In the town of Midleton, just east of Cork city, 1.8m barrels of whiskey sleep. Developing, ageing, maturing, all will be bottled over time.
Henry Donnelly really captures the scale of this.
“You can sit in a bar in Tokyo or Moscow or New York, no matter where you go in the world, when you see that bottle of Jameson on the shelf, it’s been made in Cork, it’s been distilled and aged in Cork. I remember being told that when I was working in my family bar in college, it blew me away. I asked the Jameson rep that day how I could get a job there, how could I get my foot in the door,” he says.
Henry Donnelly from Cork is safety engineer at Irish Distillers. \ Donal O’Leary
Step inside
Even to Cork locals – myself included – there is an enigma about the Jameson Distillery. Yes, it’s got the visitor centre, but it still feels a bit like a Willy Wonka factory for adults.
We step inside the doors to chat to three professionals who work on some of the most famous Irish whiskeys in the world. Meet safety engineer Henry Donnelly. An enigmatic Cork man, his grandmother owns the famous Counihans Bar, so a career in whiskey wasn’t too far-fetched.
Limerick woman Deirdre O’Carroll has one of the coolest job titles ever as blender at Irish Distillers. And with her soft Armagh lilt, Nicola McNeice leads the development of new products. Three different individuals with three very different roles. However, they all arrived through the doors of the distillery through the same avenue: the Jameson Graduate Distiller Programme.
Nicola McNeice is head of product development at Irish Distillers and says there is a lot of heritage in the industry. \ Donal O’Leary
The mystery of the distillery very quickly disappears when you’re on this programme. “You’re given a taste of everything,” explains Deirdre, “we’ve all worked in different areas but I suppose, over time, our personal interests led us to where we are now.”
The day job
So what is the day job really about?
Despite her title, Deirdre assures us that as blender, she doesn’t spend her days sipping the good stuff. She laughs: “Sometimes on a Friday evening after work, you’ll have a drink with colleagues.” When she describes it though, it sounds like a competition to correctly guess the flavour profiles in the glass, rather than a relaxed chat.
As a blender, Deirdre insists her job isn’t just sitting around tasting the good stuff. \ Donal O’Leary
She finds the concoctions fascinating. “I work on the development of new and existing blends, marrying together specific and intricate flavours and aromas to create different whiskeys.
“It’s so interesting following the journey of raw materials to distillation, and then when that product is put into wood, it evolves again. Some of the interactions that happen in wood are so exciting.
“Last week for example, we did a tasting of one of our pot still whiskeys. On paper, the same product was put into the same type of barrels and yet there are slight differences between them. The length of time, the detail that goes into these products, its amazing to be a part of.”
While Deirdre works on a whole profile of products, Nicola’s role is much more specific. Based in the bottling plant, Fox-and-Geese in Dublin, she lives and breathes new additions to the market from the tiny buds of an idea to the packaged product that lands on shelf.
Nicola McNeice and Deirdre O’Carroll of Irish Distillers. \ Donal O’Leary
“I’m using whiskey as an ingredient. One of the big projects that I have worked on was the Jameson Cold Brew which combines Jameson and a natural cold-brew coffee flavour in a bottle.
“What I do on any given day depends on what stage the project is at. So at the start, its literally taking an idea and developing it into what that product could look and feel like.
“There is the development stage which of course, is a bit of trial and error and then you’ve got the bottling, packaging and design stage. But to see that project launched on shelf, knowing you have lived and breathed it for a year of your life, that brings a great sense of satisfaction.”
When we ask what she is working on now, she smiles with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Henry says his role doesn’t have the glitz and glam of being a blender but working as a safety engineer has its perks.
Nicola McNeice and O’Carroll. \ Donal O’Leary
“I get to see every part of the business. Last week, I was dealing with the truck that arrives into the distillery with grain – the very first step in our process. While this morning, I was working with the truck going out the door with the glass bottles.
“Everything needs to tick the boxes from a safety perspective, so it is great exposure to the business. One of the things I am working on is an expansion project. We’re expanding a site so we’re looking at how we design it safely and make sure they it works safely and efficiently. It’s very interesting, but also very important.”
Working on innovation
One area of the business that all three employees were exposed to as they rose up the ranks is the microdistillery. Deirdre explains: “The microdistillery sits on our heritage site and the whole idea is that we can try out new things. While the distillery is for our main products, the microdistillery is where we can make something in small batches which doesn’t take away from the main area of production.
Nicola McNeice and Deirdre O’Carroll share what their favourite tipples are with Irish Country Living. \ Donal O’Leary
“It brings things one step further than the lab – we know what a drink will be like if we actually produced it; the taste, look and feel. We can produce whiskeys that are more unique.”
Henry adds: “It really encourages innovation and it’s not just whiskey. When I was working there, our gin still was re-commissioned, and we were working on re-launching our Method of Madness gin. It’s actually our oldest gin still. The date on the hatch where we put the botanicals is 1958 which is amazing. Gin may be very trendy now but this has real history.
“It was a great project to work on. Everyone was excited to make something you can drink straight away. With whiskey, you put it into barrel and it’s sleeping for the future. It is a long process which brings its own satisfaction, but gin is more immediate.”
The rising tide of the industry
From gin to whiskey, the industry is an exciting place to work in. You just have to look at the numbers. In 2010, there were four working distilleries operating in Ireland. Today there are 46, 38 in the Republic and eight in Northern Ireland.
Henry says: “There is a rebirth of Irish whiskey and you really see how exciting it is when you travel abroad (pre-COVID-19). Before if you sat in a bar in the States, you might just see a bottle of Jameson. Now there is a whole shelf of Irish whiskey.
Henry Donnelly, Nicola McNeice and Deirdre O’Carroll all qualified through the Jameson Graduate Distiller Programme. \ Donal O’Leary
“That’s why it’s so important that there is strength and support across the industry. If someone tries an Irish whiskey that isn’t ours and they like it, then they will try another, and eventually they will stumble across one of ours. If there is a weak link in that chain, if that first whiskey they try isn’t great, then they might just assume they don’t like Irish whiskey and that’s the end of their journey.”
In conversation, Nicola says: “So as an industry, we’re all rowing in the same direction, and it’s a case of a rising tide lifts all boards.
Henry says: “The Irish Whiskey Distillers is helping to ensure quality across the board. People from distilleries are meeting and working together. With my managers, I have worked with other distilleries, helping them out in terms of getting started. As whiskey is a three-year production, minimum, they asked questions about what was coming down the line, and we also learned from them.”
Nicola adds: “There is a real openness to share that knowledge. And a lot of it comes down to the heritage of the industry and a sense of pride to continue its history.”.
Cheers
So when the working week is done for these hard working professionals, what’s their drink of choice to kick back with on a Friday night?
Deirdre says: “I am asked this a lot and it changes depending on the occasion. But at the moment, I am really enjoying a glass of our Yellow Spot 12-year-old whiskey. We make a lot of premium products, but this one is aged in Malaga casks which add a lovely sweetness for the summer months. It’s well balanced and a lovely expression of our whiskey.”
And how does she like it served? “Neat, of course,” she laughs.
For Nicola, it’s the 12-year-old Redbreast as she says she loves the story behind it. It dates back to 1903 when John Jameson & Son entered into an agreement with the Gilbeys Wines & Spirits Import Company to supply them with new make spirit from their Bow St. Distillery. “The sensory experience is excellent, beautiful on taste and aroma. I think it’s a wonderful illustration of the craftmanship here and a credit to the blenders.”
Henry obviously has a real grá for the Method of Madness project he worked on: “I am a curious person, so when I am sampling a whiskey, I’m always trying to work out why it tastes the way it does. With Method of Madness, I know exactly what went into it and why every ingredient was chosen. So it really is a case of enjoying our hard work.” And he is very specific about how it is served. “I don’t want a big goblet and litres of tonic,” he says. “A nice tumbler, skin of a lemon, a splash of tonic and a good shot and a half of gin.”
“A shot and a half,” the girls tease as they walk out the door, back to the day job of creating the finest Irish whiskeys.
In the town of Midleton, just east of Cork city, 1.8m barrels of whiskey sleep. Developing, ageing, maturing, all will be bottled over time.
Henry Donnelly really captures the scale of this.
“You can sit in a bar in Tokyo or Moscow or New York, no matter where you go in the world, when you see that bottle of Jameson on the shelf, it’s been made in Cork, it’s been distilled and aged in Cork. I remember being told that when I was working in my family bar in college, it blew me away. I asked the Jameson rep that day how I could get a job there, how could I get my foot in the door,” he says.
Henry Donnelly from Cork is safety engineer at Irish Distillers. \ Donal O’Leary
Step inside
Even to Cork locals – myself included – there is an enigma about the Jameson Distillery. Yes, it’s got the visitor centre, but it still feels a bit like a Willy Wonka factory for adults.
We step inside the doors to chat to three professionals who work on some of the most famous Irish whiskeys in the world. Meet safety engineer Henry Donnelly. An enigmatic Cork man, his grandmother owns the famous Counihans Bar, so a career in whiskey wasn’t too far-fetched.
Limerick woman Deirdre O’Carroll has one of the coolest job titles ever as blender at Irish Distillers. And with her soft Armagh lilt, Nicola McNeice leads the development of new products. Three different individuals with three very different roles. However, they all arrived through the doors of the distillery through the same avenue: the Jameson Graduate Distiller Programme.
Nicola McNeice is head of product development at Irish Distillers and says there is a lot of heritage in the industry. \ Donal O’Leary
The mystery of the distillery very quickly disappears when you’re on this programme. “You’re given a taste of everything,” explains Deirdre, “we’ve all worked in different areas but I suppose, over time, our personal interests led us to where we are now.”
The day job
So what is the day job really about?
Despite her title, Deirdre assures us that as blender, she doesn’t spend her days sipping the good stuff. She laughs: “Sometimes on a Friday evening after work, you’ll have a drink with colleagues.” When she describes it though, it sounds like a competition to correctly guess the flavour profiles in the glass, rather than a relaxed chat.
As a blender, Deirdre insists her job isn’t just sitting around tasting the good stuff. \ Donal O’Leary
She finds the concoctions fascinating. “I work on the development of new and existing blends, marrying together specific and intricate flavours and aromas to create different whiskeys.
“It’s so interesting following the journey of raw materials to distillation, and then when that product is put into wood, it evolves again. Some of the interactions that happen in wood are so exciting.
“Last week for example, we did a tasting of one of our pot still whiskeys. On paper, the same product was put into the same type of barrels and yet there are slight differences between them. The length of time, the detail that goes into these products, its amazing to be a part of.”
While Deirdre works on a whole profile of products, Nicola’s role is much more specific. Based in the bottling plant, Fox-and-Geese in Dublin, she lives and breathes new additions to the market from the tiny buds of an idea to the packaged product that lands on shelf.
Nicola McNeice and Deirdre O’Carroll of Irish Distillers. \ Donal O’Leary
“I’m using whiskey as an ingredient. One of the big projects that I have worked on was the Jameson Cold Brew which combines Jameson and a natural cold-brew coffee flavour in a bottle.
“What I do on any given day depends on what stage the project is at. So at the start, its literally taking an idea and developing it into what that product could look and feel like.
“There is the development stage which of course, is a bit of trial and error and then you’ve got the bottling, packaging and design stage. But to see that project launched on shelf, knowing you have lived and breathed it for a year of your life, that brings a great sense of satisfaction.”
When we ask what she is working on now, she smiles with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Henry says his role doesn’t have the glitz and glam of being a blender but working as a safety engineer has its perks.
Nicola McNeice and O’Carroll. \ Donal O’Leary
“I get to see every part of the business. Last week, I was dealing with the truck that arrives into the distillery with grain – the very first step in our process. While this morning, I was working with the truck going out the door with the glass bottles.
“Everything needs to tick the boxes from a safety perspective, so it is great exposure to the business. One of the things I am working on is an expansion project. We’re expanding a site so we’re looking at how we design it safely and make sure they it works safely and efficiently. It’s very interesting, but also very important.”
Working on innovation
One area of the business that all three employees were exposed to as they rose up the ranks is the microdistillery. Deirdre explains: “The microdistillery sits on our heritage site and the whole idea is that we can try out new things. While the distillery is for our main products, the microdistillery is where we can make something in small batches which doesn’t take away from the main area of production.
Nicola McNeice and Deirdre O’Carroll share what their favourite tipples are with Irish Country Living. \ Donal O’Leary
“It brings things one step further than the lab – we know what a drink will be like if we actually produced it; the taste, look and feel. We can produce whiskeys that are more unique.”
Henry adds: “It really encourages innovation and it’s not just whiskey. When I was working there, our gin still was re-commissioned, and we were working on re-launching our Method of Madness gin. It’s actually our oldest gin still. The date on the hatch where we put the botanicals is 1958 which is amazing. Gin may be very trendy now but this has real history.
“It was a great project to work on. Everyone was excited to make something you can drink straight away. With whiskey, you put it into barrel and it’s sleeping for the future. It is a long process which brings its own satisfaction, but gin is more immediate.”
The rising tide of the industry
From gin to whiskey, the industry is an exciting place to work in. You just have to look at the numbers. In 2010, there were four working distilleries operating in Ireland. Today there are 46, 38 in the Republic and eight in Northern Ireland.
Henry says: “There is a rebirth of Irish whiskey and you really see how exciting it is when you travel abroad (pre-COVID-19). Before if you sat in a bar in the States, you might just see a bottle of Jameson. Now there is a whole shelf of Irish whiskey.
Henry Donnelly, Nicola McNeice and Deirdre O’Carroll all qualified through the Jameson Graduate Distiller Programme. \ Donal O’Leary
“That’s why it’s so important that there is strength and support across the industry. If someone tries an Irish whiskey that isn’t ours and they like it, then they will try another, and eventually they will stumble across one of ours. If there is a weak link in that chain, if that first whiskey they try isn’t great, then they might just assume they don’t like Irish whiskey and that’s the end of their journey.”
In conversation, Nicola says: “So as an industry, we’re all rowing in the same direction, and it’s a case of a rising tide lifts all boards.
Henry says: “The Irish Whiskey Distillers is helping to ensure quality across the board. People from distilleries are meeting and working together. With my managers, I have worked with other distilleries, helping them out in terms of getting started. As whiskey is a three-year production, minimum, they asked questions about what was coming down the line, and we also learned from them.”
Nicola adds: “There is a real openness to share that knowledge. And a lot of it comes down to the heritage of the industry and a sense of pride to continue its history.”.
Cheers
So when the working week is done for these hard working professionals, what’s their drink of choice to kick back with on a Friday night?
Deirdre says: “I am asked this a lot and it changes depending on the occasion. But at the moment, I am really enjoying a glass of our Yellow Spot 12-year-old whiskey. We make a lot of premium products, but this one is aged in Malaga casks which add a lovely sweetness for the summer months. It’s well balanced and a lovely expression of our whiskey.”
And how does she like it served? “Neat, of course,” she laughs.
For Nicola, it’s the 12-year-old Redbreast as she says she loves the story behind it. It dates back to 1903 when John Jameson & Son entered into an agreement with the Gilbeys Wines & Spirits Import Company to supply them with new make spirit from their Bow St. Distillery. “The sensory experience is excellent, beautiful on taste and aroma. I think it’s a wonderful illustration of the craftmanship here and a credit to the blenders.”
Henry obviously has a real grá for the Method of Madness project he worked on: “I am a curious person, so when I am sampling a whiskey, I’m always trying to work out why it tastes the way it does. With Method of Madness, I know exactly what went into it and why every ingredient was chosen. So it really is a case of enjoying our hard work.” And he is very specific about how it is served. “I don’t want a big goblet and litres of tonic,” he says. “A nice tumbler, skin of a lemon, a splash of tonic and a good shot and a half of gin.”
“A shot and a half,” the girls tease as they walk out the door, back to the day job of creating the finest Irish whiskeys.
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