Alfred Barnard, a journalist at Harper's Weekly Gazette visited every working whiskey distillery in Great Britain and Ireland between 1885 to 1887. In all, he visited an incredible 162 distilleries; 129 in Scotland, 29 in Ireland and 4 in England. His findings were published as a book in 1887. Sadly, many of the distilleries Barnard visited have since closed and in most cases, especially in Ireland, the buildings themselves have disappeared.
The magic of Barnard's book lies not only in the detailed descriptions of each distillery's whiskey-making processes but also in the extraordinary stories around his journeys to the various distilleries, bursting with historical colour and a certain sense of humour. A beautifully illustrated facsimile edition, with over 200 engravings, the book is a complete guide to the origins of Ireland's national drink, as well as a lively picture of life and travel in the Victorian age. The book also catches the moments before the Dublin Whiskey Fire destroyed many of the Dublin distilleries.
ISBN 9781841586526