The King of Cooley
Dr John Teeling is teetotal, he runs on caffeine, and he’s making waves in the world of Irish whiskey. Peter Mulryan talks to the man behind the company
Depending on which part of the whiskey industry you work in, time is either your friend or your enemy. To a master blender, itâs a decade before some whiskeys start to get interesting, on the other hand, if youâre an investor, 10 or even 15 years is a hell of a wait for a return.
âThereâs no business like it in the world,â says Dr John Teeling, chairman and founder of Cooley Distillery. âFor three years you do nothing but spend money and you canât sell anything. If I knew then what I know now ⦠â
He laughs, empties a paper cup and glances at his watch. His flight to Dublin leaves in 10 minutes, time for one more diet coke.
Iâve met John Teeling now on numerous occasions and Iâm convinced he runs on caffeine. When heâs not guest lecturing at Cork University, heâs playing international over-40s rugby, drilling for oil, digging for gold and, of course, running Irelandâs only independent distillery, situated on the Cooley peninsula in County Louth.
Oh, and heâs a teetotaller.
âNo other business like it ⦠â
Heâs back, picking up the conversation exactly where he left off.
âYou see, in my innocence I thought we could bottle the stuff after exactly three years and a day!â He laughs again.
The year is 1992, the location John Lockeâs picture-postcard distillery in Kilbeggan in the Irish midlands. These are the oldest distillery buildings on the island, and although no whiskey has been made here since the 1950s, this is where Cooley .....
To read the rest of this article you can buy this issue
or subscribe to Whisky Magazine to have every issue delivered direct to your door.
You can unlock and read this entire article with 1 of your community tokens by clicking here.
By Peter Mulryan
Section : Irish Whiskey
Page number : 30
