Watercourse Distillery (Thomas H. Hewitt & Co.)

Address

12 Watercourse Road
Blackpool
Cork City
Cork
Ireland (Eire)

Status: Closed & demolished

Established: 1792

Owner: Not supplied

Capacity: Closed (R.I.P.)

Visitor Policy: Not generally accessible

Tel: Not supplied

The Watercourse Distillery was established in 1792 by butter merchants Thomas Hewitt and John Teulon with London distiller Richard Blunt, but production did not start until 1794. The distillery and the road on which it was situated were so named due to their proximity to the Kiln River, a tributary of the River Lee. The Kiln was used as a water source and is the main reason for the site being chosen for the distillery.

In 1834, the Hewitt family became the sole proprietors but went on to sell the distillery to the Cork Distillers Company in 1867. The formation of the Cork Distilleries Company Ltd in 1867 heralded the start of an amalgamation of distilleries in the British Isles, particularly in Ireland, and was the foundation of the Irish Distillers Company now owned by Pernod Ricard.

The Cork Distilleries Company was formed with the merger of five Cork distilleries: the Midleton Distillery (1825-1975), North Mall/ Wyse's Distillery (1779-1920), Watercourse Distillery (1795-1975), Green's Distillery (1796-1870) and Daly's John Street (1807-1870).

Distilling ceased at the Watercourse Distillery in 1876 although the maltings, cornstores and warehouses remained in use until 1975. The mothballed distillery was dismantled in 1918.

The 'Watercourse Distillery Ltd' name lives on as the Pernod Ricard subsidiary company which operates The Old Jameson Distillery in Bow Street, Dublin.

In its heyday the Watercourse Distillery was best known for its Hewitt's brand of whiskey now sadly no longer produced. It is also where Cork Dry Gin originated.

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