Drioglann Cléire – Cape Clear Distillery

Site Progress

The last two months have seen accelerated progress with all the matters highlighted in the last update well in hand. The new external door and window to the bottling room are in place, as is the sink unit and some shelving. Very effective cleaning has seen the former cold room restored to a pristine clean condition. The tiling in the future fermentation room looks good, concrete floors have been painted, and a reinforced door installed for the storage area. The office area is ready for occupation and the washrooms are almost fully restored. The immediate environs of the building have seen the former raceway covered with slabs and a small (temporary) structure erected for the water treatment system which is currently being installed.

Sweat Investors

We are delighted at the support from some of our local ‘sweat investors’ which have led to various savings on our stated budget including useful economies made on the water treatment system, the restoration of the bottling room, and the nature and quality of some of the other works implemented. Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.

Customs and Excise License

We received our penultimate visit from the Customs and Excise people (responsible for licensing) on  28 May and they are happy to recommend the issuing of the license. With the formal paperwork now completed and the bond already paid, focus shifts to the practical items outstanding such as some internal templates which need to be modified for their final visit in about 2 weeks’ time and, of course, the completion of the outstanding works.  We are happy and relieved to be now within reach of this crucial goal.

Atex Wiring

The wiring to Atex standards is underway in the largely complete but yet unfurnished building. Some further adjustments needed to be made in the layout to facilitate the electrical installations and these were all achieved within the time frame. The wiring will also include fire and burglar alarms and CCTV cameras.

Bottling Plant

Our bottling plant has been specified and ordered. All the major items for Phase 1 are now on site or on the way.

Budget

It is not possible to ascertain the final costings until the final items have been completed and invoiced; nevertheless with savings incurred in some areas we remain within the original budget so far.

Merchandise – Glassware

We have ordered a range of quality bespoke glassware bearing our logos which we expect to arrive mid-July. These will initially be available in the island tourist office / craft shop and later at the distillery site.

We show a photo of team members Noreen and Ruth Court with Geraldine Ó Mealóid and Niamh Ní Drisceoil. Thanks also to Debbie Stone for her input.

Staffing

We have our first distillery staff ready to start from mid-June. While we may not be quite ready to produce gin at that stage, we will welcome their help in the myriad of pre-operation tasks that will need to be performed.

Other Matters

Insurance has been arranged and an Operational Health and Safety Statement have been commissioned. Focus shifts towards the ongoing operation of the distillery with sourcing of stocks, supplies, and labels etc, which are now a priority.  Focus also shifts to near and long term marketing strategies as well as the overall development of our outstanding site.

Looking Forward

We look forward to creating a new and exciting phased approach towards our long term goal of whiskey distillation and are currently breaking this task down into another sequence of achievable steps.

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.
Cléire abú.

Our mailing address is:
Cape Clear Island Distillery
Cape Clear Island
County Cork
Ireland