Plans for whiskey distillery get the green light
The first phase is the setting up of the distillery for the production of a premium quality whiskey on site followed by phase two, the restoration of part of the mill.
Long held plans for a craft whiskey distillery in Boyle have received the go-ahead from Roscommon County Council.
Applicant Neil Stewart has been granted planning permission for the change of use of part of an existing mill building complex from the production of grain and maize products to a whiskey distillery.
Comprising a floor area of more than 14,500 square foot, the proposed distillery will be developed in the vicinity of a mill complex, which is a protected structure. Owned by the Stewart Family for generations, the mill, over 200 years old, is a four and five-storey building that was a former feed plant.
Documents with the planning application note that the applicants have invested extensive time and resources in putting together a two-phase business plan.
The first phase is the setting up of the distillery for the production of a premium quality whiskey on site followed by phase two, the restoration of part of the mill for what is being described as “a unique visitor experience for tourists”.
It is intended to use the spring water from the St. Patrick’s well located within the proposed development area as the main source of water to be used in the whiskey distillation process.
The planning documents outline that due to the long lead-in time between beginning distillation and the final production of whiskey – two to four years - it is proposed that the existing facilities at the mill will be utilised to establish production.
An architect’s report on the planning file explains that Stewarts Mill propose to “establish a craft and environmentally sympathetic distillery to produce triple pot stilled premium Irish malt whiskeys and Irish whiskeys from locally sourced ingredients, distilled in the traditional way in the historic town of Boyle.” “Since 1880, the Stewart family has been entrepreneurs in developing business opportunities on the banks of the Boyle River. Continuing this tradition for future generations we see an opportunity to create a craft whiskey distillery producing premium Irish whiskey for sale at home and abroad,” the report states.
