Distilling a whiskey education in Dingle

Bill Linnane is so passionate about whiskey that he decided to take up the opportunity of a two-day course at the Whiskey Academy of Dingle Distillery. He reports below...

If Oliver Hughes has a crystal ball, he isn’t telling — and as a former criminal barrister, his poker face is probably more resilient than most — but the evidence suggests that he might.

Exhibit A: Back in 1996, before microbreweries were becoming such an industry that they were getting tax breaks in the budget, Oliver and his cousin Liam LaHart decided to set up the Porterhouse. Oliver had seen the success of microbreweries in the UK and decided the stagnant beer market here could do with some revitalising.