The spirited females at the forefront of Ireland’s whiskey industry
In Ireland, the world of whiskey has traditionally been perceived as male territory but in recent years several talented women have been making significant contributions across the fields of distilling, blending and whiskey bonding.
June O’Connell – from corporate lawyer to successful whiskey distiller
June O’Connell is co-founder and whiskey distiller at SkelligSix18, a micro-distillery located in Cahersiveen, County Kerry on the Wild Atlantic Way. Having been a lawyer for 25 years, June decided to switch careers and set up the distillery in 2019 along with her husband Patrick Cooney. The decision paid off and the distillery and its whiskey and gin are now global brands that are well respected in the industry.
SkelligSix18 takes its name from the number of steps to the top of Skellig Michael, the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site that lies off the coast of Kerry. The name, like everything else about this distillery, ties the produce and the eco-friendly ethos of production firmly to the rugged landscape which was June’s childhood home. The pure mountain water and mild climate are perfect for maturing the limited-edition whiskeys while a range of local botanical ingredients are used in the gin.
June takes her inspiration from the tenacity, sense of adventure and muinín (the Irish word for a mindset of calm assured confidence) of the Kerry people. She says her mantra all through her working career has been ‘Just get stuff done’.
Alex Thomas – the Master Blender at 400-year-old Bushmills Distillery
Alex Thomas was born a short distance from iconic Old Bushmills Distillery, the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, which is located on the beautiful Causeway Coast. A qualified Master Blender, she has been one of the key figures in shaping the flavours and blends that have made Bushmills globally renowned. Alex created the Sexton Single Malt, which has become an international bestseller, as well continuing to innovate new whiskey expressions within the Bushmills range.
Passionate about her job, Alex enjoys the fact that no two days are the same as she is involved in all stages of the whiskey making process. As Bushmills is one of a few ‘grain to glass’ distilleries on the island, the malt distilling, maturing, blending and bottling all happen on site. This means that Alex may one day be preparing formulations for blends in the lab, and the next be travelling to choose and source casks or sampling the whiskey that is maturing in the casks on site.
The best part of her job? ‘Seeing the whiskey you have spent years creating and caring for be bottled and sent out into the world to be enjoyed by everyone.’
Louise McGuane – reviving the age-old practice of whiskey bonding
Having worked for global drinks brands around the world for many years, in 2015 Louise McGuane took the leap into learning the art of whiskey bonding and founded J.J Corry Irish Whiskey, which operates from her family’s farm in County Clare.
Whiskey bonding is the art of sourcing new make spirit and mature whiskey and blending and maturing it to create unique flavours. For centuries, whiskey bonders could be found all over Ireland creating and bottling distinct whiskeys, but the practice fell away in the early twentieth century. The only solo female founder in the Irish whiskey industry, Louise has played a key role in revitalising the practice of bonding.
As well as sourcing the spirits, Louise chooses a cask type in which to mature each whiskey, classifying them into flavour blocks. The last step is drawing from the flavour blocks to create custom blends. Her whiskeys have found a market worldwide and she continues to innovate. Louise is part of the wider renaissance of Irish whiskey which has seen small craft distilleries pop up all over the island. She said: ‘It's an honour to be part of the rebirth of any industry, particularly one that's this historic.’