Episode 6: The Near Disappearance of Irish Whiskey & The Bold Move That Saves It
Summary
The column still is now legal, yet widely ignored. Prohibition changes the face of the whiskey industry globally, tariffs and trade wars add a further nail in the coffin and the world discovers Scottish malts. A new century sees the near decimation of the Irish whiskey industry and a rethinking of how it operates if it is to survive at all.
Distilleries close, distilleries merge and one company makes a giant bet on the future of Irish whiskey.
What we learn about in this episode
- The now-legal column still finds a tough audience in Ireland
- The Volstead Act and the arrival of Prohibition in the United States
- How Civil War in Ireland and tariffs affect Irish whiskey
- The Irish government's isolationist approach in the 1940s
- How Bushmills fared while distilleries in the Republic of Ireland stumbled
- The steep decline of the Irish whiskey industry through the 1950s and 60s
- The bold merger that aimed to save the Irish whiskey category
- The closure of the most famous Irish whiskey distilleries
- Change of distillates, stylers and the building of New Midleton Distillery
- The chance for a new start for Irish whiskey
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Here is a short clip of our conversation: