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A ‘toast’ of West Cork
Strapline centre on margin Ge ing in the sp it 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
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Clonakilty Brewery
Frank Fredriksen is a Norwegian who moved to Clonakilty in September 2013 with a love for beer and fl edgling 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 offi cially 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
Kinsale Mead Company
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 fi rst 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 fi nished 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
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 fi nishing its mature whiskey in a range of premium selected casks. The company will employ over 30 people and is currently hiring in all areas.
The current product range includes Minke Irish Gin – with locally harvested rock samphire which gives a distinctive fl avour 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 fi nished in port casks and virgin oak on the family farm by the Galley Head lighthouse. See clonakiltydistillery.ie
Clonakilty Distillery
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 off er, in a
Beara Distillery
The Beara Distillery has just marked its fi rst year in business having been founded by siblings John Power and Eileen Brennan in September 2017. John has a background in fi sheries and wanted to create a spirit that refl ects 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
Cape Clear Island Distillery
Cape Clear Island Distillery was the brainchild of entrepreneur Adrian Fitzgibbon, owner of nearby Horse Island who passed it, with his blessing, to members of the island community, who through Comharchumann Chléire Teo achieved full planning permission in 2016 and Cape Clear Island Distillery Ltd was set up. Since then they’ve acquired an outstanding dedicated water source, created and trademarked new whiskey and gin brands, opened a display cottage and gained EII status (tax relief for investors).
The focus has now moved to actually building the distillery with a goal of gin production by next summer. Recently a premises has been leased and renovations have started.
Local shareholders have already invested over €150,000 and another €250,000 is needed to complete Phases 1 & 2. With €100,000 of this already committed by them a drive will soon begin to attract more local investors who would like to see these phases achieved towards the goal of actual whiskey production at a later stage.
Readers can also keep up to date with the progress by following the FB page Cape Clear Distillery Supporters Page or at capecleardistillery.com
Blacks Brewery and Distillery
Blacks Brewery was started in 2013 in Kinsale, with the addition of the distillery in 2015. They have the distinction of being Ireland’s fi rst colocated Micro-Brewery and Distillery, and are the fi rst Micro Brewery and Distillery on the Wild Atlantic Way. Owned and run by husband and wife team Sam and Maudeline Black, with a team of seven, they make a range of boutique spirits including poitin and moonshine as well as Blacks Irish Gin, which includes 13 carefully selected botanicals and heather fl owers which they source around West Cork. This year’s heather fl owers were picked in Rosscarbery and Dunmanway.
They also make Blacks Spiced Irish Rum, the fi rst and only rum ever made in Ireland which they ferment, distill and age in oak barrels in Kinsale.
Whiskey production is the next step and the plan is to start in 2019.
Products are available nationwide and they export to seven countries. The facility is also open for tours during the summer months each year. See blacksbrewery.com
9 White Deer
9 White Deer is a craft brewery based in the Gaeltacht area of Baile Bhuirne, and founded by former marine engineer, Gordon Lucey and publican, Don O’Leary in 2014. Today it employs eight people, and has brewing capabilities of 500,000 litres per year and a bottling capacity of 6,000 litres per day.
Capable of multi-step mashing and decoction mashing, the brewery uses steam-fi red wort boilers, producing high quality beers. The company now has fi ve out of eight of its beers glutenfree, including the gluten-free ‘Stag’ stout which breaks new ground in brewing technology. The ingredients used are very traditional with local barley, malted barley and oats.
See 9whitedeer.ie
West Cork Brewing Co
West Cork Brewing Co (WCBC), Baltimore launched in December 2014 and is co-owned by Dominic Casey, Henry Thornhill and Kevin Waugh. At its core is a project based on friendship, as the three men have known each other for over 25 years. They wanted to combine their mutual love of craft beer with a business opportunity which would involve working and spending time together again.
They started off brewing in the basement of Casey’s Hotel in Baltimore (run by Dominic) where they still operate from. Everything runs out of the basement – from brewing to bottling and fi lling kegs. They currently have two full-time employees but hope to add to this in the future.
Their range includes four core beers: Sherkin Lass, Roaring Ruby, The Rapids Rye Ale and StoutxStoutwest.
A strong aspect of their product apart from the beer is their brand – West Cork – and their bottles which are oval shaped and sourced from a small producer in Italy. They say people love them so much they return them for reuse instead of recycling.
See westcorkbrewingco.ie
