cut off its key exporting markets to all Commonwealth countries. Simultaneously the United States invoked the 1919 Prohibition Act and that tag-team loss of their two largest customer bases all but put the writing on the wall. Many distilleries were forced to close due to the loss of almost their entire customer base with only a few managing to keep the lights. The final barrel to break that industry’s back was the outbreak of World War II and even though Ireland remained neutral in the conflict, it cut off every single foreign export route completely. The 1950’s exports never returned to pre-war levels and within fifteen years there were only a handful of active distilleries left in all of Ireland. The complete closure seemed imminent but this is where Irish whiskey was given an 11th hour stay of execution and effectively saved. The Irish Distillers Limited company was formed by the successful merger of the Cork Distilleries, John Jameson & Son and John Power & Son companies. The board of directors decided to close all their respective distilleries and build a new distillery in Midleton that would produce all the brands respective whiskies. In 1972 the last standing independent distillery, Bushmills, joined them. By the late 70’s Ireland’s entire production of whiskey was left to the old Bushmills in the North and the new Midleton in the South. These are the hallowed grounds that saved Irish whiskey from complete extinction.
Like the phoenix she is, the industry rose quietly from the ashes and by the 1990’s underwent a major and complete rebirth that paved the road to the 21st century where there are now 40+ actively producing distilleries with many more in the construction or planning phases. This amazing revival has not only allowed for the return to traditional methods of distilling including peat smoked barley and historical mash bills but also a return to the Whiskey Bonding practice of securing new make from distilleries for maturing, blending and selling under other names. If the 2030 projections are remotely correct, the world will have 308 million bottles of Irish whiskey resting in warehouses or on the global market and if that is not a beautiful renaissance, then what is?
Come back next issue for part 3 - where we will take a closer look at some of the legacy Irish whiskey brands.
65
the whisky explorer magazine
WINTER 2024
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker