The story of distillation in Ireland is woven into the fabric of Ireland itself. It was distillation that propped up agrarian society and that propelled cities to industrial powerhouses on a global scale. Records show, upwards of almost 2,000 distilleries (legal or otherwise) were operating across the Island at any one time. By the 1870s, during what became referred to as the 2nd Golden Age of Irish distilling, over 30 major distilleries were producing at least six-figures worth of spirit per annum. The 20th century would decimate the Irish distilling landscape. War, taxes, Irish independence from the commonwealth and growing competition from Scotland all contributed to the downfall. All perished but one, Bushmills. By the 1970’s the Dublin and Cork powerhouses of Jameson and Power’s consolidated into Irish Distillers, and based all operations from one distillery in Cork; Midleton. A spark of recovery appears with the opening of Cooley Distillery in 1987 by serial entrepreneur John Teeling. This is the first new distillery to open in over 100 years. Cooley expands the offering of the Irish Whiskey category by double distilling, bottling single grain expressions and using peated malt. Today, there are over 30 distilleries churning out liquid, reviving long-lost brands and challenging the narrow perception of what defines Irish Whiskey.