Ireland has been slower to welcome women into the whisky industry than other countries according to prominent Irish Whiskey entrepreneur Louise McGuane.

In an interview with Forbes Magazine whiskey bonder, Louise McGuane of J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey said Ireland was less welcoming than the United States and other countries.

Proportionally there are fewer women working in Irish Whiskey in Ireland than there are in Irish Whiskey in America. She said. “Ireland has been slower to welcome women into the industry than other countries and that is largely because the industry was very small until recently.”

Mc Guane built a career in the global drinks industry with major multinationals including Moët Hennessey, Pernod Ricard and Diageo. That took her to work and live all around the world in New York, Paris, London and ultimately Singapore. McGuane set up JJ Corry Irish Whiskey on the family farm in Cooraclare, Co Clare along the Wild Atlantic Way in 2015.

Her take on the industry hasn’t endeared her to the “Old Guard” as she calls them. She said “My open and fresh approach to communication and my sometimes-critical stance on elements of the industry that needed change possibly means I won’t be getting invited to various old school Irish Whiskey and Cigar industry events anytime soon. I’m ok with that. “

Mc Guane is the only solo female Founder in Irish Whiskey. In 2019 JJ Corey release a €6,500 Irish whiskey that sold out before it even went to market. She started selling the whiskey before it was bottled. She sold 12 bottles in Asia direct to individuals. The rest were sold to whiskey specialist shops.

Read the full interview with John Mariani where Mc Guane talks blending, master distillers, climate change and more.

Elsewhere on Char: The Ultimate Guide to Irish Whiskey