CLONAKILTY DISTILLERY recently scooped two major awards at the prestigious World Whiskies Awards, in what has been heralded as “a great start to 2022” for the company.

The maritime distillery won in two categories on March 24 – with Visitor Experience Manager, Ewan Paterson winning the Visitor Attraction Manager of the Year in the Icons of Whisky 2022 whilst their multi-award winning Clonakilty Small Batch Single Malt Whiskey added another accolade to its collection of silverware – winning the national award in this category.

“I’m proud to work with the brilliant Visitor Experience Team who make my job a pleasure on a daily basis,” Mr Paterson said on his award win.

“It’s been a challenging two years and I thank them all for their ongoing support and enthusiasm.

“Being part of Clonakilty Distillery since we opened our doors in 2019 has been a wonderful journey and the future is very exciting,” he added.

Head Distiller at Clonakilty Distillery, Paul Corbett said the team was delighted to be recognised for their Clonakilty Small Batch Single Malt, which was in collaboration with O’Hara’s Brewery. Founder of Clonakilty Distillery Michael Scully also expressed his delight at the award wins.

“I am thrilled to see Ewan recognised today as the best Visitor Attraction Manager, the team are incredibly proud of him. He plays a pivotal role at our Visitor Experience and if you’ve ever visited you will know that he goes above and beyond to ensure everyone that comes through the doors has the best possible experience that they can at Clonakilty Distillery,” he said.

Mr Scully said it is a testament to Mr Corbett and his team of distillers that Clonakilty Small Batch Single Malt was also recognised at the awards. 

“We will legally be able to launch our own very first whiskey made from our distillery in May this year, so it has been a great start to 2022 for us and we are really looking forward to welcoming visitors back to our distillery tours,” he added.