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A ‘toast’ of West Cork! WEST Cork has developed a thriving brewing and distilling industry in recent years, with a number of the producers launching successfully on the export market. Building on this, and with new products coming onstream, it looks like exciting times ahead for West Cork drinks companies. Emma Connolly takes a whistle stop tour through the area to catch up with the main players Kinsale Mead Company
Clonakilty Brewery
Frank Fredriksen is a Norwegian who moved to Clonakilty in September 2013 with a love for beer and fledgling knowledge about how to craft the drink. He met Joan Harrington, a Clonakilty native, the following year. With the help and support of family and friends, this partnership evolved into Clonakilty Brewing Company, which officially started trading in 2016. Frank is now the head brewer and known as ‘Thirsty Frank’ and the brewing has evolved from his kitchen to a garage nano-brewery to a brewhouse in Clogheen Industrial Estate, complete with its own newlyrevamped tasting room. The company now employs two people and has a core range of three beers which are all brewed, bottled and conditioned in-house; ‘Tojo’ American Pale Ale, ‘Inchydoney Blond’ Belgian Wit and award-winning ‘Smuggler’ Irish Porter. The connection with the local area, community and high-quality West Cork food scene is very important for the brewery which sources as many ingredients as possible from the area. The brewery also produces a range of special brews and can personalise beers for weddings, corporate events etc. Their tasting room is available for use by private groups and parties over the winter. See clonakiltybrew.ie
Beara Distillery
Kinsale Mead Co was founded in August 2016 by husband and wife team Kate and Denis Dempsey to rediscover the ancient art of mead making. One year later, they sold their first bottle. They mix the raw honey and fruit with local water and then sit back to let nature and time turn it into their delicious mead. They have one member of staff who is not related to them and often call on family to help out in the meadery or at events around Ireland. Their tours at the meadery cover the history of mead, honey tasting, an overview of the process ending with a tutored tasting of meads. Kinsale Mead Co make meads that are light and refreshing, handcrafted in small batches using carefully sourced, natural ingredients. In March they won the Gold Medal for their traditional style Atlantic Dry Mead in the prestigious International Mazer Cup. Then at the Irish Free From Food Awards, both their Atlantic Dry Mead and their Wild Red Mead were awarded Gold in the Special Choice Award. The icing on the cake was at the recent Blas na hÉireann where they won a Gold award for their Wild Red Mead and a silver for their Atlantic Dry Mead. See kinsalemeadco.ie
West Cork Distillers
West Cork Distillers, Skibbereen, was founded in 2003 by lifelong friends, John O’Connell and cousins Denis and Ger McCarthy. Inspired by West Cork’s proud history in artisan food and beverage production the trio set about establishing a distillery to produce quality spirits and provide sustainable employment in the area. They say that the distillery’s southerly location in the Atlantic Archipelago provides a unique microclimate ideal for the maturation of Irish whiskey. WCD triple distils all its whiskey in Pot Stills and uses only Irish-grown grain and local spring water in the production of its whiskey. Garinish Island Gin is one of the latest releases from the distillery where Kinsale Gin is also made, along with a selection of uniquely finished single malts as well as their rums and other premium spirits. The team at West Cork Distillers has grown steadily since its inception to encompass the famous ‘can do’ West Cork spirit and with a new distillery and visitor centre on the horizon in Skibbereen it looks to the future with enthusiasm. See westcorkdistillers.com
Clonakilty Distillery
casual atmosphere, a quality menu featuring locally sourced produce for both daytime and evening dining. Founded by the Scully family, Clonakilty Distillery grows its own grain by the Galley Head lighthouse, and matures its whiskey on the family farm at its Atlantic Ocean warehouse. It is here that it specialises in finishing its mature whiskey in a range of premium selected casks. The company will employ over 30 people and is currently hiring in all areas.
After major renovations, Clonakilty Distillery and Visitor Centre is due to open on Saturday, December 8th. Bookings will shortly be taken for tours of the working distillery, to include product tastings, and a retail shop open to the general public. For gin lovers there will be separate Gin Tours and a Gin School where visitors can make their own gin using small, individual stills. The adjoining Whale’s Tail Bistro and café, will offer, in a
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The Beara Distillery has just marked its first year in business having been founded by siblings John Power and Eileen Brennan in September 2017. John has a background in fisheries and wanted to create a spirit that reflects his love for the sea. They hand craft and hand bottle Beara Ocean Gin and Beara Pink Ocean Gin (which has cranberry and rosewater) at their distillery in Castletownbere. Their team of four create a unique spirit infused with Atlantic salt water, Ventry harbor Sugar Kelp seaweed and hand picked Beara peninsula fuchsia. Their gins are available in Ireland in selected SuperValus, O’Donovan’s off-licences, O’Brien’s off-licences and a number of online stores and also increasingly in export markets across Europe. They have received numerous awards including Gold in the Spirits Business Masters, Gold in the Chinese Wine & Spirits Awards, Silver in the International Wine and Spirits Awards. See bearadistillery.ie
The current product range includes Minke Irish Gin – with locally harvested rock samphire which gives a distinctive flavour with notes of citrus and aniseed. There’s also Clonakilty Port Cask and Single Batch Whiskey – these have been just launched on the market and are blended from hand selected casks of mature triple distilled whiskey and finished in port casks and virgin oak on the family farm by the Galley Head lighthouse. See clonakiltydistillery.ie