A CopperCairn Ireland Whiskey Adventure
It turns out that getting from the Isle of Raasay to Dublin in a single day is perfectly doable. You just need to take a ferry, drive to Inverness Airport, fly to Belfast, catch a bus to the train station, take a train to Dublin and then jump in a taxi to your hotel.
Easy.
I’d just finished a few days on Raasay celebrating the latest Turas Mòr whisky launch, and my next adventure was waiting for me in Ireland. By the time I reached the hotel, I had precisely ten minutes to spare before meeting the guests for dinner.
Fortunately, after more than twenty years travelling the world as a whisky ambassador, I’m reasonably accustomed to this sort of nonsense. A quick change of clothes and I was out the door again.
Welcome to Ireland.
So, what’s a Scottish whisky company doing in Ireland?
CopperCairn is based in Speyside, and most of our time is spent creating bespoke whisky experiences around Scotland. It’s our home, it’s where we know the people, and it’s where we’ve built the relationships that let us do things a little differently.
But when the Algiers Club, a private whiskey club from Dallas, Texas, asked us to organise an Irish whiskey adventure for its members, we didn’t need much convincing. They’d enjoyed trips to Scotland with us before and fancied somewhere new. Whiskey was the main attraction, but they also wanted the country itself: the culture, the scenery, the food and, naturally, a few decent pubs.
Ireland was hardly unfamiliar territory for me. During my time with Diageo I worked with Bushmills, and later, with William Grant & Sons, I spent plenty of time working with Tullamore D.E.W. I’ve visited Ireland more times than I can remember.
Interestingly, every single visit has been for work. This trip was no exception. Although the definition of work became increasingly questionable as the week progressed.
After a cracking welcome dinner at Pearl Brasserie in Dublin, we were ready to hit the road.
Kilbeggan: where whiskey history comes alive
I’ve been around a fair few distilleries. At some point you start to recognise the familiar routine. Here’s the mash tun. Here’s the washback. Here’s a nice shiny copper still. Then someone explains fermentation, and you pretend you haven’t heard it approximately 4,000 times before.
Kilbeggan was different.
First licensed in 1757, it’s Ireland’s oldest licensed distillery. Production stopped in 1954, the site closed in 1957 and distilling returned in 2007. Walking around it feels like stepping into a whiskey museum (which it was for a while), except this one actually makes whiskey. The old machinery, the buildings and the whole atmosphere give you a genuine sense of how things used to be done. Our guide was fantastic. Loads of energy, real passion for the place, and he clearly knew his stuff.
We’d managed to arrange something a little different. We were only the second group to try a new experience involving three samples drawn directly from casks, a tasting and the chance to bottle our own whiskey.
It’s one of the things I love about what we do at CopperCairn. I’m always keeping an eye on what’s happening in the industry, who’s creating new experiences and where we might find something our guests won’t have done before. Being among the first to try this at a distillery with that much history was a real treat.
Tullamore: old friends and bloody good Irish coffee
Next up was Tullamore D.E.W., a distillery I know rather well. During my years working in America I worked alongside Kevin Pigott, now Tullamore’s Global Brand Ambassador. It was brilliant to catch up with him and have him personally take our group around.
We were greeted by an Irish wolfhound. If you’ve never encountered one, they’re enormous. Beautiful dogs, but you do wonder whether you’re supposed to pat them or saddle them up and ride them to the next distillery, a joke that was made a few times. Tullamore is a completely different experience from Kilbeggan. It’s a modern distillery, but William Grant & Sons have done a fantastic job of bringing the brand’s heritage into the visitor experience. It’s something I’ve always admired about the place.
And then there’s the Irish coffee.
Oh, the Irish coffee.
I genuinely look forward to having one every time I visit. It’s one of the best I’ve ever tasted. The only other one that immediately springs to mind is the famous Buena Vista in San Francisco. And after eight years living in America, I’ve conducted a fairly extensive amount of research on the subject.
We stayed in town that evening and headed to Kelly’s for a pint of Guinness. An old school Irish bar, exactly the sort of place I love. No fancy nonsense. Just a proper pub and a decent pint.
The Cliffs of Moher and a slightly interesting drive to Dingle
The following morning, we swapped whiskey for sightseeing. The Cliffs of Moher were on the itinerary, and although I’d heard plenty about them, I’d never actually visited.
They’re absolutely spectacular. Yes, they’re touristy. Very touristy. But sometimes attractions are popular for a bloody good reason. Standing there looking out over the Atlantic, with those enormous cliffs stretching along the coastline, was something else. Without question, the most dramatic scenery I’ve seen in Ireland.
From there we made our way towards Dingle. The roads get progressively smaller and windier as you head for the coast. Thankfully nobody was suffering from a hangover. Otherwise things could have become interesting.
We arrived at Dingle Distillery for a quick tasting before heading into town. And Dingle was a surprise. I’d imagined a relatively small coastal place with a few pubs. What we found was a bustling town with loads of bars, restaurants, visitors and a fantastic atmosphere.
I could easily have spent another couple of days there. We also heard that humpback whales had been spotted offshore while we were in town. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to get out on the water. A missed opportunity, and a very good reason to return.
Perhaps next time without quite so much whiskey on the itinerary. Although, knowing me, that’s unlikely.
Kinsale: a sneak peek at the future
The following day we headed towards Cork, but first we had a special stop planned at Kinsale. Kinsale Spirit Company is developing a new distillery, and we’d arranged a look around before it opens. Colin Ross, the company’s CEO, took us through the site and talked us through what they’re planning. What a fascinating guy.
The stills at Kinsale. It’s not every day you get to see a distillery before it opens.
There’s something rather exciting about visiting a distillery that hasn’t opened yet. At Kilbeggan we were looking back at hundreds of years of whiskey history. At Kinsale, we were looking at what comes next.
When I first started in the industry, Irish whiskey was dominated by a handful of familiar brands. Jameson, Bushmills and Tullamore D.E.W. were the names most people knew. Since then, new distilleries, new brands and plenty of experimentation have made the category a far more interesting place.
Later in Cork, Barry Chandler, also known as Irish Whisky Barry on Instagram, told me he reckoned the number of operational Irish whiskey distilleries had fallen to around 47 after some closures. On that count, Kinsale will become number 48 when it opens, assuming nothing else changes first.
A useful reminder that a whiskey renaissance isn’t just a neat upward line on a graph. Opening a distillery is one thing. Making it work for the long haul is another.
Cork: good whiskey, great company and one absolutely terrible dram
Cork surprised me too. What a cracking city. There’s a real vibrancy about the place, a noticeably young crowd, fantastic restaurants and some excellent bars.
Naturally, after a long day travelling and visiting distilleries, I decided the sensible thing to do was investigate the local whiskey scene. Purely professional, of course.
I met up with Barry and Colin and we headed to the Shelbourne Bar. If you’re into Irish whiskey, this place is dangerous. An enormous collection of bottles, plenty I’d never tried and two guys who knew exactly what they were talking about.
We worked our way through some fantastic whiskeys. And one absolutely fucking terrible one.
Now, I’m all for experimentation. Different casks, different maturation techniques, pushing the boundaries. Some of the most interesting whiskeys I’ve tasted have come from people prepared to try something unconventional.
But this particular whiskey had been matured in a tequila cask. And it was awful. Genuinely awful. I’m not going to name it because there’s no need to give anyone a kicking, but let’s just say it wasn’t my favourite example of innovative cask maturation.
Still, that’s part of the fun. You never know what you’re going to discover. The evening continued, the whiskey kept coming, and before I knew it we’d had one of the latest nights of the trip.
I blame Barry. Entirely.
Midleton: a whiskey history lesson I didn’t know I needed
Our final day together was spent at Midleton. I’d heard plenty of people say how good the visitor experience was, but I hadn’t quite appreciated just how impressive it would be.
Our guide, Tom, was excellent. Knowledgeable, engaging and able to keep the whole thing moving without making it feel like we were being marched around on a school trip. After visiting as many distilleries as I have, that is very much appreciated.
The visitor experience takes you through the old distillery rather than the modern production facility, which isn’t part of the standard tour. The historic buildings and equipment tell a fascinating story, and what a collection of brands: Jameson, Redbreast, Powers, Midleton Very Rare.
But what really caught my attention was the story of Barry Crockett. He started working at Midleton in 1965, became Master Distiller in 1981 and created Midleton Very Rare in 1984. He recognised the potential to create something genuinely exceptional and position Irish whiskey alongside the world’s most prestigious spirits.
It got me thinking about something I’d been noticing throughout the trip.
What’s the occasion for Irish whiskey?
In Scotland, we’ve spent decades building an association between whisky and special occasions. You buy a special bottle to celebrate something. You open a good dram when friends come round. You mark an important moment with a whisky you’ve been saving.
Of course, you don’t need an excuse to open a good bottle, but that sense of occasion is firmly embedded in the Scotch whisky world. And it made me wonder whether Irish whiskey always gets the same recognition.
Take Jameson in America. For plenty of drinkers, an introduction to Irish whiskey is a shot in a bar. Possibly followed by a pickleback.
For anyone unfamiliar with this particular American drinking "tradition", a pickleback involves a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle brine. I love pickles. I love whiskey. But I cannot fucking stand picklebacks.
Anyway, I digress.
Irish whiskey has so much more to offer than the familiar brands and the ways people traditionally drink them. Midleton Very Rare is a fantastic example. Here’s a whiskey with heritage, craftsmanship, complexity and a sense of occasion. It deserves to be opened, appreciated and shared in exactly the same way as a special bottle of Scotch.
Midleton was a real eye opener. After more than twenty years in the industry, it’s nice to visit somewhere that still makes you think differently about whiskey. Without question, one of the highlights of the trip.
Same spirit, different countries
Looking back, the most satisfying thing was seeing the group develop a real appreciation for Irish whiskey. The Algiers Club guests were predominantly bourbon drinkers. Irish whiskey wasn’t necessarily what they’d reach for at home in Dallas.
By the end, though, they’d discovered new favourites, gained a much greater understanding of the category and bought a fair few bottles along the way. I suspect there are now a few more Irish whiskey enthusiasts wandering around Texas. Good company, a few drams and a reminder that the people are the whole point.
And that’s what I love about this industry. I’ve spent the best part of my adult life travelling the world talking about whisky. I’ve met incredible people, visited extraordinary places and found myself in more than a few ridiculous situations. In fact, I wrote a whole bloody book about it.
But what keeps me coming back isn’t just the whisky. It’s the people.
Whether you’re sitting in a warehouse in Speyside, sharing a pint in Tullamore, exploring the whiskey bars of Cork or having a dram with a group of Texans, this wonderful brown spirit has a knack for bringing people together. Different countries, different backgrounds, different tastes. Somehow, we all speak the same language.
And that’s pretty special.
If Scotland and Ireland are both on your travel plans and you fancy doing something a little different, give us a shout at CopperCairn. We’re always up for a good whisky adventure.
Although, having spent a week travelling around Ireland with a group from Dallas, I do have one small piece of advice for any future Texas clients.
Pack lighter.
Seriously. I’ve never seen so much fucking luggage in my life!
Apparently, everything really is bigger in Texas. Even the suitcases.
Mitch
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