Collinstown man awarded Master Distiller qualification

Few people in the world have reached the ranks of Master Distiller and Master Brewer and one of them is Collinstown native, Dr Gearóid Cahill. He was recently awarded the Master Distiller qualification from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and appointed first Master Distiller of Slane Irish Whiskey Distillery, the brainchild of Lord Henry Mount Charles and his son, Alex Conyngham.

This week, the Westmeath Examiner caught up with Dr Cahill at the distillery in the grounds of the historic Slane Castle and talked to him about growing up in Collinstown and going on to pursue a career that took him across the globe and incredible success in the drinks industry.

Dr Cahill is the son of Jimmy and Molly Cahill. Jimmy was well known locally as he was the postman and a member of the Merry Minstrels showband that played around the country in the ‘60s and early ’70s. He played double bass, electric bass guitar, harmonica and accordion.

“When us kids came along, he had to give up his rock and roll life style,” Gearóid laughed, adding that his father’s musical talent skipped a generation, but two of his daughters have inherited it.

Molly Cahill was a driving force behind the establishment of Community Games in Westmeath and served as county secretary for many years. The couple had six children – the late Anne Power, Eilish Browne, who lives near Fore, Eugene, who lives in Tullamore, Noel, Drumcree, Micheál, Navan and Gearóid.

Gearóid started school in the two-room national school at Glenidan, but after a few months they moved to the “swish school at Collinstown with its indoor toilets”. From there he graduated to the Sisters of Mercy Secondary School in Athboy and went on to study Biotechnology in DCU.

He said he was blessed with the education he received and that his degree is “a tool kit I continue to use daily”.

It was while at university that Gearóid met his wife, Angela, who was also studying biotechnology. Angela’s parents were from Kildare, but she spent the first 13 years of her life in England before the family returned to Ireland. The couple have four children – Becca, Amy, Hannah and James, and two grandchildren – Cora and Nuala, and live in Ardee, County Louth.

Gearóid’s work has taken him across the globe, and he has worked for spells ranging from a week to a month in different countries, but he has always lived in Ireland. He is glad he had the opportunity to “hit a lot of countries” as he feels travel broadens the mind and is character building.

Gearóid said his parents taught their children to work hard, not to expect anything to be handed to them and to be respectful, not show offs.

He loves his work and claims he has never been bored a day in his life. He has never been happier than he is now, working with Alex Conyngham and his father, Lord Henry, who share his passion and commitment to the whiskey.

He speaks passionately about the whole whiskey making process and the exceptional attention to detail that goes into it.

At present, Slane Irish Whiskey is relatively new as a brand, but already they have won numerous awards. They have teamed up with Brown-Forman in what Gearóid describes as “a marriage of two family businesses that works out well”.

They produce three types of whiskey – malt, pot still and grain – “but we are only starting”, said Gearóid who added – “watch this space because we will have new releases coming out this year and there is great excitement”.

“People are interested not only in the look and taste, but how our whiskey is made, how it differs – consumers are really informed and curious and want to know the background and what makes it special,” he said.

Storage is a problem facing the whiskey industry at present. Regarding the proposed whiskey warehouse planned for Moyvore, Gearóid remarked that there is a real need for such facilities, but it is a huge investment and undertaking.

It has to be built to the highest standards and the money up front is huge, plus you are relying on people to use it. Whiskey matures for years and therefore, it is a long-term and courageous enterprise. There is a real need for new whiskey warehouses, but it is not an undertaking for the faint hearted, he said.

Since Gearóid joined the team at Slane Distillery in 2019 as distillery manager, he has worked closely with his colleagues at Brown-Forman and Slane Irish Whiskey developing a production team, leading technical developments and optimising production. He has been instrumental in driving improvements in water and energy usage within the distillery, increasing sustainability efforts throughout the whiskey making process.

Commenting on Gearóid’s recent achievement and new appointment, Alex Conyngham, co-founder of Slane Irish Whiskey, said: “Since joining us to head up our production at Slane Distillery, Gearóid has strived to improve the quality and consistency of our spirit. He has embraced our dedication to flavour and the leadership, skill and vision that he has demonstrated in shaping both our current blend and future Irish whiskeys is inspiring. This latest accolade is hard earned and we are delighted for him to get the formal recognition he deserves.”

Gearóid has worked in the brewing and distilling industry for more than 25 years. Starting in June 1996, he spent 19 years with Diageo PLC in a variety of technical roles, leading process and product improvements while developing and rolling out standards in brewing and distilling plants in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Jamaica, the UK and Ireland while also working with brands that included Guinness, Carlsberg, Harp, Tuborg and Smithwick’s.

As head of science for Diageo, from May 2011 to June 2015, Gearóid led the development of new production processes at James’s Gate, with a €47m investment, and oversaw fermentation optimisation in Diageo’s Nigerian breweries.

This wealth of global trade knowledge and production expertise combined with a Ph.D. in Brewery Yeast Management from Dublin City University in 1999 elevated Gearóid to become a Master Brewer in 2003.

Gearóid joined Alltech Ireland in 2015, and was head distiller of The Pearse Lyons Distillery and Alltech director of Brewing Science responsible for all aspects of production including the process design for the city centre distillery in what is a 12th century national monument, St James’s Church. He also led the research and development programme at Alltech’s Research Centre in Dunboyne, County Meath, focusing on optimising operations for grain whiskey production using enzyme technology and novel process innovation. From Alltech, Gearóid moved to Slane Distillery where he is now based in his new role as distillery manager and Master Distiller of Slane Irish Whiskey.