Jonathan Mitchell: A Spot of Irish Whiskey History
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
Release Date: 06/10/2020
Darryl McNally: Master of The Liberties
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
In fact as I marveled at the return of distilling to Ireland’s capital, right on cue, a truck full of barley arrived, ready for Master Distiller Darryl McNally to turn it into single malt irish whiskey and I watched as its contents were magically emptied from the truck straight in through the wall of the Dublin Liberties Distillery.
info_outline
Ernest Cantillon: Cork’s Bar, Restaurant and Whiskey Entrepreneur
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
Irish whiskey has a fascinating past - we’ve had many great conversations about the rise and fall and rise again of Irish whiskey on this podcast. One of the most fascinating aspects to me of Irish whiskeys past is the role of whiskey bonders and bottlers - those middlemen who purchased casks of whiskey from the distilleries and bottled under their own label or matured the whiskeys further, selling the whiskeys on in their own pub or distributing to others to sell.
info_outline
Alex Loudon – Ireland’s Rainwater Whiskey Maker
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
In October this year, Ireland had 34 operating Irish whiskey distilleries. As we settle in to November, we now find ourselves with 36 distilleries on the island of Ireland producing Irish whiskey.
info_outline
Dave Mulligan: Ireland’s Proud Poitín Purveyor
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
info_outline
John O'Donovan – Irish Whiskey's Global Retailer
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
For every whiskey business, there are hundreds of ancillary businesses that, working together, help us get the whiskey into our glass wherever we are in the world.
info_outline
Fionnán O’Connor – Ireland’s Pot Still Whiskey Historian – Part 2
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
Before the available choices of single pot still whiskey stretched beyond two – Green Spot and Redbreast 12, one man had fallen in love with both the spirit and its history. Today, Fionnán O’Connor, my guest on the podcast, is recognized as one of the foremost experts on the history of single pot still whiskey.
info_outline
Fionnán O’Connor - Ireland’s Pot Still Whiskey Historian - Part 1
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
Before the available choices of single post still whiskey stretched beyond two - Green Spot and Redbreast 12, one man had fallen in love with both the spirit and its history. Today, Fionnán O’Connor, my guest on the podcast, is recognized as one of the foremost experts on the history of single pot still whiskey.
info_outline
Jarlath Watson: Blending Echlinville's Innovation with Belfast's Whiskey Traditions
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
In this episode of Stories & Sips I spent a very enjoyable afternoon chatting with Jarlath Watson, global brand ambassador and part of the founding team of the extraordinary Echlinville distillery. We sipped on some Dunville's Irish whiskey and I learned more about the history of this storied brand and Echlinville’s impressive approach to growing, malting and distilling.
info_outline
James Doherty: A Return to Donegal Distilling
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
It’s been 175 years since legal distilling has happened in Ireland’s North Western-most county of Donegal. That changed with the establishment of Sliabh Liag Distillers - founded by husband and wife team James and Moira Doherty who uprooted their family from Hong Kong to pursue a passion.
info_outline
Kieran Folliard: 2 Gingers, Many Irish Pubs & No All-Ireland Football Medals
Irish Whiskey: Stories and Sips
He built an Irish pub group, he became the world’s biggest seller of Jameson, he launched his own Irish whiskey, he sold the pubs, he sold the whiskey and he’s still not done.
info_outlineToday we are seeing a resurgence in demand for Ireland’s quintessential style of Irish whiskey - pot still whiskey. New distilleries all over the country are distilling and maturing single pot still whiskey in the hopes that it once again becomes the world’s most consumed and demanded Irish whiskey. In the late 1700s and throughout the 1800s and well into the 1900s single pot still whiskey ruled the world. As domestic and global events played out in the 1900s, from prohibition to trade wars to Scottish and American competitors seizing upon opportunities, that style of whiskey faded in popularity to the point where it all but disappeared by the 1970s.
However, one brand never died out - never faded away and never disappeared from shelves and that is Green Spot Irish whiskey.
Today, Green Spot is joined by many other siblings in the spot range of whiskeys and every label bears a family a name - the Mitchell family. The Mitchell & Son firm of wine, whiskey and spirit merchants created this famous brand in the late 1800s and to this day are still involved in its production and distribution.
Legendary in the world of Irish whiskey, the Mitchell family ensured that single pot still whiskey bearing the Spot name never faded into obscurity.
This week I spent a wonderful afternoon chatting with Jonathan Mitchell, sixth generation of the Mitchell family to lead the company and oversee the wine and whiskey business. He has had a front row seat to the remarkable changes that have occurred in the world of Irish whiskey in the past 50 years and was instrumental in ensuring the survival and promotion of single pot still whiskey bearing the spot name. I could have chatted with Jonathan all day, and hope to again in the future.
I hope you enjoy the remarkable stories he shared with me.