Irish Distillers appoints new distiller at experimental site

Henry Donnelly has been named by Irish Distillers as the new distiller at its Midleton micro-distillery.

Donnelly will be responsible for the day-to-day operations at the site and will work with master distiller Brian Nation on the development of “innovative and experimental” whiskies, which might be added to the producer’s portfolio at a later date.

A graduate of University College Cork with a degree in Process and Chemical Engineering, Donnelly then joined the Jameson Graduate Distiller programme from which he was given a job as process technologist at the Midleton site.

Donnelly commented: “I started my journey with Irish Distillers in 2016 when I was accepted on the graduate distiller programme and was lucky to learn from the masters about the intricacies of the entire whiskey production process – from grain to glass. As the new distiller of the Micro Distillery, I am looking forward to working closely with Brian and using my training and experience to produce a range of exciting and innovative new whiskies.”

Brian Nation, master distiller at Midleton Distillery, said: “We opened the Micro Distillery in 2015 and since then it has allowed us to explore experimental and innovative new mash bills and distillates, all of which are currently maturing. We are also looking to the past and experimenting with recipes and production techniques used by the great distillers that have come before us from the Jameson and Powers families and the Murphy family of the Cork Distilleries Company.

“On top of that, it is a space where we can train the up and coming distillers of tomorrow. It is a fully manual operation which requires our young talent to hone and test their skills every day and to really understand the fundamentals of how to make the finest whiskeys in the world. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Henry to the role, we have no doubt that he will play his part in adding exciting new chapters to the incredible story of Irish whiskey.”