28 March 2022
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Ewan Paterson wins World’s Best Visitor Attraction Manager, while Clonakilty Small Batch Single Malt trumps again in World Whiskies Awards
It’s been a good start to 2022 for Clonakilty Distillery in terms of awards, and yesterday they continued their winning ways as they scooped two major awards at the prestigious World Whiskies Awards.
The maritime distillery trumped in two categories on March 24th – with Visitor Experience Manager Ewan Paterson winning the Visitor Attraction Manager of the year in the Icons of Whisky 2022, whilst their muti-award winning Clonakilty Small Batch Single Malt Whiskey added another accolade to its collection of silverware – winning the national award in this category.
Speaking in relation to the award, Mr Paterson paid tribute to the wider Clonakilty Distillery team:
He said : “It is an absolute honour to receive this Icons of Whisky Award from the Whisky Magazine. I would like to say thanks to the whole team at Clonakilty Distillery, management, production and the office team, who all make it possible for us to delight our visitors. I’m proud to work with the brilliant Visitor Experience Team who make my job a pleasure on a daily basis.”
He added: 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!”
The Whales Tail
Clonakilty’s Small Batch Single Malt was the second award for the team on the night, coming up trumps in the Single Malt Small Batch Category In the World Whiskies Awards 2022.
Head Distiller at Clonakilty Distillery Paul Corbett said the team was delighted to be recognized for their Clonakilty Small Batch Single Malt, which was in collaboration with O’Hara’s Brewery.
He said, “O’Hara’s brew exceptional beers and on nosing the casks before filling I knew we were going to be crafting something special. The resulting Clonakilty Small Batch Single Malt has a complex blend of chocolate, fruit and spice notes with a rich mouth-feel and we’re delighted it has been recognised on a national scale.”
Founder of Clonakilty Distillery Michael Scully also expressed his delight at the award wins and said the team were excited for a busy summer:
“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 added: “It is a testament to Paul and his team of distillers that our Clonakilty Small Batch Single Malt has also been recognised at the awards today. We will legally be able to launch our own very first whiskey made from our distillery in May later this year, so it has been a great start to 2022 for us and we are really looking forward to a busy summer and autumn welcoming visitors back to our distillery tours.”
