A few years ago, Gerry Ginty came back to Ireland from a stint abroad and thought that it would be a nice idea to open a distillery. Come on, how many of us haven’t had a similar idea? The only difference is that he went and did it – and he has done it in some style.
Heading along the rather ominously named Route 666 east from Cork to Ballyduff, you will find Blackwater Distillery a stone’s throw from the eponymous river - love that word ‘eponymous’, I never pass up the chance of using it. ‘Black water’ doesn’t really conjure up tasty-looking images of anything you’d like to drink, but Peter Mulryan and his team are doing his best to produce something worth imbibing (‘imbibe’ - another favourite word).
From Ireland’s ‘other capital’, Cork, head south and west for Kinsale and the wonderful coast road, until you meet signs for the route that has become known as the Wild Atlantic Way. It’s a fair way (2,500km) and it runs alongside the Atlantic, and can get pretty wild.
The Cotswolds Distillery – Not Cider with Rosie but something a little stronger
Think of the Cotswolds and you think of a gentle, smooth, relaxing landscape; think of Cotswolds whisky and the same three adjectives might spring to mind. Set in a rural area more closely associated with Cider With Rosie than Whisky Galore, the Cotswolds Distillery has been producing gentle, smooth, relaxing English whisky per year since its foundation in 2014.
Penderyn – first Welsh distillery in over a century
Back in the Welsh mists of time, well, not that far back perhaps, 20 years or so, a group of friends met around the table with the landlord of a local pub. They spent the evening drinking local beer, and towards the end of the evening the order for whisky naturally arrived. The barman offered them Scottish, Irish, American whisky, but after drinking Welsh beer all evening, how could they then drink Scottish whisky? Or Irish, or American?
Visitors to Lüthy distillery in Canton Aargau, Switzerland, are greeted by the sight of the 1920s, wood-fired, mobile still at the front. You might be forgiven for thinking that Lüthy Distillery is that - it’s not, but it used to be.
If you are reading Whiskey Burn and have a pen handy, cross out “Walsh Whiskey Distillery” on page 91 and change the name to Royal Oak Distillery.
After my visit to Puni Distillery in South Tyrol, I thought it might be a good idea to take the Stelvio Pass into Switzerland and head for the largest whisky bar in the world in St. Moritz - where I got a first-hand account of the story of the infamous 'most expensive dram of whisky ever'. See the videos here:
I first visited Slane distillery in the Boyne Valley, about 40km north of Dublin, during the Whiskey Burn trip at a time when the final preparations were taking place for the grand opening. The Capability-Brown-designed stable block of Slane Castle was still very much in the throes of being converted into the distillery at the time, but the grand opening was programmed for just over a week later.
First impressions count – or maybe not. As I arrive, it looks like I have taken a wrong turning into a builder’s yard and I am half tempted to turn back. Pipes and bricks lie scattered around, a cement mixer there, a plastic crate here. An electric van sits charging itself from an extension lead coming out of an open window.
