Cork distillery looks further afield to quench thirsts

When two former fishermen and a friend quit their jobs to start a whiskey business in Ireland’s moribund economy, they knew straight away their future lay in selling their wares overseas.

The whiskey makers targeted Europe and America just six months after their first blend was in Irish supermarkets and as Asia’s consumption of the spirit booms, the trio expect 90% of everything they produce to be sold abroad.

West Cork Distillery is just one example of how Irish companies are looking overseas, rallied by a Government which is vying to reposition the country’s long-term business model on more labour intensive industries to help spur a recovery that it desperately needs to bring its debts down.