A PLACE TO CALL HOME

Ahascragh’s whiskey finally to get a home

AHASCRAGH’S newly distilled whiskey is set to have a home close by after several years of its owners endeavouring to find a suitable warehouse.

Once distilled, whiskey must be left to mature for a minimum of three years before it can be called Irish whiskey, and many types are left in their wooden casks for several years after that.

Having been left derelict for decades, the old stone mill in the centre of Ahascragh was restored and brought back to life as a multi-million euro and eco-friendly whiskey and gin distillery last year.

Two years before it officially opened, its owners began to try and find a large warehouse for the maturation and storage of its product. It wasn’t as easy as they had hoped.

The McAllisters were refused permission for a 1,000 sqm warehouse facility in 2021. A separate application by Ballinasloe company Easyfix Ltd sought permission to build a 2,000 sqm warehouse beside their existing rural enterprise development on the outskirts of Ballinasloe in Perssepark.

In its appeal Easyfix Ltd argued that the brownfield site, 11 km south east of the distillery, would be an ideal location for the warehouse as it is adjacent to an existing rural enterprise unit and next to where planning permission has been granted for a new manufacturing facility.

The appeal compared similar developments that were granted permission in rural locations of Meath, Westmeath and Cork and also pointed out that the distillery site in Ahascragh doesn’t have room for large warehouses to store the casks.

Without a suitable warehouse, the McAllisters were facing having to transport the whiskey barrels to other warehouses in the south of the country…

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