Whale-tail sculpture makes mark in Clonakilty

The iconic copper whale-tail sculpture at the Waterfront development in Clonakilty, West Cork, is to be drafted in as the logo for a new distillery and major town-centre investment.

Businessman, farmer, and property developer Michael Scully of Dunowen Farm Enterprises has lodged an application for change of use of buildings he acquired last year at the Waterfront plaza, previously acquired by Lyonshall director Kieran Coughlan, and who has retained much of the former waterside GAA club site in the town.

Mr Scully, who has a number of Polish property investments, said Clonakilty Distillery will include a visitor centre, tasting room, 80-seat cafe, media room and sales, and could provide up to 40 jobs, incorporating a distillery for gin and single pot still whiskey.

The investment, on top of a c sub-€1m purchase of the buildings, could bring up to 40,000 visitors per year, said Mr Scully, noting malting barley was being grown by the Galley Head lighthouse, a noted whale-watching spot, and that local botanicals would be used for the gin.

Three large copper pot stills being manufactured in Italy are due for delivery in January 2017, and “we’d hope that the distillery would be up and running for next summer, subject to planning permission,” he added.

The building earmarked for the distillery had originally been built by Bobby Hilliard of Hillback Developments as a West Cork HQ for Ulster Bank.

When that didn’t progress it was used for several years by the town’s Gaelscoil until a purpose-built school was delivered locally on another site two years ago.

• Already underway in the town is a multi-million euro investment in a new factory and visitor centre for Clonakilty Black Pudding, which is to return production to West Cork having moved several year ago for space reasons to Little Island. The Twomey-family owned firm, established in 1975, employs 45 and bought the six-acre Hills Mills site, which had been for sale for €750,000, in 2014.