| Country | ireland |
| Region | County Cork |
| Established | 1795 |
| Owner | Cork Distilleries Company / later Irish Distillers (Pernod Ricard) |
| Type | Pot still (later Coffey still added) |
| Number of stills | 2 pot stills (1,168 and 544 gallons); a Coffey still added later |
| Visitor center | No |
| Status | Closed |
| Phone | n/a |
Watercourse Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery that was located in Blackpool, Cork, County Cork, Ireland. It was founded in 1795 and closed in 1975 as production was consolidated at the new Midleton distillery. Watercourse was one of the historic Cork "Golden Vale" distilleries that were later amalgamated into the Cork Distilleries Company, and its former bonded warehouse, dating from around 1800, still stands on the site today.
Watercourse Distillery was built on Watercourse Road in the Blackpool area of Cork city between roughly 1793 and 1795, on a site drawing water from a tributary of the River Bride. It was established by Thomas Hewitt and John Teulon, both local butter merchants, together with Richard Blunt, a London distiller, with James Morrogh joining as an equal partner a few years later. The distillery was equipped with two pot stills and, in its early decades, also produced Cork Dry Gin alongside whiskey.
By 1834 the Hewitt family had become sole proprietors, running the business as Hewitt & Co. Under their ownership the distillery produced Hewitt's whiskey, notable for being more heavily peated than most Irish blends of the era. In 1867 Watercourse was one of five Cork-area distilleries brought together to form the Cork Distilleries Company (CDC), a consolidation that also included the North Mall, Green, and Daly's distilleries alongside the newer Midleton site. Traditional pot-still whiskey production at Watercourse wound down through the later 19th century, and a Coffey (column) still was added as the site increasingly turned to producing yeast, industrial alcohol, and grain alcohol rather than whiskey for direct bottling. The operating company was formally renamed Watercourse Distillery Ltd. in 1954.
Following the 1966 merger that created Irish Distillers Group, whiskey production across the former Cork Distilleries Company sites was consolidated at the purpose-built Midleton distillery. Watercourse continued in a limited industrial capacity into the 1970s before ceasing operations around 1975. Most of the distillery complex was demolished in the mid-1990s to make way for the North Link Road, though a bonded warehouse dating from about 1800 survives on the original site as a physical reminder of Cork's once-extensive distilling industry. Because Watercourse stopped producing whiskey for bottling long before its final closure, original single-distillery bottlings are effectively unknown on the market; its main legacy today is as one of the constituent distilleries whose history and stock underpin the wider Cork Distilleries Company / Irish Distillers heritage now associated with Midleton.
Watercourse distillery is located at Watercourse Road, Blackpool, Cork, Ireland.
Watercourse distillery was founded in 1795.
Watercourse distillery is owned by Cork Distilleries Company / later Irish Distillers (Pernod Ricard).
Watercourse distillery is from County Cork, ireland.
You can buy Watercourse whisky at Glenbotal.co.uk. We currently stock a selection with free UK delivery on orders over £99.
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About Glenbotal
The idea of Glenbotal came to us naturaly: as whisky lovers, we were always on the lookout for new experiences in the whisky world. That’s why we created Glenbotal and became our very own first customers. We buy unique and hard to find spirits from auctions, ballots, and private collections. Then, we share them with a small circle of friends and people who can appreciate a good dram.