Full coverage: Whiskey

The vigour of the Irish whiskey market means there are now three auction sites to cope with all the buying and selling, where the most coveted bottles go for five-figure sums.

David Raethorne was the founder of what became Helix health and a shareholder in Smiles Dental and Global Shares. When he sold out of his investments, however, the software developer went down a different route: building a large-scale whiskey distillery in Co Sligo.

Shane McCarthy left a career on Wall Street to set up a platform that sells Irish craft beverages. Since then, he has co-founded a distillery in Ireland and created his own brand of whiskey. His new idea is whiskey in a can.

With more and more entrepreneurs emerging on the distilling market, Elliot Hughes talks to The Currency on how he finances one of the most popular distilleries in Ireland, why he is glad there is more competition in the industry and his company’s most recent cask programme.

The makers of premium whiskey brand The Wild Geese claim Irish Distillers is abusing its dominant position in the market. But is their legal action against the Pernod Ricard subsidiary in jeopardy?

June O’Connell gave up a career as a corporate lawyer to co-found a whiskey and gin distillery in her home town of Cahersiveen. Four years later, she has a €10m distillery, a pop up shop and is in talks to raise millions in investment for her company Skellig Six18.