Wise's Irish Whiskey : The History of Cork's North Mall Distillery

The story of distilling is of particular interest today, but was no less so from the outset of Wise?s Distillery. This book makes extensive use of the observations of prominent distillers from the nineteenth century to relate the difficulties of running a business beset by regulatory, as well as economic, pitfalls. We are much more aware of the value of brands in the world today but this awareness was increasingly evident as the nineteenth century progressed. The book tracks the extent to which the Wise?s Irish Whiskey brand became ever more important for the success of its North Mall distillery. Unfortunately, the inevitable decline of the distillery took place due to unsustainable costs and increased competition from blends.No story about an important distillery is complete without an ability to assess its complexity. The book addresses this by utilizing details from valuation reports and contemporary descriptions to reconstruct the industrial framework. Similar to the decline of the distillery, the eventual erosion of the Wise family fortune is evaluated in the context of changed political and economic circumstances. The book narrates the story of three generations of the Wise family as they became Cork-based merchant princes. It is also the story of their North Mall distillery, the then largest in Cork city , which even rivalled the great distilling houses of Dublin. The authors have chosen personal testimonies from the period to delve into the themes of family history, economic conditions and social inequality; and all against the industrial story of a major Cork distillery.