing shed, the construction of a solardome, and all ancillary site works.

Name: Comharchumann Chléire Teo

Address: Cnocán na mBáirneach, Cape Clear, Skibbereen, Co. Cork.

Details: Development will consist of: the provision of an integrated whiskey distillery and associated development (with ancillary waste water treatment facilities) comprising: mash house/tun room (171 sqm); fermentation building (236 sq m): stills building and decanting area (298sq m); visitor’s centre shop and staff acilities (134sq m); glazed link area (16sq m) and ask stores (745 sq m), all ranging from one to three storeys in height. The development will also consist of the provision of ancillary plant areas including wastewater treatment plant enclosures and associated pipework; percolation areas; storage areas including water tank and grain silos; ancillary staff and visitor areas; landscaping and boundary treatmets; lighting; changes in level and all ancillary site development and excavation works above and below ground

Name: Bandon Distillery Limited

Address: IDA Industrial Estate, Laragh, Bandon, Co. Cork, (Formally Alcatel Ireland Ltd)

Details: (a) Change of use of part of existing building from light industrial to visitors centre in association with the distillery, (b) alterations to elevations of existing light industrial building to facilitate visitors centre at distillery, (c) construction of raised atrium above part of existing roof in production area, (d) removal of part of building to form an unroofed courtyard and demolition of separate services building, (e) installation of 3 no. silos and 2 no. cooling towers externally and one underground gas storage tank, (f) drilling bored well, and (g) provision of advertising signage – Extension of Duration of Permission granted under Planning Reference: 15/6891

Name: Roaring Water Farm and Enterprises Ltd

Address: Horse Island, Schull, Co. Cork

Details: The development will consist of the provision of an integrated whiskey distillery and associated development (with ancillary waste water treatment facilities) comprising: mash house (157sqm); fermentation house (228sqm); stills house (258sqm); visitor’s centre/cafe (94sqm); visitor’s ‘whiskey bar’ (19sqm); ancillary circulation and link areas (49sqm) and two cask stores (805sqm in total), all ranging from one to two storeys in height. (The visitor’s centre includes the part-demolition of the first floor of an existing ruined former dwelling and related outbuilding (51sqm)). The development will also consist of the provision of ancillary plant areas including: sea water pump and wastewater treatment plant enclosures and associated pipework; percolation areas; storage areas including water tank and grain silos; ancillary staff and visitor areas; landscaping and boundary treatments; lighting; changes in level and all ancillary site development and excavation works above and below ground

Donegal –

Name: MICHAEL R. O’BOYLE

Address: GORTNABRADE, CARRIGART, LETTERKENNY P.O., CO. DONEGAL

Details: (A) THE CHANGE OF USE OF A DOMESTIC SHED TO A NANO DISTILLERY (B) CONNECTION TO EXISTING SEPTIC TANK AND (C) UPGRADING OF EXISTING SEWAGE SYSTEM WITH ALL ASSOCIATED SITE WORKS

Name: DOYLE’S DISTILLERY LTD

Address: CUMMIRK, CLOGHAN, CO. DONEGAL

Details: (1) ALTERED ROOFLINE AND SIDE EXTENSION TO EXISTING SHED TO ACCOMMODATE CHANGE OF USE (2) PARTIALLY CONSTRUCTED SHED AND PERMISSION FOR (1) CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW DISTILLERY COMPLEX BUILDING TO ACCOMMODATE ANCILLARY OFFICE/RECEPTION/TOILET AREA,STORAGE AREA, BOTTLING LINE, PLANT ROOM, MILLING, MASH TUN, FERMENTATION, PALLET AND STILL AREAS, EXTERNAL SILOS (2) PROVISION OF A SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM AND ALL ASSOCIATED SITE DEVELOPMENT WORKS (3) CHANGE OF USE OF EXISTING SHED TO A DISTILLERY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE (4) COMPLETION OF PARTIALLY CONSTRUCTED SHED. A NATURA IMPACT STATEMENT (NIS) ACCOMPANIES THIS APPLICATION

Dublin –

Name: Harvest Lodge Distilleries LTD

Address: Lands at Harvest Lodge, Folkstown Lane ( Folkstown Little Td) and lands at Folkstown Great Td, Naul Road, Balbriggan, Co Dublin

Details: 1. The development will consist of a distillery (total floor area of floor area 5659m2) which includes provision of an ancillary visitor centre, storage shed along with associated external plant cooling tower and ancillary equipment to include water storage tanks, gas tanks along with signage on the buildings.

2. The development will consist of 7 no. separate buildings (total floor areas of 7892m2) for light industrial and warehouse uses each with associated offices, showrooms, signage, access roads, turning/loading areas, footways, storage areas, parking, electric vehicle charge points, landscaping, lighting, fencing, bicycle and bin storage facilities and associated site works.

3. The demolition of existing agricultural sheds and outbuildings associated with Harvest Lodge along with the refurbishment and change of use of Harvest Lodge to a campus management building along with provision of an associated campus maintenance office and associated parking.

4.The provision of a new site entrance with associated works to facilitate vehicular and pedestrian access.

5. The provision of a business park entrance sign along with perimeter fencing and security gates.

6. A proposed on-site pumping station and rising main which will discharge all treated wastewater effluent from the site to the existing public foul sewerage system.

7. Provision of associated on-line surface water attenuation ponds and attenuation as part of the surface water system.

8. All ancillary site development, landscaping and construction works to facilitate foul, water and service networks to include provision of an ESB substation.

Name: Lambay Estate Company

Address: Lambay Castle, Lambay Island, Rush, Co. Dublin.

Details: Change of use of Potting Shed adjacent to walled garden from storage to micro-distillery to include widening of 1no. door opening in covered lobby with new timber door; making good of concrete floors; erection of distillery equipment; provision of water and electrical services; connections to water drainage system to include provision of new percolation area; sundry minor works.

Kerry –

Name: KILLARNEY DISTILLERS LTD.

Address: Aghadoe House Stables, Fossa, Killarney

Details: CONSERVATION AND REFURBISHMENT OF THE DERELICT NINETEENTH CENTURY COACH HOUSE AND ADJOINING COURTYARD (381M2) LOCATED WITHIN THE CURTILAGE OF AGHADOE HOUSE (A PROTECTED STRUCTURE (RPS-KY-21306614) FOR SENSITIVE INCORPORATION AND REUSE AS PART OF A CRAFT DISTILLERY, INCLUDING REINSTATEMENT OF ROOF, ADDITION OF A GLAZED CANOPY TO FORM A COVERED ENTRANCE SPACE AND MINOR ALTERATIONS TO ACCOMMODATE A RECEPTION AREA, CAFE, RESTAURANT, BAR FACILITIES AND RETAIL SPACE AT GROUND FLOOR. REINSTATEMENT OF PERIMETER BUILDINGS WITHIN THE EXISTING COURTYARD IN PLACE OF LOST HISTORIC STRUCTURES TO ACCOMMODATE CAFE, RESTAURANT, BAR FACILITIES (74M2) AND MILL (36M2), AND ADDITIONS TO EXISTING OUTBUILDINGS (42M2) TO ACCOMMODATE KITCHEN, STORES, STAFF FACILITIES AND A NEW ELECTRICITY SUBSTATION. REMOVAL OF RUINED LEAN TO STRUCTURES (55M2) AND TWENTIETH CENTURY TIMBER FRAMED SHED (18M2) AND CONCRETE WATER TANK (15M2). REINSTATEMENT OF FIRST FLOOR MEZZANINE LEVEL (102M2) WITH ATTENDANT STAIRS AND LIFT TO ACCOMMODATE AN ANCILLARY OFFICE AND VISITOR SANITARY FACILITIES. WORKS TO CONSERVE, REPAIR AND EXEND THE PARTLY DEMOLISHED STONE WALL FORMING THE BOUNDARY WITH AGHADOE HOUSE, MAKING PROVISION FOR PRESERVATION OF AN EXISTING WALKING ROUTE BETWEEN THE NEARBY R563 ROAD JUNCTION AND FOSSA PRIMARY SCHOOL, AND REINSTATEMENT OF EXTERNAL GROUND SURFACES WITHIN THE COURTYARD AND FORECOURT. CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW 690M2 STILL HOUSE /MULTIPURPOSE EVENT SPACE ACCOMMODATING DISTILLATION PROCESS EQUIPMENT, TASTING AREA, BAR FACILITIES, LOWER GROUND FLOOR MECHANICAL AREA, ANCILLARY PLANT SPACE, DISTILLING STAFF ACCOMMODATION, TESTING LABORATORY AND ATTENDANT EXTERNAL STORAGE SILOS, PROCESS VESSELS, CO-PRODUCT STORAGE VESSELS, COOLING TOWER, PH BALANCE TANK, UNDERGROUND LPG STORAGE, UNDERGROUND FIREFIGHTING WATER STORAGE AND ALL ANCILLAR Y SITE DEVELOPMENT AND LANDSCAPE WORKS WHILE PROVIDING FOR PRESERVATION OF MATURE AND SPECIMEN TREES. CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW 460M2 MATURATION STORAGE BUILDING INCLUDING CASK FILLING AND DISGORGING FACILITIES, BOTTLING STATION AND ALL ANCILLARY SITE DEVELOPMENT AND LANDSCAPE WORKS WHILE PROVIDING FOR PRESERVATION OF MATURE AND SPECIMEN TREES. CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW ENTRANCE AND INTERNAL ROADWAY FROM THE R563 SENSITIVELY INCORPORATED WITHIN THE WOODLAND TO PROVIDE SOLE VEHICULAR ACCESS TO THE SITE WITH ATTENDANT LIGHTING, SIGNAGE, GATE AND LANDSCAPING WORKS AND PROVISION OF ASSOCIATED CAR, BICYCLE AND COACHING PARKING.

Name: JERRY O’SULLIVAN

Address: SPA ROAD AND , CONNOR PASS ROAD, DINGLE, CO KERRY

Details: DEMOLITIONS, CHANGE OF USE, ALTERATIONS AND EXTENSIONS OF A FORMER CREAMERY BUILDING AND ANCILLARY STRUCTURES TO PROVIDE A NEW DISTILLERY AND VISITORS CENTRE TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:(1) DEMOLITION OF EXISTING SINGLE STOREY COLD STORE ALONG WITH NORTHERN BOUNDARY, DEMOLITION OF THE EXISTING SINGLE STOREY ANNEX BUILDING AT THE SOUTHWEST OF THE SITE, PART DEMOLITION OF EXISTING SINGEL STOREY ANNEX AT NORTHEAST CORNER OF FORMER CREAMERY BUILDING AND PART DEMOLITION OF EXISTING SINGLE STOREY STRUCTURE ON THE EASTERN BOUNDARY,(2) PART SINGLE STOREY AND PART FOUR STOREY EXTENSIONS LOCATED AT THE SOUTHWEST OF THE FORMER MAIN CREAMERY BUILDING TO PROVIDE A VISITORS CENTRE AND TASTING ROOM AT GROUND FLOOR LEVEL AND CASK STORAGE AT FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD FLOOR LEVELS. (3)A SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION TO THE NORTHWEST ELEVATION TO PROVIDE A RETAIL SHOP AREA, DISPLAY AREA AND RECEPTION. SEE NEWSPAPER NOTICE RECD 26/02/09 FOR COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT DESCRIPTION

Name: BEAUFORT DISTILLERY LTD.

Address: CAHEROOBEG, BEAUFORT, CO KERRY

Details: CONSTRUCT TWO INDUSTRIAL SHEDS TO HOUSE A WHISKEY DISTILLERY AND ASSOCIATED STORAGE. PERMISSION IS FURTHER SOUGHT TO INSTALL A SEPTIC TANK, INTERMITTENT FILTER, POLISHING FILTER AND FOR ALL ASSOCIATED ANCILLARY SITE DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDING LANDSCAPING AND BOUNDARY TREATMENT

Kildare –

Name: Ciara and Harvey Appelbe

Address: The Old Mill,, Ballymore Eustace,, Co. Kildare

Details: Major renovations of the Mill building complex to house a Craft Micro-Distillery (gfa 453.8sqm) including refurbishment, conversion and consolidation/stabilisation of existing structures (four, three, two and single storey buildings) around existing upper and lower courtyard (Blocks 2, 3 and 4). The craft micro-distillery will include a brew-house, still house, 2 No. warehouses for storing 1,000 No. whiskey casks, empty cask storage space, plant room and cooperage. A minor increase in floor area is proposed in Blocks 3 and 4 in order to provide for new mezzanines and stairs (74.2sqm). It is also proposed to undertake refurbishment and consolidation/stabilisation of structures in upper courtyard (Block 5, gfa 213sqm) with no associated new use. The development includes landscaping, boundary treatment, drainage, parking and all ancillary associated site works (including alterations to existing mill pond to facilitate a detention basin, bunding and spill containment; fire water retention basin). The existing road and pedestrian access to and through the site will remain unchanged

Leitrim –

Name: Paul Carty

Address: Cornaglah, Ballyshannon, Co Leitrim

Details: construction of new building for a proposed micro distillery, septic tank & soakway together with associated siteworks

Louth –

Name: Raymond Thornton

Address: Newtowndarver,, Dundalk, Co Louth

Details: EXTENSION OF DURATION OF 15/142- Permission for development to consist of a single storey sheet cladded steel portal frame building to be a micro distillery (GFA = 415 sq.m.), together with the following associated ancillary works, a single storey new boiler house (GFA = 35 sq.m); an over ground alcohol storage tank (5,000 litres); an over ground LPG storage tank (2,000 litres); an under ground fire water storage tank (180 cu.m); a waste water treatment system/percolation area; a landscaped earth embankment; an oil interceptor; a soakage trench and all other associated site development works. *Significant Further Information received 20/05/2015 -Noting the height of the proposed structure at 12.4 metres high, removal of brick to the proposed elevations, insertion of two new storage tanks, one over ground and one underground, comprehensive landscaping plan, alterations of site boundaries and other ancillary documents*

Mayo –

Name: NEPHIN WHISKEY COMPANY LTD.

Address: LAHARDAUN, BALLINA, CO. MAYO

Details: CONSTRUCT NEW SINGLE STOREY PLANT BUILDING TO HOUSE PLANT ROOMS ADJOINING PROPOSED DISTILLERY BUILDING AT PROPOSED WHISKEY DISTILLERY COMPLEX WHICH IS SUBJECT OF ONGOING PLANNING APPLICATION P14/573. THE PLANT BUILDING WILL BE 83SQM IN AREA AND 5.1M HIGH. THE PLANT BUILDING WILL HOUSE PLANT INCLUDING BOILER, COMPRESSOR AND MOTORISED CONTROLS

Meath –

Name: Meade Potato Company Unlimited

Address: Heronstown, Lobinstown, Navan, Co. Meath

Details: the development will consist of: 1) construction of a farm distillery and farm shop with associated retail area, café, exhibition space, associated parking, ware housing, 2) proposed storm drainage and treatment infrastructure including retention pond, 3) proposed sewerage treatment system compromising of an advanced treatment unit and associated percolation area, 4) all ancillary site development works. Significant Further information/Revised plans submitted with this application

Name: Kells Distillery Ltd

Address: Kells Business Park, Commons of Lloyd, Virginia Road, Kells, Co Meath

Details: part change of use of existing building from use as an industrial building to use as distillery & for a single storey office extension to side of existing building. To install treatment system and discharge to existing council foul water sewer with associated site works. A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) is being submitted with this application

Monaghan –

Name: Mullan Tidy Towns and Community Development

Address: Mullan Village, Emyvale, Co. Monaghan

Details: permission for development including connection to group sewage treatment system, car park and all associated site works. The development consists of the renovation and combined two-storey extension of two derelict structures and change of use to a gin distillery with bar, function room, storage, co-working office space, community facilities and signage. Significant further information received 3/8/21.

Offaly –

Name: TEROBOC LIMITED

Address: KINNITTY CASTLE HOTEL, CASTLETOWN, KINNITTY, BIRR, CO. OFFALY

Details: DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL CONSIST OF THE ALTERATION AND MATERIAL CHANGE OF USE OF EXISTING COACH HOUSE AND STABLE OUTBUILDINGS TO THE REAR OF KINNITTY CASTLE HOTEL, TO A PROPOSED CRAFT DISTILLERY AND VISITOR CENTRE. THE ALTERED BUILDINGS WILL CONTAIN SPACE FOR THE FOLLOWING: DISTILLERY PROCESS, BOTTLING, STORAGE, RETAIL AREA, TASTING AREA AND BAR, CRAFT WORKSHOPS, ANCILLARY STAFF AREAS AND TOILETS. THE WORKS WILL INCLUDE REPAIRS AND ALTERATIONS TO THE EXISTING BUILDINGS AND SITE DEVELOPMENT WORKS INCLUDING NEW COURTYARD SCREEN WALL, LANDSCAPING TO COURTYARD, FOUL AND SURFACE WATER DRAINAGE. THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT CONSISTS OF WORK TO A PROTECTED STRUCTURE

Roscommon –

Name: Neil Stewart

Address: Mocmoyne Td., Boyle, Co. Roscommon

Details: Extension of Duration of PD/17/166 – Permission for the change of use of part of existing mill building from production of grain and maize products to a whiskey distillery (floor area 739.58 sq.mtrs.) incorporating the installation of plant, together with minor alterations/works to existing building (which is on the record of protected structures – Reg. No. 3180439) together with all ancillary site works and services at

Tipperary –

Name: Steelworks Investments Ltd

Address: Dundrum House Hotel, Dundrum, Co. Tipperary

Details: an Integrated Tourism Development comprising the following works at Dundrum House Hotel, Dundrum: a) Construction of a two-storey boutique whiskey distillery and service yard with borehole for water supply and associated car-parking, in lieu of previously approved (10/317) three-storey dormer, forty-four bedroom Hotel and Conference Centre. b) Construction of a Golf Course Maintenance Building and associated storage areas. c) Construction of a Bottling Plant and whiskey storage area, including ancillary stores. d) Demolition of existing Hotel Entrance Lobby and associated circulation areas, and demolition of existing Basement stores and services spaces. e) Construction of a two-storey over partial existing basement building to the North West of existing hotel, comprising replacement Function Room with additional floor area. Pre-event space, circulation areas, Meeting Rooms, increased basement area for service areas, sanitary facilities, plant rooms, kitchens and storage areas. f) Construction of new two-storey building over existing basement, adjacent to Protected Structure S023 to comprise Hotel Entrance Foyer, lobbies, reception, circulation and mezzanine areas. g) Alterations to Protected Structure S023 comprising removal of existing lift shaft, installation of new lift, alterations to external opes to connect to new extension, internal alterations to room layouts, repairs to building fabric including floors, walls, roof, windows and doors, construction of pediments and hipped roofs to existing wings and installation of mechanical and electrical services. h) Landscaped gardens to South West and North East of Protected Structure S023, including hard and soft landscaping. i) Retention of revised layout of previously approved (10/317) Golf Driving Range and associated facilities, including new Practice Green. j) Associated car parking, roadways, site services, landscaping, screening, site boundaries, upgrade works to existing waste water treatment plant and all associated site development works. All works to be carried out within the curtilage of Dundrum House Hotel which is a Protected Structure Ref. S023 in the South Tipperary County Development Plan 2009 – 2015 and to connect to the existing Waste Water Treatment facility constructed under Permission 04/1239

Waterford –

Name: Gortinore Distillery Ltd

Address: Old Woollen Mills, Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford

Details: development consisting of : a change of use of the former Old Woollen Mills (Grain Store) to industrial use and a spirit’s distillery including ancillary retail use. The works consist of the following: A; Internal, external alterations and demolitions within the mill and silo buildings. B; three storey extension to the front entrance façade of the mill building including alterations to the mill façade and flat roof structures. C; addition of ventilation stacks to the roofline of the silo building, replacement of its roof covering, alterations to the façade, extension and alterations at basement level and alterations to the building gable for vehicular and services access. D; new vehicular entrance, car parking, delivery and vehicle turning area, walled compound for storage of gas, water and generator to the southern end of the site. E; new pedestrian route from the parking area to the building access routes and Main Street, Kilmacthomas and all other associated site works (A PROTECTED STRUCTURE)

Wexford –

Name: JOHN STAFFORD

Address: 1798 VISITOR CENTRE, PARNELL ROAD, ENNISCORTHY, CO. WEXFORD.

Details: PERMISSION FOR CHANGE OF USE AND ALTERATIONS TO PORTION OF EXISTING VISITOR CENTRE (SHED STRUCTURE) TO A MICRO DISTILLERY BUT RETAINING THE MAJORITY OF THE VISITOR CENTRE AS EXISTING (INCLUDING CAFE, DISPLAY AREAS, KITCHEN TOILETS AND PARKING FACILITIES) WITHIN THE CURTILAGE OF A PROTECTED STRUCTURE RPS. NO. WCC E081, NIAH REF. NO. 15604032 AT 1798 VISITOR CENTRE, PARNELL ROAD, ENNISCORTHY, CO. WEXFORD.

Wicklow –

Name: Mezen Consultancy Services Ltd

Address: Tinakilly Upper, Rathnew, Co. Wicklow

Details: conversion of existing agricultural building for use as a micro distillery facility with visitor tasting and viewing areas together with new toilet facilities, connection to existing services and ancillary site works
For The Ages

December 19th, 2022

Few aspects of the whiskey industry make our eyes roll like marketing. A side effect of being exposed to far too many breathless press releases filled with bunkum, it has come to be seen as part of the whiskey business rather than whisky industry; it’s about hustle, not grind – sales, not substance. Among the nerds there is respect for the craftspeople who make the liquid, who manage the casks, who blend and bottle. But the marketing department? Does anyone ask about them when doing a distillery tour?

Except, marketing is everything – tone, mood, voice, ethos. A world without marketing would be a grey one indeed – every brand has a story, an arc, every product has a spin-off storyline within that universe, and marketing is what brings it all to life.

In Irish whiskey we have – according to Dr John Teeling – more than 700 brands and 42 distilleries, so we have an overabundance of marketing; endless stories about celebrating heritage of or paying homage to some ancestor or place or historical incident. Most of these whiskeys came from the same few places, and may or may not have a non-disclosure agreement in place which prohibits identifying the source, so marketeers are left to fill in the blanks with superficial swirls of the mists of time. And people – ordinary, normal people, not obsessives – love it. Irish whiskey is selling in huge amounts in the US, so all that storytelling is paying off.

But among the 42+ distilleries we do have operating on the island of Ireland, there are many who are doing some wild, creative things, but nobody knows because they don’t push the message out. It’s a crowded market populated with noisy non-distilling producers shouting about heritage, so you need to speak up to be heard.

It often feels like West Cork Distillers’ affordable, accessible whiskeys didn’t get the love that others in the category do – perhaps there was a reverse snobbery, that they weren’t seen as exclusive or expensive or elusive enough. They are, after all, priced well below their competitors – their NAS single malts with a variety of finishes all retail for less than forty euro, their standard blend is €26 and their cask strength blend is €46.95. These are everyman whiskeys, widely available and affordable. Maybe that is why they never really stood out, or maybe WCD’s ingredients business and third party sales took up all of the time and energy that would otherwise be spent building their own brand. But it would appear that they are entering a new phase.

The first sign that things might be changing was a Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling of a seven-year-old Irish single malt released under the not especially cryptic name of Let’s Go West! Given the age and the fact it was a ‘County Cork’ distillery, there could really only be one source – West Cork Distillers. There was a confidence in the release – this was an age stated bottling that would go out to serious whisky heads. In a piece written for the SMWS magazine Unfiltered, Lee Connors interviewed the master blender at WCD, Iven Kelleher, who explained how their spirit was traditional, with fruity elements, but with cereal and biscuit notes not normally associated with the category (there is loads of great nerdy distillation info in the piece so it is well worth a read). So WCD got the SMWS seal of approval, despite the relative youth of the spirit. It showed a confidence on the part of WCD and a willingness to show the whisky world what they are about.

John O’Connell of WCD speaking at the Cork launch of their new whiskeys in the Shelbourne bar.

The second sign that changes are afoot in Skibb is that West Cork Distillers now has a marketing department, headed up by Sinéad Gilbert, who spent 12 years with Irish Distillers Limited, most recently as their global marketing manager. The Clonakilty native joined WCD at the start of September and has much to work with – a great story, considerable amounts of mature, varied stock, and that wonderful west Cork aura.

Aside from all this, there is also the fact that WCD are booming – according to this piece by Seán Pollock in the Indo, in 2021, WCD reported pre-tax profit of more than €4.5m, up from €1.3m the previous year. So they are in rude health, despite missing out on one of the biggest Irish whiskey brands in the last four years. Recent court filings between MMA fighter Anton Lobov and his former friend and business partner Conor McGregor over the profits from the Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand revealed that Lobov initially worked out a supply contract with WCD, and that the Notorious whiskey branded bottle McGregor brandished at the Floyd Mayweather post-fight press conference was entirely produced by WCD.

My favorite picture I snapped tonight.

Who wants a drink of Notorious Irish Whiskey with #ConorMcGregor? 🥃 pic.twitter.com/Oj88KhN3PB
— Peter Stringer (@peterstringer) August 27, 2017

Per the Indo, under the deal Lobov had worked out, McGregor would retain 100pc ownership of the brand and the company incorporated to sell the whiskey, with profits split on a 50/50 basis with the distiller. No investment capital was required. Lobov claims that shortly after the launch, he was sidelined in the project, the source distillery was changed to Bushmills (the grain element which allegedly makes up the bulk of P12 comes from Midleton), and ultimately McGregor went on to launch the fastest growing Irish whiskey brand in the world, and was then bought out by the parent firm in a deal worth millions. So an opportunity missed for WCD, or a bullet dodged, depending on your own particular views.

Off the back of all this comes two new whiskeys from WCD; one a five-year-old single pot still bottled at 43%, aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, composed of a mash ratio of 66:33 malted versus unmalted barley. The first distillation was completed in the ‘Rocket’, WCD’s pot still designed and built by the team in West Cork from an old boiler from a hotel. It is known to be the ‘fastest pot still in the world’ – although I’m not sure their new marketing team will be keen to push that message out when slowing food and drink production down is the ethos of the day. On that note however, the second and third distillation is slowed down so much that a second intermediate still was added along with a second spirit still.

The second release is a seven-year-old single malt, again given the same distillation treatment in the Rocket et al, then matured in Bodega Olorosso casks from the Tolerina Rodriguez bodega in Cadiz, Spain for four years and further aged in first fill bourbon barrels for three years. Bottled at 46%, and again both are non-chill filtered and natural colour. And a final very crucial point: there is a recommended retail price of €49.99 for the pot still and €55 for the single malt. In Irish whiskey, those prices are outliers.

After milling my way through both bottles I can say that I favour the malt; the Cork Whiskey Society who had a tasting with WCD pre-launch seemed to prefer the pot still. At the RRPs you could buy both for a whisper over a hundred. I would write a review but given that I own nine casks of WCD (four malt, four SPS and one grain) it really does feel like a conflict of interest. This isn’t a pump and dump scheme.

However, if you are in the market for a festive tipple or you are looking for something for the whiskey lover in your life, these bottles are affordable, boldly age-stated whiskeys from a distillery that seems to be finding its voice.
Resurrection Man

November 30th, 2022
In Cork Airport’s duty free there is a large screen showing adverts for Midleton distillery’s single pot still collection. The smooth-talking gent hosting the videos lavishes the Cork whiskeys with praise, and assures us that Midleton’s single pot still collection is the ultimate expression of the art.

In the decade since those videos were created, their host Peter Mulryan has had something of a change of heart. The author, producer, and presenter may have been the face of Midleton’s single pot still whiskey in 2012, but in the years since he has become one of the most vocal critics of what he sees as Irish Distillers Limited’s reformation of the definition of single pot still. He could have spent his time criticising from the sidelines, using the skills he honed in his decades working in the media to gradually force change. But instead of words, he chose action (and also words, but mainly action).

Mulryan put his money – and the money of his investors – where his mouth was and chased his dream of being a distiller. He chucked in his job with Ireland’s national broadcaster and opened a distillery – first in a lock-up in a rural industrial estate in west Waterford, then expanding to a converted hardware store in the sleepy village of Ballyduff a few miles away. It turned out that Mulryan and his team – several of whom worked on those single pot still videos with him – were quite good at distilling, as the Blackwater Distillery spirits have won multiple awards. The team are also quite good at business, as they landed massive supply contracts with supermarket giant Aldi. But Mulryan never softened his tone about the technical file, the State document which lays down the laws on Irish whiskey, and specifically, how to make single pot still (SPS) Irish whiskey.

Having written five books on Irish whiskey, Mulryan was well placed to point out what he saw as inaccuracies in the technical file, saying that he could find no historic mashbills which complied with the document’s requirement that the mash for SPS must contain a minimum of 30% malted barley and a minimum of 30% unmalted barley, with up to 5% of other cereals such as oats and rye added if required.

Writing on his distillery’s blog, Mulryan seethed about Midleton’s SPS whiskeys: “The official Redbreast website is even more confident: ‘this is the traditional way of making Irish whiskey since the 1800s.’ Except of course it’s all a load of horse manure. These whiskeys are not a reflection of anything, except perhaps corporate sleight of hand and a lack of oversight. If truth be told, the ‘tradition’ being celebrated here goes all the way back not to the nineteenth century but to October 2014.”

In numerous posts he used the phrase stolen heritage, gushed about traditional single pot still whiskey and its wild and varied mashbills, and worked with whiskey historians Fionnán O’Connor, Charlie Roche, and Will Murphy in digging up as many as he could. Mulryan then set about proving that SPS – the old, bold SPS as opposed to what he framed as the more modern, corporate IDL version (which he gives fair credit to as an excellent whiskey, it should be noted) – was a viable commercial product rather than a dusty relic reflective of palates now long dead. In a post on New Year’s Day 2020 he explained how between February and September 2019 they distilled more than 100 different SPS mashbills, the majority traced back to a specific distillery, date, or both, from 1824 to 1955. The recipes came from ‘just after the 1823 Excise Act (the foundation of the modern industry)’, right through the Victorian Irish whiskey boom.

“We’ve distilled outliers featuring 40% wheat, and 38% oat, but mostly that range of ‘other grains’ settled comfortably in the 20% – 25% band, with oat being predominant. All mash bills contained barley and malt, and all featured either oats, wheat and rye. Some have all five elements. However, not one of these real single pot still mashbills is compliant with the current Technical File. That’s not how we planned it, it’s just one of those awkward facts,” he wrote.

If this seems like a lot of work, you might well be right, as Mulryan added: “We could have spent 2019 churning out single malt, or compliant SPS, but we chose not to. As a result we only ran at close to 50% capacity. It was an expensive exercise, but we can now safely say there isn’t another distillery in the country/world that has dug into the SPS category as deeply as we have.”

Alongside the SPS missives were posts about their use of heritage grains, oats and green malt, along with pieces slamming a lack of transparency in Irish whiskey and an overabundance of brands built on sourced liquid – “We have the talent, but are downing in a sea of tribute acts” he wrote. Mulryan then went on to release a sourced whiskey named Velvet Cap (preceded by The Retronaut, a sourced, one-off 117-bottle release), along with procuring sourced whiskey stock for Aldi which was released under their Púca range. Ironically, for all Mulryan’s enthusiasm for clarity around sourced whiskey, this press release from Aldi doesn’t exactly make it crystal clear that Blackwater did not make the whiskey (the Blackwater online store, however, is clear on Velvet Cap being sourced).

But Blackwater’s main business was always making, not sourcing. During the pandemic they started a taster’s club where they experimented with spirits and flavour, sending out packs to fans with new spirits in each. They continued to win awards, and the technical file – once seen as the stone tablets of Irish whiskey – is about to be reopened for edits and adjustments, a move welcomed by Mulryan.

Much like their county neighbours Waterford Distillery, Blackwater have used a lot of highfalutin words like terroir, provenance, and grand cru (even their slogans are similar – Waterford’s motto is ‘where barley is king’ while Blackwater have ‘let the grain reign’). They both like a bit of sabre-rattling at ‘the big guys’ (neither are exactly little guys), and both have a lot of raw attitude. Mulryan’s jousting in the media even went so far as to claim that, unlike many others, he wasn’t in the whiskey business to make loads of money, something which may come as a shock to his investors.

All of this brings us to Blackwater’s first whisky (sic, natch), which comes to us burdened with great promise and even greater expectations. With typical bombast, the new releases come with a huge amount of detail on the liquid, but also have a hardback pamphlet titled A Manifesto For Irish Pot Still Whisky. Per the press release:

The Manifesto release is limited to just 1,000 numbered boxes, each containing 4 x 200ml single cask Irish whiskies. (Priced €250 & Delivery). Inspired by mash bills (recipes) from 1838, 1893, 1908 and 1915, this is a unique opportunity to taste the whiskies enjoyed by previous generations. Each one is different, representing a distinct time and a place. The whiskies in this Manifesto release cannot be labelled as pot still Irish whisky, nor can there be any allusion to it on the label; even though historically that’s exactly what these four whiskies were.

The four samples – and my notes on them – are:
- Dirtgrain Irish Whisky, Mash Bill #38 – 40% Laureate Barley, 40% Costello Wheat, 20% Gangway + Laureate. Aged in Apple Brandy Cask. 47.1% ABV – this one packs a punch. I drank these out of sequence – ie, I went by number rather than the layout here – and this one hit hard, big wallop of flavour, presumably from the cask. Raises the issues about using different casks in these samples – what is creating the different profiles here, the grain or the wood? Maybe the mashbills would shine most at new make stage?
- Dirtgrain Irish Whisky, Mash Bill #93 – 46% Laureate Barley, 35% Gangway + Laureate, 15% Husky Oat, 4% Peated Laurate Malt. Aged in Sherry Cask. 43.1% ABV – deepest colour of the four, sherry cask, mashbill from 1893, and a bit o’ peat, always an extra string to the bow of a young whisky. Mulryan makes the case that age does not always equate with quality, but I think a lot of people selling young whisky would make similar claims. I do think there is a cut off point beyond which whisky, like the rest of us, becomes a little less vibrant, but I think the youngest age for decent whiskies that I have had is about six years old.
- Dirtgrain Irish Whisky, Mash Bill #08 – 50% Gangway + Laureate Malt, 35% Laureate Barley, 15% Husky Oat. Aged in Bourbon Cask. 45.3% ABV – a light gold colour, the palest of the lot, it slithers out of the test tube like syrup. A startling viscosity. Citrus, candied orange peel, Juicy Fruits. Reminds me of a young Aultmore I have, despite the mashbill. Good youth, no rawness – but not a long finish.
- Dirtgrain Irish Whisky, Mash Bill #15 – 40% Laureate Barley, 30% Gangway + Laureate, 15% Husky Oat, 12% Costello Wheat, 3% Performer Rye. Aged in Rye Cask. 44.2% ABV – nose hard to dig out, palate also taking a while to present. Official notes say orange blossom and dark chocolate; for me there is more that malty flavour from dog biscuits – don’t pretend you’ve never eaten one. Rye cask here so a pop of spice. Pleasant if a little nondescript.
So what to make of this – I like the moxy. I like the manifesto and I’ve put it to the testo, and while the whisky is young, all hold promise. But that isn’t the same as saying that you should run out and buy this. But I’m not a whiskey nerd – I like the stuff, and I love tasting these whiskies, but this is not aimed at fairweather friends of Irish whiskey like me. The full Dirtgrain package is €250, featuring four 20cl bottles of the samples above, along with Mulryan’s mashbill Necromicon, and can be purchased now. There will be another batch next year, and the year after, and after that Blackwater will transition to more traditional releases. A taste of the past, that looks to the future.

New in!

An exciting release from @BlackDistillery that shines the spotlight on how grain, not the cask, can shape a whiskey. The manifesto box is all about recapturing whiskies lost to time.

€250 | https://t.co/YUHk2IRmhE pic.twitter.com/ZpSB5JGNtr
— Celtic Whiskey Shop (@Celticwhiskey) November 30, 2022
Lights, Camera, Macallan

November 26th, 2022

I like a The. Many of my blog posts are given titles with a ‘the’ randomly thrown in at the start, because I think it adds gravitas. In reality it makes everything I write sound like pompous waffle; The Glorious Now, The Pathfinder, The Slow Cut, The Quiet Corner. Scroll through this blog and you will be greeted with an array of bombastic titles opening on a The. Obviously enough I like a The in whisky too. There is a swagger to a The in a brand name – but it’s really something that needs to be earned. I’m not sure The Bells works. Maybe if they got Quasimodo in as brand ambassador.

The Macallan are the epitome of superlux – the Chanel of whisky, a magic brand that operates in a sphere beyond this mortal realm. While us chuds and morlocks bicker about whether a hundred quid is too much to spend on a whisky, The Macallan is selling random fusions of liquid and crystal art for tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. Veblen goods or emperor’s new clothes, you decide, but they pull all of it off with confidence and style. Which makes their latest creation a little odd.

Everyone loves Four Weddings And A Funeral. Pre-fall fop king Hugh Grant, Andie McDowell not knowing if it’s still raining despite being absolutely drenched in the stuff, all the other very white and upper middle class characters whose names I cannot recall. A large part of its success is down to the wonderful direction by Mike Newell, who has a relatively low-key career despite bagging a Harry Potter and managing to coerce one of the most subtle on-screen performances from Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco (by subtle I mean not screaming about asses).

But Newell’s latest gig is a curious one indeed, as he has directed a short film/long ad for The Macallan. I wasn’t expecting it to be a bold visionary statement – Newell’s most recent big-screen venture was 2018’s painfully nondescriptThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – but I thought that the The Macallan might push the envelope a little. Reader, the envelope remains unpushed.

The mercifully short film is a mishmash of Monarch Of The Glen and a sort of tweed-clad Downton Abbey. Starring Emily Mortimer (who once starred in a little known Irish film called Last Of The High Kings opposite a then relatively unknown Jared Leto) in the lead role, the film tells the tale of how The Macallan became one of the first female-led distilleries in Scotland. Per the press release:

Janet Harbinson, known as ‘Nettie’ is a remarkable figure in The Macallan’s history. In 1918, just months before the end of the First World War, her beloved husband Alexander, who had been running the distillery at the time, sadly passed. Nettie was highly committed to the local community and following his death, she assumed control of the distillery as it was the best way to secure The Macallan for its employees and help the community.

Without setting out to do so, she also crafted The Macallan Fine & Rare 1926, which achieved legendary status after it fetched $1.9M at Sotheby’s in 2019. Several years on, it continues to be the world’s most valuable bottle of wine or spirit ever sold at auction.

Thanks for that Nettie, great job. I would suggest that whoever masterminded The Macallan becoming the key superlux whisky brand in the world probably deserves more credit, but that’s just my own begrudgery (great piece on how they did that here).

The film is striking because of its blandness – it feels painfully beige. Maybe having their wings clipped by the UK’s advertising standards authority over their deliriously pretentious Icarus ad – which looked like a pastiche ripped right from Zoolander – left them shook, but I doubt it. Everything about their operation – from the Tellytubby wonderland of their distillery to their presumably ironic grasping hands reaching around The Reach – says that safe isn’t normally part of their lexicon.

One of the most interesting aspects of the film is that the script was written by award-winning screenwriter Allan Scott, whose Hollywood hits include Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Don’t Look Now, Castaway and the excellent Netflix series, The Queen’s Gambit. The mindlowing part is this: Allan Scott is the pen name of Allan Shiach – a former chairman of The Macallan and great nephew of Nettie Harbinson. So you have someone who has helped craft some genuinely incredible work (Don’t Look Now for the love of Christ!) and is also so well connected to The Macallan that you would have to assume that they would be able to get something really remarkable over the line, and yet we end up with a short film that looks and feels – as one wag put it to me via DM – ‘like a fucking Hovis ad’.

Of course, I am looking at all this through the prism of Irish whiskey – a few years back I asked where is our Macallan. I don’t think we have an answer to that question just yet, although Midleton’s Silent Distillery releases were a good foray into the space of ultralux, super-rare whiskey. Ultimately Midleton’s strength – being the home of multiple styles and multiple brands in one very modern industrial setting – might also be its weakness in this instance; beyond the stocks from old Midleton, why pay €50,000 for a whiskey from the new distillery when you could buy a bottle of Jameson for €30? Maybe you can split the beams and have a superlux offering from the same place that creates so many mid range brands, but I don’t see it. I assume Bushmills is the one to watch – with oodles of heritage (not quite the four centuries they claim, but at least two) and a focus on one product – single malt – they should be ripe for it. The Bushmills, anyone? Perhaps some day we could even see a short film directed by time-obsessed auteur Christopher Nolan about why a distillery built in the late 1700s thinks it was built in 1608, but until then we will have to rely on our Scottish neighbours to lead the way in audiovisual self-indulgence. And in the meantime, here’s this:

Living on Milk and Alcohol 🧐🥴🤢#revenge #goats #goatsmilk #whisky #dispute #funny #fpl #laugh #animals #drfeelgood pic.twitter.com/EwtdGh5RPk
— Scott's Irish Whisky (@WhiskyScotts) November 19, 2022
My Fellow Scarabaeinae…

November 8th, 2022
Whisky has been good to me. From the first time I wrote about it in a newspaper almost ten years ago, I have been on many amazing junkets at home and abroad, and I have been sent many bottles and a continuous supply of samples. This isn’t humblebragging, but it’s important to note that while I don’t work in the industry, I kinda work with it (or against it, depending on who you ask). I am whisky-biz-adjacent; think of me as one of those feeder fish, swimming alongside a whale and nibbling at parasites on its skin, or perhaps some sort of dung beetle. In short, I have my place in the ecosystem.

I reside in a hinterland, like most whiskey bloggers, coughing up the odd post and getting the odd freebie, but getting no closer than that. But even that role comes with a certain amount of responsibility. Nobody is sending me samples, bottles, or off on jollies because of my shining personality. They do it because they want coverage, and this behaviour is really nothing new. When I worked in a newspaper we were inundated with gifts, junkets, books, concert tickets. I have a very clear recollection of declining a four-day, all expenses paid trip to an electronic music festival in Copenhagen (The Bug was headlining!) as I simply couldn’t be bothered. That is how entitled and spoiled we were. So when we think about entitled social media influencers swanning around like they are demigods, please be assured that they are simply the latest iteration of a very old tradition. Influence used to be held by entities such as publishers, now it is held by individuals, and it’s a lot harder to enforce rules when you are dealing with multiple entities across multiple platforms in multiple markets. But hey, you gotta try, especially where booze is concerned.

The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) is the body which oversees and decides the rules for influencer marketing in spirits. Last year they released the Influencer Guiding Principles – five specific rules that apply to any content involving influencers who work with beer, wine, and spirits producers. Of course the first task here is to figure out what is meant by working with and what is working for, along with what an actual influencer is. The IARD has a handy definition:

An influencer is an independent third-party endorser who shapes audience attitudes through blogs, posts, tweets, and the use of other social media including game streaming platforms.

I would suggest that this definition is so vague that it technically encompasses everyone with a social media account, or 99% of the people on the internet. Endorsing is what we do when we share our opinions on things – doesn’t matter if it’s a restaurant, a whisky, a politician. In my own definition, an influencer is at its lowest level, someone who got something for free because of their profile. Anything from that benefit-in-kind benchmark onwards is what I would call an influencer. That doesn’t narrow it down much from ‘everyone on the internet’ but it is headed in the right direction, as the IARD definition of influencer marketing draws a line between those offering thoughts or opinions on a product they paid for and those who either got it for free or are being paid in some way:

Influencer posts are considered marketing (instead of user generated content) when the influencer has received compensation through financial remuneration or there has been some form of editorial control by the advertisers (European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) definition).

So it’s not technically influencer marketing to get a bottle of whisky for free, but is it when the firm offers some form of editorial control – which again is a little vague. Is sending through the press release about the bottle editorial control, is saying ‘we hope you like it’? There are simple and gentle acts of persuasion that could fall under the banner of ‘editorial control’. I presume they mean a more formal, concrete version, like ‘share this at this time with this caption please’. But it goes to show that influencer marketing is only going to get bigger.

The IARD’s five guiding principles (to which the Irish Whiskey Association and the Scotch Whisky Association have both signed up). They are:

1. Where available, all paid influencers must use age-affirmation mechanisms on digital platforms to prevent minors from seeing this content. Age-affirmation mechanisms on posts has not yet been adopted by all platforms and IARD members will continue to advocate for effective age-gating mechanisms on sites used by influencers. When utilizing those platforms where age-affirmation mechanisms for influencers are not yet effective, paid influencers should be aged at least 25 years and primarily appeal to audiences above the legal purchase age.

2. Influencers used in the digital marketing and advertising of alcohol should be vetted and, to the best of the producer’s knowledge, should have no reputational association with harmful use of alcohol, and should not feature posts that would not be compliant with the standards around irresponsible drinking behaviors outlined in our alcohol marketing codes.

3. For paid content, all influencers should have a written agreement with the beer, wine, and spirits brand or its agency, signed by both parties.

This should include:

a) Information linking to legal requirements relevant to national or regional context, or both

b) Disclosure guidelines – asking influencers to clearly and conspicuously disclose their link to the brand so that it is clearly presented as marketing content

c) Responsibility guidelines – asking the influencer to comply with the company’s responsible marketing code including ensuring that content does not condone or encourage illegal behavior or excessive consumption

d) Best-practice tools for influencers when engaging on social media platforms, for example, information on branded content pages and details on how to age restrict their posts

e) Feedback mechanisms so that influencers can flag any engagement or issues around responsible drinking with an agency or brand

For content featuring gifted products, influencers should be provided with clear terms of engagement that include disclosure guidelines and a requirement to follow the company’s responsible marketing code.

4. Influencer posts must be monitored by brands or their agencies for compliance and the influencer should fix or remove them within 72 hours if they are not compliant. If the influencer does not address issues within 72 hours of notification, or repeatedly posts non-compliant material, then we will reassess our relationship with them.

5. Brands should regularly audit and monitor campaigns for compliance.

And my typically incoherent thoughts on each:
1. Age gates – so a booze-based OnlyFans then? Honestly, how is anyone supposed to ensure no kids see the content – it’s the internet, if you want to protect our blessed innocents, maybe don’t let them online in the first place. I have four kids and the least of my worries is that they will be exposed to influencer-led alcohol marketing. There is a wild west out there and children are seeing things they never should, and, no, I’m not talking about Shit London Guinness. As for age gates, I have repetitive strain injury from clicking boxes to assure various sites that yes I am old enough to drink, and then some. Do we really think a 14-year-old is going to go elsewhere when confronted with one? Or will they giddily click through to The Forbidden Zone Of Delight that is the corporate page of a global drinks giant?
  
  As for influencers trying to focus their appeal on those above the legal drinking age, the clearest example of this notion gone wild is in what happened to the late, great Scotch Trooper, who took beautiful photos of Star Wars figures and bottles of scotch and landed himself in hot water for it. I would make the case that when it comes to using Star Wars figures in your booze content, you will mostly appeal to middle aged Comic Book Guys like me rather than my kids, who are all busy playing Fortnite.
1. Vetting influencers, best of luck with that. Maybe whoever owns Proper Number Twelve could do the same for their influencer in chief.
1. Contracts would be great and I assume that for larger campaigns involving serious celebrities/influencers, they are de rigeur. However, much of what I am concerned with here is the nano-influencer who has less than ten thousand followers on their social media channels, but creates high-value, highly targeted content. Should they get a contract and presumably a non-disclosure agreement with every free bottle they get sent? Certainly the bottles I receive never come with clear terms and conditions, nor do they appear to be in any way transactional. But I think most whiskey lovers know what’s up when they get a bottle/sample – you need to mention it somehow, and the brand would be very hopeful that this mention would be positive. Perhaps that is what differentiates influencer marketing with someone like me being sent a bottle – there are no guarantees that I, or any other blogger, will say anything nice about it.
1. Would a post, even one laden with errors, be of any relevance after 72 hours up? Is there any point in correcting it? If the influencer was big enough, the post will already have achieved millions of impressions in that time. And who is meant to contact them to tell them to edit the post? PR firms – who I assume do a lot of the influencer outreach/management stuff for drinks brands – won’t want to piss off the bigger accounts. It really smacks of self regulation, a system which has worked so well in the financial markets worldwide.
1. ‘It’s on you guys’.
If I could write rules for low-level whisky influencers it would be this – if you got it for free, say so. I just don’t think anyone can judge a product with absolute clarity and honesty when they didn’t pay for it. I look back on some whiskeys I have reviewed where I got the bottle for free and in retrospect I was too gentle on something that really didn’t deserve it. Why? I would say it was less about staying in with a brand and more about not wanting to be an ungrateful twat. Either way it was misguided. More recent reviews of free bottles have been a little less delicate about their failings, which really is as it should be.

Not paying for the whiskey you are reviewing is a crucial context and the one that applies to most of the whiskey folks that get labeled as influencers. It’s also important to just say thanks to whoever sent it to you, which is what I do when I get free stuff.

If you are being paid actual money to promote the whiskey than you need to clarify that you are, in fact, the same as a guy on the street wearing a sandwich board advertising a golf sale down a side street. We all gotta hustle but there’s a big difference between saying you like a product and literally working for the brand – although an obvious caveat here is that I don’t know of anyone who was paid to post anything about a whiskey, nor do I know anyone with a big enough following to even warrant that approach. Most of us are just happy dung beetles, just lovin’ life rolling our free balls of poop to a hole in the ground.

Tag: Irish whiskey

The Others

For The Ages

Resurrection Man

Lights, Camera, Macallan

My Fellow Scarabaeinae…