Henry Donnelly
Irish Distillers has announced the appointment of Henry Donnelly as the new Distiller of the Micro Distillery at the Midleton Distillery in Co Cork. As part of his new role, Henry will be responsible for the day to day operations of the Micro Distillery in Midleton and will work closely with Master Distiller Brian Nation on the production of innovative and experimental new whiskeys to add to the existing Irish Distillers portfolio.
Henry graduated from University College Cork in 2016 with a degree in Process and Chemical Engineering and joined the Jameson Graduate Distiller programme. Following successful completion of the programme, Henry was appointed as Process Technologist in the Midleton Distillery, a role that combined the role of brand ambassador with process optimisation.
I started my journey with Irish Distillers in 2016 when I was accepted on the graduate distiller programme and was lucky to learn from the masters about the intricacies of the entire whiskey production process – from grain to glass.
As the new Distiller of the Micro Distillery, I am looking forward to working closely with Brian and using my training and experience to produce a range of exciting and innovative new whiskeys.
– Henry Donnelly
As the Distiller in the Micro Distillery, Henry will also provide training to colleagues
We opened the Micro Distillery in 2015 and since then it has allowed us to explore experimental and innovative new mash bills and distillates, all of which are currently maturing. We are also looking to the past and experimenting with recipes and production techniques used by the great distillers that have come before us from the Jameson and Powers families and the Murphy family of the Cork Distilleries Company.
On top of that, it is a space where we can train the up and coming distillers of tomorrow. It is a fully manual operation which requires our young talent to hone and test their skills every day and to really understand the fundamentals of how to make the finest whiskeys in the world. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Henry to the role, we have no doubt that he will play his part in adding exciting new chapters to the incredible story of Irish whiskey.
– Brian Nation: Master Distiller at Midleton Distillery
As the Distiller in the Micro Distillery, Henry will also provide training to colleagues on the entire production process and enhance the visitor experience in the Jameson Experience Midleton.
Henry replaces Karen Cotter, who has moved into a role on the main site of the Midleton Distillery.
