Preserving the Artisanal Craft of Irish Whiskey

West Cork Distillers was founded in 2003 by childhood friends John O’Connell, and cousins Denis McCarthy and Ger McCarthy. A food scientist and two deep sea fishermen, respectively, the three men grew up in the cultural homeland of Irish whiskey production. The childhood friends share a passion for preserving the tradition of crafting Irish Whiskey.

The West Cork Approach

West Cork is dedicated to producing the highest quality Irish Whiskey using classical techniques and local products. They are the only Irish distillery to exclusively malt its own Irish-grown barley. All of their local spring water is sourced fresh, 6 miles from their distillery for all of their cuts. They also use only Copper pot stills for all of their distillations and not column distillation to provide a smoother whiskey.

The re-introduction of artisan independent Irish whiskey remains a dream of these childhood friends. The family-run distillery has grown to include four additional family members and dozens of workers from all walks of life in the local community.

A classically-trained food scientist, John O’Connell turned his interests to producing whiskey in 2003 with two of his childhood friends. Leveraging his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for the science of creating products – and a love for whiskey – John has dedicated more than a decade to distilling the highest quality Irish Whiskey imaginable through both traditional and innovative techniques. And his work has just begun.