Exciting new roles in Republic for local leader and expert in Irish whiskey

Co Antrim’s Helen Mulholland, one of the most experienced and knowledgeable personalities in international distilling, was delighted recently to have been chosen as vice chair of the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) in Dublin.

Helen, from Rasharkin, says the election to the representative body for the industry across the island was “a great honour and tremendous privilege”.

The appointment acknowledges Helen’s immense contribution to the growth of Bushmills over almost 30 years that included a lengthy period as master distiller at the historic distillery that’s now respected as one of the very best and most successful whiskey producers.

Earlier in the year, Helen was also recognised in Northern Ireland by the industry here for “an outstanding contribution” to whiskey distilling.

In 2018, Helen became the first woman to be inducted into the International Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame and the first woman to receive a Chairman’s Award for her remarkable contribution to the development of Irish whiskey.

The dedicated and knowledgeable businesswoman created a host of successful whiskeys in the distillery’s world leading luxury portfolio of single malts and premium blends during her time as there especially through her careful selection of casks that produce different flavour profiles and aromas. She skilfully created original and winning recipes from the traditional ingredients of water, malted barley and yeast in carefully selected casks.

At Bushmills, Helen worked with master distiller and site director Colum Egan, who was also honoured by IWA for his outstanding contribution to the whiskey industry.

Helen is now leading the team at the developing Lough Gill Distillery in Sligo in the pursuit of crafting and blending of what new owner Sazerac, the global producer of a range of spirits, aims to create Ireland’s luxury single malt whiskeys. The corporation’s investment at Lough Gill is a further measure of the continuing interest in Irish whiskey in the United States, the biggest global market for the spirits.

Helen, in her new role, has responsibility for selection and management of the casks for Athrú single malt whiskey, nurturing the portfolio of premium aged single malts, as well as new product development there. She was head hunted by Sazerac and Lough Gill to bring her immense expertise to the exciting venture.

Sazerac, based in New Orleans, is making Lough Gill the home of Paddy and Michael Collins, existing Irish whiskeys it already owns, as well as the new Athrú whiskey.

David Raethorne, Athrú founder, says: “We are delighted with the appointment of Helen Mulholland as master blender at Lough Gill Distillery. In her stellar career as a master blender Helen has become one of the heroes of Irish whiskey, and we are confident of even better things to come.

“This is a major announcement for Sligo and a vote of confidence in the potential for Sligo to become a major player in the booming global Irish whiskey market. The acquisition will also enable the distillery to develop as a world-class visitor destination and will have significant long term economic and tourism benefits for Sligo.

“In addition, the maintenance and preservation works undertaken to date on Hazelwood House (a house of national importance) have played an essential part in saving it from dereliction. This acquisition will ensure that Hazelwood House will be enjoyed and appreciated by generations to come.”

Helen continues: “It’s a really exciting time for Lough Gill Distillery. I am very honoured to be joining the team as it becomes the home of Paddy, Michael Collins and Athrú whiskeys.

“The distillery, its location and the incredible team already in place made this a very easy decision. I look forward to bringing my knowledge as a master blender to the table to enable us to make some really world-class Irish whiskeys.”

Sazerac already owns nine distilleries employing around 2,000 people, mostly in the US. A family business formed in 1856, Sazerac owns 450 global brands including premium spirits such as Southern Comfort bourbon liqueur from New Orleans and Buffalo Trace bourbon in Kentucky. It will fully develop the 100-acre site at Hazelwood House to create a world-class whiskey facility and visitor attraction, making it one of the most important tourism centres in the West of Ireland. Helen also has extensive experience of the development of the hugely successful visitor centre at Bushmills which attracts around 100,000 visitors from around the world. It is now one of Northern Ireland’s most successful industrial visitor locations. Additionally, Sazerac will grow significantly the footprint of the distillery through increasing capacity, adding warehousing and expanding production and bottling lines.