7 minute read
The b Interview
Soldier, Sailor and Whiskey Maker
Stuart McNamara, Director, Portmagee Whiskey and Chair of ICADA
What do you enjoy about your current role?
I enjoy working with teams, whether supporting and contributing to someone else’s team, or building, mentoring and leading my own. In my military career, I was fortunate to work in the areas of innovation, education, liaison, advising and representation.
Tell us about Portmagee Whiskey and how it came to fruition?
Talk us through your career(s) and what has led you to this point?
I grew up in West Cork, and I’ve had a wide and varied career journey as a Soldier, Sailor, Whiskey Maker and Digital Entrepreneur. As a Senior Military Officer in the Irish Defence Forces, I served as Joint Operations Center Director in Dublin before subsequent appointments as a senior military advisor in Brussels, Somalia, Uganda and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Before changing careers, I commanded the specialist military unit responsible for delivery of enterprise telecommunications, data base administration, software / applications development and cyber-defence for the Irish Defence Forces. In my sporting life, I served for 8 years as Honorary National Trainer of the Irish Sailing Association, developing and implementing national powerboat and motorboat training schemes for Ireland. I skippered Shannon Sprint and Round Ireland Powerboat record attempts and I’m an experienced International Dragon (Ex-Olympic Class) racer and Trans-Atlantic and Caribbean sailor. Whiskey was a lifetime hobby that has become a new career alongside digital entrepreneurship. I’m a Director of Portmagee Whiskey, Chair of ICADA, CTO of eTeachers Global and I’m a brand and product development consultant to several Irish and international whiskey and spirits producers.
Portmagee Whiskey was founded in early 2017 by brothers John and James Murphy from Portmagee, Co. Kerry. Their Great Great Grandfather had been one of the last policemen to serve in the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Barracks overlooking Portmagee Village until it was burned out during the Irish War Stuart with co-directors of Portmagee Whiskey, John of Independence. The ruined barracks on the appropriately named Barrack and James Murphy Hill is on a wonderful site overlooking Portmagee Harbour and The Wild Atlantic Way. John, a professional colleague of mine in my military career, contacted me in the spring of 2017 and outlined the vision to open a whiskey distillery and visitor centre in Portmagee. I joined the team as a partner, director and whiskey advisor.
What can we expect next from Portmagee Whiskey?
This Autumn will see us open our “Spirit of the Sea” visitor centre in Portmagee, telling the rich history of Portmagee as the smuggling base of Captain Theobald Magee, the notorious Jacobean Smuggler who gave the village its name. The important role of Seine Boats, whiskey and smuggling in South Kerry is shared through an immersive 360-degree augmented reality theatre housed in futuristic geodesic domes. The next development phase in the restored stone Barracks is it will house Ireland’s most westerly distillery, along with tea rooms, a whiskey shop and a third dome hosting a digital film archive of Seine Boat heritage. Exports to the US and Asia are also planned. True to our Origin Green credentials we have already planted a native Irish woodland on site with 5,430 trees including 550 oak trees. This shoreside woodlands will become a nature trail.
The drinks industry is very competitive, in your opinion what makes a brand/product stand out in this busy space?
Brands that stand out are those that dare to be different. Many nascent Irish Spirits brands work with sourced ingredients from larger suppliers before they can afford to build their own distillery. Small releases of just a few hundred or a couple of thousand bottles at a time, give them the agility to embrace innovation and creativity in Gin botanicals and innovative blends, and cask finishes in Irish Whiskey. They then build industry experience and define a “voice”, character and house style for their brand when they launch their own distillery.
You are chair of the Irish Craft & Artisan Distilleries Association (ICADA), tell us about the association?
The founders of ICADA are the Ballykeefe, Portmagee and Beara Spirits brands. Our reasons for setting up ICADA very much mirror the origins of ISME itself. We want to represent the best of what is best in the Irish Craft Distilling sector. The needs of smaller brands and distilleries are quite different to those of large multi nationals and are more small-business oriented. As many of our challenges are common to other small business sectors in Ireland, ISME was a natural choice as partner, not least because of its absolute independence of big business interests and lobbying interests. Our ISME affiliation lends immediate credibility when meeting with industry and government partners. We are already engaging positively with several sector-relevant government agencies and departments. Of course, we welcome the opportunity to engage, support, and cooperate with our bigger colleagues on matters of mutual concern and interest.
The hospitality, and as a result, the drinks industry, has been hugely impacted by COVID – what has been your members’ experience and how do you think it has affected the sector long term?
The craft-distilling industry is an interesting model in these challenging times. While our sector lost all of our “On Trade” or bar and pub sales at home and abroad, there was a somewhat balancing increase in “Off Licence” online sales. The flip side has been the loss of tourism income. Many small distilleries in Ireland have incredible whiskey tourism offerings which can account for 50% of income. These will need support as Ireland reopens.
What do you think will be the long-lasting impact of COVID for Irish business?
My experience of serving in conflict zones has taught me that no matter how bad the impact of a war, disaster or pandemic, normality does return, albeit often changed in character. We need to embrace, develop and exploit the good changes such as improved work life balance, reduced commuting, online capabilities and most of all, our newfound skills of resilience, tolerance and innovation in crisis.
How do you feel about being appointed to the National Council of ISME?
It was a great honour for both myself and ICADA to be elected to the National Council. The new team led by Margaret O’Rourke Doherty is experienced, collaborative and diverse, key essentials in a great team. SMEs are agile, entrepreneurial and independent by nature. If we unite, pool and harness all our talent, experience and drive, we can achieve so much more together. There is an old Irish phrase that I love. Aontacht – Strength through Unity.
We need to embrace, develop and exploit the good changes such as improved work life balance... our newfound skills of resilience, tolerance and innovation in crisis.
From your experience, what are the major challenges you have overcome?
I was twenty years of age when I suffered a catastrophic injury in a training accident which left me with a permanent and painful short left leg. My military training and the support of my family and friends gave me the mental skills and resilience to survive not just the physical challenges and pain, but more importantly the shattering of dreams, so hard won. The key lesson I learned was to accept and embrace the reality of my disability and see my challenges as opportunities to rebuild and reinvent myself. This is now the subject of a talk I give (pro bono) when asked. As an officer, I managed to champion the cause of empowering “injured in service” personnel to continue or reinvent their careers in the Defence Forces. The talent we retained and supported though this initiative is considerable.
Aerial shot of Portmagee, Co. Kerry
Do you have a business mentor?
My parents Barbara and Louis McNamara from Kinsale who still run their electronic engineering business at 84 and 85. My love of technology comes from my Dad, one of Ireland’s first electronic engineering professionals, and my passion for creativity and innovation from my Mum, who was an entrepreneur before her time. I have served with and worked with incredible people from different nations, cultures and backgrounds around the world and all have influenced me in some way.
What important pieces of advice would you impart to an SME business in today’s competitive climate?
There is opportunity everywhere, especially in adversity. Be kind open and supportive. Be receptive and curious. Build networks. And when things go wrong, fix the problem, not the blame.
Passion, planning and people are the three ‘Ps’ that many business owners attribute their success to. Would you agree with this mantra and/or what else makes a business successful?
These are great soundbites, particularly People and Passion. But as any good soldier will tell you, “No plan survives contact with the enemy”. My personal mantras for success are: Always say Yes to Opportunity. You never know where it may lead. Always listen to advice, but make up your own mind. Be decisive and own your vision and decisions. Follow your Dreams. To find out more visit Portmagee Whiskey and The Irish Craft and Artisan Distilleries Association Architect’s Rendering of The Portmagee Whiskey “Spirit of the Sea” Visitor Centre
