Spirit of maritime past celebrated at Cork distillery

I NEVER need much excuse to travel the winding road down to the Beara Peninsula. It’s a special place, clinging to the edge of Ireland’s map.

Castletownbere is home to Ireland’s largest whitefish port, landing hake, cod, megrim, and haddock.

John Power cut his teeth in the fishing fleet for many a year. In 2017, he left life on the ocean wave to establish Beara Distillery.

Ireland was at the cusp of the craft gin craze when Beara Ocean Gin launched as one of only 14 other gin brands made in Ireland at the time. Now, there are more than 70 Irish gin brands.

The gin was innovative in encapsulating a sense of place in a clear spirit. Sugar kelp seaweed harvested from around the Beara Peninsula, Atlantic Sea salt, and an infusion of West Cork’s emblematic fuchsia bloom, are the signature botanicals used to create a refreshing spirit, with the proclamation that “the cure for everything is sea air and salt water”.

Seven years on, Beara Distillery produces two gins (the original and a pink gin flavoured with cranberry and rose), and three Irish Whiskeys: Black Cask, Single Grain and Single Malt.

In addition, John has achieved a dream he has long held, to create a place that celebrates the maritime heritage of Beara.

The Fisherman’s Loft is a place for visitors to learn about the history of this place, about Irish whiskey traditions, and the spirits made at the distillery.

I caught up with John to learn more about their whiskeys and The Fisherman’s Loft.

“Irish Whiskey was always part of the plan,” he said 

“We started to lay it down in our own bonded warehouse. It came of age in 2020, but Covid delayed us considerably.”

Irish Whiskey is protected by a Geographic Indicator (GI), meaning only whiskey made in Ireland and aged for a minimum of three years, can be called Irish Whiskey.

“It’s well known all over the world as a superior whiskey – it’s like having our own brand worldwide,” says John.

Beara Distillery work with Great Northern Distillery in Co Louth, who distil the new make spirit and ship it to West Cork for “laying down” in heavily charred barrels of Ex Bourbon-Cask and New American Oak, aged to a casking plan, then bottled in-house.

When the whiskey is ready to be bottled, we cut it using our very good quality local spring water from the Caha Mountains, which divide Cork and Kerry – as the song goes!

The first whiskey launched in 2021. Black Cask is a blended whiskey aged in charred casks, described as a “good, rich, easy sipping whiskey,” followed by Single Grain and Single Malt Irish Whiskeys.

These are not blended but use different grains and distillation processes to create spirits with very different flavour and mouth-feel.

“Single Grain is distilled in a column, or Coffey, still with continuous distillation and is a mix of maize and malted barley.

“It’s a lighter whiskey with a sweeter flavour, good for anyone new to whiskey,” explains John.

“The Single Malt is made only from malted barley in a pot still. It suits a more experienced whiskey drinker in that it has a stronger flavour from the malt.”

Thirty years ago, Ireland had just two distilleries. Today, there are at least 40.

Like gin, Irish whiskey is experiencing exceptional growth; in 2021, 14 million cases were produced.

But, says John, while competitiveness in gin is about finding ways to stamp individual provenance, growth in Irish Whiskey represents a situation where “a rising tide lifts all boats”.

“It’s increasing all the time, and that’s good because it gives us better presence in the market,” explained John.

There’s nothing more difficult in the world than trying to market a new product. When you have the provenance of Irish Whiskey, it makes life a lot easier.

“Building the Beara brand abroad is good for ourselves and it’s good for the peninsula.

“This business is going to be a legacy for generations to come – there’s no question about that.”

The Beara Distillery story is about a sense of place. In Castletownbere, that means the sea.

The Fisherman’s Loft is a base for the distillery’s Gin & Whiskey Experience and maritime heritage centre.

“It’s been a passion of mine to preserve the memories of the fishing industry,” says John.

Among the memorabilia are framed original Decca Navigator Charts.

“We used those ourselves in the 1970s and ’80s. They’re a distant memory now for most people, but before GPS, that was the way fishermen navigated and found fishing grounds based on radio signal.

“A lot of the equipment we have here – the old navigators, radios, old compasses – these things went to the skip when equipment was changed for more modern things.

I’m trying to gather up as much as I can. I know every piece of equipment, every boat it came from, every person and every story behind it.

The Beara Distillery Fisherman’s Loft Gin & Whiskey Experience starts in the distillery, with a refreshing Beara G&T to learn about production.

Back in the loft, guides tell stories of the fishing industry, the history of Irish whiskey, and how Beara Distillery Irish Whiskey is made.

A complimentary tasting of each whiskey allows for comparison, with each whiskey paired with chocolates specially created by Benoit Lorge, master chocolatier in Kenmare: Tonka Bean, Orange Noir and Sichuan Pepper.

Chocolate and whiskey are known to be great bedfellows. Visitors nose and sip each whiskey, then take a chocolate and taste again and see how the chocolate influences flavour and mouthfeel of the whiskey.

The tour is one-and-a-half hours and available year-round by booking via the website.

“By the end of the experience, visitors will have a good feel for the history of whiskey in Ireland,” says John – and hopefully they will leave as smitten with Beara as he is.

For more see www.thebearadistillery.ie