Mary Ferriter: Dingle Distillery’s Founding Mother
My first memory of the town of Dingle in the Kingdom of Kerry in the southwest of Ireland is in my teen years and the abiding memory is one of a dolphin, Dingle’s resident bottlenose mammal, Fungie, recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest time living alone; solitary in Dingle Bay and the ocean it opens up to having now been present in the town for more than 36 years.
Today, there is a competitor for the interests of visitors to the town and it is the Dingle Distillery, a converted saw mill on the outskirts of the town that when opened in 2012 spearheaded the independent whiskey movement in Ireland.
At the time it opened, it was only the 5th distillery in Ireland and the only one independently owned. Today we can count 31 operating distilleries on the island of Ireland with more in planning but if it wasn’t for the foresight of a few risk-takers and visionaries in bringing Dingle Distillery on stream we might not have the burgeoning craft whiskey industry we have today.
One woman has been part of the story of Dingle and the distillery since before this crazy idea to distill in one of Europe’s most westerly towns was hatched. Her name is Mary Ferriter and there is no Dingle Distillery without her. As General Manager and Global Ambassador for the Dingle Distillery, she has observed and managed its growth from a unique perch.
In this episode, I chat with Mary about the early days of the distillery and the story behind the now-well known brand.
Luckily for me, the Dingle rain drove a couple of special guests in for shelter during our conversation too, making this an extra special episode indeed.
In this episode: