Townsend, Brian
The Lost Distilleries of Ireland

Neil Wilson Publishing LTD, ISBN 1-897784-36-8, First Published 1997, 154 Pages, 25 x 17,5 cm, Hard Cover

Ireland’s Distilling Heritage is richer and more varied than Scotland’s and yet it is the latter Celtic country which now boats the greatest concentration of whisky-making infrastructure in the world. The art and craft of distilling probably crossed the North channel from Antrim to Kintyre many centuries ago, after the Picts has been absorbed into that other Irish import – the Scots – and the nation of Alba emerged in the mid-9th century. Documentary evidence shows that the Scots were voracious distillers by the end of the 15th century, but this also implies that the manufacture of spirit must have been well established long before that time.

To look at the distilling map of the world today is to witness the fact that both the Irish and the Scots have taken the craft to every corner of the globe as whiskey-making is to be found in Canada, America, Japan, Korea, India and even New Zealand. But these countries have never had the distinction of actually selling their product successfully on a worldwide basis in such a way that the Irish once did, nor in the way the Scots have since the mid- to late-19th century.

In The Lost Distilleries of Ireland, whiskey historian and journalist Brian Townsend takes the reader on a journey to the last vestiges of what was once the greatest whisky-producing country in the world. In so doing, we not only share a nostalgic experience with him but also learn many of the reasons as to why the Irish whiskey industry declined so rapidly and with such catastrophic results. The vast distilling complexes which grew up in Dublin in the 18th and 19th centuries such as Bow Street, Thomas Street and John’s Lane are revisited and vestiges of them all are to be found, albeit many of them sad and pitiful.

In rural, Ireland Brusna Distillery (better known as Locke’s) looks more hopeful with sympathetic owners who would like to re-establish there again. Lesser-known distilleries such as Birrin in County Offaly, Nun’s Island in County Galway and Comber in County Down are also detailed. A picture emerges of an island once awash with distilling plant but which now can only boast activity at Midleton in County Cork, Old Bushmills in County Antrim and at Cooley Distillery at Dundalk.