The most influential people in Irish whiskey
15th March, 2015 by Amy Hopkins
Noel Sweeney
Kilbeggan, now owned by Beam Suntory, is another main player in the Irish whiskey arena, and Noel Sweeney, the master distiller and master blender for the brand, has helped ensure its prominence for a number of years. He is responsible for all distilleries belonging to the Kilbeggan Distilling Company, including the Cooley Distillery and Locke’s Distillery.
Sweeney said his primary aim is to preserve Kilbeggan’s “historic Irish whiskeys, long into the future but also innovate using traditional methods”. Sweeney recently selected the casks used to create Kilbeggan’s oldest blend, and created a 100% single grain expression.
Another one to watch is Irish Whiskey Writer Stuart McNamara who recently launched IrishWhiskey.com.