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1 min. with a Superhero: Colum Egan from Bushmills

by Fred Roed on 06/05/10 at 8:30 am
1 comment

Today we’re chatting to Colum Egan, Master Distiller at 400 year old Irish whiskey distillery, Bushmills. For Colum, becoming Master Distiller of Bushmills Irish Whiskey was fate. When he visited  as a paying customer almost a decade ago, he fell in love with the distillery and the process of making the world’s oldest whiskey. “The history, heritage and magic of the distillery intoxicated me,” he says. “I immediately felt at home.” Egan also points out that the source of the water supply used to make the whiskey is St. Columb’s Rill; his first name is derived from the word “Columb” and is pronounced the same way. Egan’s wife also grew up in a small town only 12 miles from the distillery. Purely coincidence? Colum thinks not.

Colum, we’re massive whiskey fans at Ideate (recently having given away an awesome hamper to one of our creative readers), so thanks for your time – tell us what distinguishes Bushmills from the rest of the pack?

There is a boldness to Bushmills that you struggle to find in other whiskies – it is smooth but rich and mellow at the same time. Malt whiskey captures the heart of the Bushmills character with its fruity, vanilla, slightly spicy characters that are emphasised during maturation. The distillery itself is almost unique in the fact that all the mashing, fermentation, distillation, maturation, bottling and distribution are all completed on site. The 120,000 visitors annually that come to view the distillery get to taste the wonderful whiskey at the end of the tour.

How does one become a master distiller?

It’s a long and varied road but the ability to nose and taste the small nuances within the whiskey at each stage of the process is critical. I think it is equally important, though, to be very enthusiastic, proud and passionate. I work with people everyday, so it is best to be able to share a laugh and a joke.

How come we can’t brew whiskey here in South Africa?

Whiskey can be distilled in South Africa but the fact that you have to age the spirit in oak barrels for a minimum of 3 years makes it difficult to start up a new business. It is also difficult to make due to the large number of factors that contribute to the taste. But I would love to come to South Africa to show you a little about distillation!!!!

Do you only drink whiskey – or do you have any South African pinotage snuck away in your cupboard?

I have been to Stellenbosch and fell in love with the place! It’s not just whiskey in the Egan household. We enjoy a bit of Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot as well.

Yep. South African wine is the business! Colum, thanks for getting in the mix. We’re seeing Bushmills all over the place down here these days, and it’s certainly starting to make inroads into the tough African market. Good luck with everything, and we hope to see you on our shores soon! Ideate readers, if you’re keen to meet Colum and get stuck into making some whiskey yourself, go the Bushmills Facebook fanpage here and enter their competition (where you can win a month working at the Bushmills distillery).

Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. Fred is the CEO of web marketing company World Wide Creative and the co-founder of online learning portal Heavy Chef. Fred loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. Follow Fred on Twitter here. View more articles by Fred Roed.

Tags: Bushmills

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