In the 1800s, the city of Limerick on the banks of the River Shannon, played a prominent role in the production and eventual export of Irish whiskey to the four corners of the world.

It’s been 101 years since the last distillery in Limerick went silent but one man is determined to restore the city to its former whiskey distilling glory. Building on the rich distilling heritage of this important Irish port city, Limerick native Nick Ryan has a plan to bring distilling back to the city that gave so much to Irish distilling yet is often overlooked when the story of Irish whiskey is told.

His ambitious plan is not just a dream; the first steps have already been taken with the launch of his whiskey brand Thomond Gate Whiskey. In this episode of Stories & Sips, I make the most of the joys of video conferencing to ask Nick how he intends to make his dream a reality and what he can share about Thomond Gate Whiskey and his current Single Pot Still Whiskey.

This is the first in a series of interviews I’ll conduct over the coming months, featuring the people and passion behind the independent whiskey projects that are in the works in Ireland. I’m a firm believer in supporting those who are risking their time, money and even more to do something big and to fulfill lifelong ambitions. After all, didn’t the success of Jameson globally start with one man in Dublin in 1780 taking a risk?