1809

Construction started on the banks of the River Shannon

By 1818 the Thomond Gate Distillery was a sizeable operation. It produced Ireland’s famous Single Pot Still and Malt Irish whiskey, maturing whiskey in Sherry butts, hogsheads and quarter casks for local trade and export. The distillery operated three copper pot stills which produced a “whiskey of good reputation” known as Pot Still Real Irish Whiskey. Over the last century the distillery changed hands a number of times and went by many names, including Brown(e) Stein & Co, Messrs. Brown, Stein, and Co, Limerick Distillery Co Ltd and by 1868 it was known as Archibald Walkers Limerick Distillery. The only constant was the name, The Thomond Gate Distillery.

1823

British Parliament passed the Excise Act

This act permitted the licensing of whiskey, and the production of whiskey in Ireland quadrupled. During these golden years of production, in 1822 the Thomond Gate Distillery produced 231,790 gallons of spirits, which was about 1/20 of total Irish production and then in 1827 about 1/16. With so much spirit being produced, there was a growing demand for the spent grain used in the mash build which made a nutritious animal feed. Local farmers would travel to the distillery and for a fee would purchase tokens to the value of One or Two Tubs which could then be exchanged for the used grains.

1840

Irish Distilleries

From 1840, Ireland had 28 distilleries many of which were among the largest in the world. In the decade 1866–1875, Irish whiskey attained considerable popularity, becoming the number one whiskey in the world. Irish distillers controlled about 70% of the global whiskey market and it was the drink of preference for Royal Courts across Europe. It also began to compete in England with gin, rum, and brandy. During this time, The Thomond Gate Distillery alone was producing 9% of the world’s whiskey market.

1870

Scotch Gains Momentum

During the 1870s, a detailed map of the distillery was made by Lieutenant Engledue of Phoenix Park, Dublin, showing the scale of the distillery. Around this time, Scotch was becoming a serious challenger and gaining momentum as a fashionable drink. In 1879, a fire broke out in one of the spirit-safes of the distillery which interrupted distilling for a week and caused about £2,000 worth of damage (estimated to cost around €265,000 today). The Limerick Chronicle, on 31 January 1880, recorded an account of the fire and the efforts of the three city fire brigades to bring it under control.

1885

The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom

In 1885 Alfred Barnard, author of the book “The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom”, visited Thomond Gate Distillery and described it as “probably the finest undertaking of its kind in the four kingdoms”. He also noted it as a “fine old distillery planted on the banks of the Shannon, the works and buildings covered upwards of six acres”. He remarked on the excellence of the malting and barley lofts, the malting floors, kilns, mash house and mill, stating that “the whiskey made in this distillery is of good reputation, full-bodied and said to possess rapidly maturing qualities”. Barnard was impressed by six pairs of stones driven by a 24 horse-power Boulton and Watt steam engine and the 75 craftsmen employed by the enterprise, including those working in the cooperage and carpentry workshops. Many were engineers, coppersmiths and brass-fitters. It is also said that the well-known phrase “Happy as Larry” may have originated here, inspired by a cheerful cooper named Larry who lived on the High Road and was known for greeting everyone he met on his way to and from the distillery.

1900

Decline of the Irish Whiskey Industry

At the beginning of the 20th century, global economic and political turmoil led to a decline in the Irish whiskey industry. In 1902, the Scottish company DCL purchased the distillery, and by 1904, increased budget duties placed further pressure on production. The outbreak of World War I dealt another major blow, with grain rationing introduced between 1916 and 1919, resulting in all distillation being suspended. After the war, excessive duties were eased in an attempt to support the already weakened industry, but recovery proved impossible. In 1919, DCL permanently closed the distillery amid continued instability caused by the Irish War of Independence and bleak prospects as the USA, Ireland’s main export market, shut down due to Prohibition in the 1920s. Further restrictions during the Anglo-Irish trade war (1932–1938) cut off exports to the British Empire. The copper stills fell silent in 1919, and by 1937 the distillery buildings were demolished to make way for the O’Dwyer Villas, bringing an end to Thomond Gate Distillery and Limerick’s whiskey production of the era.