1 hr 6 min
Episode 9. Louise McGuane: Reimagining Irish Whiskey Traditions The Remarkable
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- Leisure
Louise McGuane is a 20+ year veteran of the drinks industry, having spent her career working on some of the world's best known wine and spirits brands all over the globe.
Growing up in a small town on the West coast of Ireland, Louise was raised with a deep respect for her Irish roots and a passion for chasing new opportunities. After working internationally in the wine and spirits industry for many years, her evolution from small-town farm girl to Irish Whiskey pioneer came full circle when she returned home with a new-found commitment to elevating Irish Whiskey on the global stage.
After finishing a degree in Philosophy and spending time in Boston, Massachusetts, Louise moved to New York City to work in marketing and communications at a global Champagne company. Here, she learned the complexities of the drinks industry and built a career that took her as far as Singapore and Mexico. These experiences not only helped her become well-versed in the industry but reconnected her to her love for her Irish heritage.
Louise returned to Ireland for a summer to research the global significance of Irish Whiskey and discovered the prominent role it had in her country’s history. In 2016 she returned home to Ireland, at the beginning of the Irish Whiskey Renaissance. Inspired by JJ Corry – an Irish Whiskey bonder from the 1800s that she discovered during her research and after whom her company is named – she sought to develop new ways to create remarkable spirits. She founded J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey and became the first modern whiskey bonder on the island of Ireland in over a century, thereby resurrecting a lost craft.
Today, JJ Corry is renowned in the Irish Whiskey category, and, in their latest venture, Louise has partnered with The Last Drop Distillers to create The Last Drop's first-ever Irish Whiskey, Release No. 32: A 32 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey – a landmark moment for the business.
In this episode, Louise talks to Rebecca about an idyllic childhood growing up on the family farm in the west of Ireland, being expelled from boarding school and working all over the world, before returning home to her roots to found her business.
Louise McGuane is a 20+ year veteran of the drinks industry, having spent her career working on some of the world's best known wine and spirits brands all over the globe.
Growing up in a small town on the West coast of Ireland, Louise was raised with a deep respect for her Irish roots and a passion for chasing new opportunities. After working internationally in the wine and spirits industry for many years, her evolution from small-town farm girl to Irish Whiskey pioneer came full circle when she returned home with a new-found commitment to elevating Irish Whiskey on the global stage.
After finishing a degree in Philosophy and spending time in Boston, Massachusetts, Louise moved to New York City to work in marketing and communications at a global Champagne company. Here, she learned the complexities of the drinks industry and built a career that took her as far as Singapore and Mexico. These experiences not only helped her become well-versed in the industry but reconnected her to her love for her Irish heritage.
Louise returned to Ireland for a summer to research the global significance of Irish Whiskey and discovered the prominent role it had in her country’s history. In 2016 she returned home to Ireland, at the beginning of the Irish Whiskey Renaissance. Inspired by JJ Corry – an Irish Whiskey bonder from the 1800s that she discovered during her research and after whom her company is named – she sought to develop new ways to create remarkable spirits. She founded J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey and became the first modern whiskey bonder on the island of Ireland in over a century, thereby resurrecting a lost craft.
Today, JJ Corry is renowned in the Irish Whiskey category, and, in their latest venture, Louise has partnered with The Last Drop Distillers to create The Last Drop's first-ever Irish Whiskey, Release No. 32: A 32 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey – a landmark moment for the business.
In this episode, Louise talks to Rebecca about an idyllic childhood growing up on the family farm in the west of Ireland, being expelled from boarding school and working all over the world, before returning home to her roots to found her business.
1 hr 6 min